There are No Immigrants on Earth

I recently wrote about how I believe the Bible fully supports inclusion for transgender people. I used Isaiah 56 as support. In this chapter, God commands Israel to welcome the foreigner and the eunuch into temple worship. Because transgendered people are under attack right now, I spent the majority of the article writing about them. But it is clear that foreigners are under attack in America today as well.

I’m not sure that this concept of foreigner or immigrant even makes sense to us as Christians. What child of God is foreign anywhere on earth? Where did God draw geographic boundaries? Isn’t everyone home anywhere in God’s creation?

Our country is hooked on division. Let’s be honest and admit that when we look at each other, we don’t see the Christ inside the other person. What we see is nationality, ethnicity, race, culture or any other category we want to use to sow division. Every person is a citizen in the kingdom that really matters, the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God is here right now, and we are called as Christians to point it out and expand it to as many people as possible.

Recently, I’ve heard a lot of Christians speak not in Jesus’s name, but in the name of Donald Trump. I’ve heard them refer to immigrants and refugees as invaders or worse. I’ve heard them say that nothing in the Bible says we should support government or tax policies in order to further the work of Jesus. This is as inauthentic a faith as I can imagine. Who do you worship? Additionally, many of the same so-called Christians are happy to use politics and government to oppress the very same people whom Jesus calls us to welcome.

In a discussion of how best to support our transgendered sisters and brothers, a friend of mine reminded me of this text:

Galatians 3:28.

There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.

The implications for our friends who are gender expansive are clear in this text. But I think we should revisit it from the perspective of what it means to be foreign. I don’t think Paul thinks there is any such thing as a foreigner or an immigrant after his own experience of the risen Christ. I’m sure he felt differently before the road to Damascus. Now he sees that all are one. In Paul’s vision, Christ asks Paul, “why are you persecuting me?” Obviously, we are the body of Christ on earth so the implications of this passage are to ask Paul why he continues to persecute Christians. But as we’ll see below, Jesus completely, and without a single qualification, identifies as the stranger.

Few of us have been temporarily blinded by a visit from Christ. It is quite clear that we lack the authentic motivations and convictions that developed in Paul after this mystical experience. If we are serious about Christian unity, and we should be as serious as Paul was, then this verse in Galatians reminds us that our identities are in Christ, not in an earthly citizenship. If you have been baptized into Christ, earthly distinctions dissolve and the concept of foreigner becomes obsolete.

I have a lot of atheists and former Christians among my readers. If this defines you, then carry on. I’m not holding you to the standards to which I would hold a baptized believer. You may very well believe in closed borders. But I follow a Lord who says there are no borders in the kingdom of God, so I will continue to disagree with you. I mean, I suppose there are some flimsy arguments to be made against immigration, but again, I disagree with almost all of them. By the way, my degree is an economics and not theology, so I’m not coming from this because of some left-wing bent. Study after study show that immigrants are dramatically less likely to commit crime. Think about it. If you fled to America to escape, poverty, crime, and political threats, wouldn’t you do your best just to blend in here? Immigrants are also great for our economic development. Among almost all mainstream economists, this is a fairly uncontroversial statement. Simply review the immigration-friendly policies of the famously progressive George W. Bush. Today’s MAGA-hat wearing Republicans would accuse Bush of being lacking on the border, or maybe even a God-hating communist.

Fighting for any policy that doesn’t at a minimum treat foreigners and immigrants with respect, love and decency is directly opposed to the words of our Lord. Jesus repeatedly emphasized welcoming the foreigner and treating them with love and compassion. Here are a few key passages:

The Parable of the Good Samaritan, Luke 10:25-37

The lesson here is that your citizenship in the kingdom is tied to compassion not geographic boundaries. In this parable, Jesus tells the story of a Samaritan who helps a wounded traveler, while others pass by. The Samaritan, despite being from a group that was often despised by the Jews, demonstrates love and mercy. Jesus concludes by asking, “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” It would have been shocking to the listeners then, but the clear implication is that the despised foreigner is the neighbor. This parable teaches that our neighbor is not defined by nationality or ethnicity but by our willingness to show compassion and help those in need. 

“I Was a Stranger,” Matthew 25:35-40

The foreigner and immigrant you are mistreating is in fact, Jesus himself. In this passage, Jesus speaks about the final judgment and says, “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in.” He emphasizes that when we welcome and care for those who are marginalized or in need, we are, in fact, serving Him. 

The Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5:43-48

Jesus teaches His followers to love their enemies and pray for those who persecute them. This radical call to love extends to all people, including those who may be considered outsiders or foreigners. He encourages His followers to reflect God’s love, which is inclusive and unconditional. Even if you think that immigrants are somehow, “invaders,” and thus by extension your enemies, you must treat them with love. That means no child separations, no concentration camps, but love.

The Great Commission, Matthew 28:19-20

I struggle with the great commission because I grew up in the conservative and evangelical faith of Seventh Day Adventism. SDA’s believe that the great commission commands us to make as many Christians in as many different nations as possible. I’m not here to argue one way or the other today. But I can tell you that Jesus was clear that the kingdom of God knew no earthly boundaries. As a little bit of Humble Walks trivia, around 20 to 25% of my readers come from outside the United States. Jesus calls us to make disciples of all nations, and by this, I really think he means all people, regardless of nations, reminding us that the message of Christ is for everyone. This mission is not limited by borders; it is a call to reach out to all people, inviting them into the loving embrace of God.

Old Testament Foundations

Even in the sometimes grumpy and archaic Old Testament, God commands us to care for the foreigner. For example:

Leviticus 19:34

The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.

I get it. People who are different are scary. It’s built into our evolutionary psychology to seek power, control and tribal loyalty. Fearful conservatives want to say that diversity is bad. Never forget how much God loves diversity. Just take a quick hike in the Colorado mountains to open your mind to the amazing diversity in all of creation. Diversity in general is what makes America strong in the first place. Unless you are a slave or a Native American, you are in some fashion an immigrant. Diversity is one of God’s primary values. God celebrates diversity in all of creation through different people, different cultures, different types of flowers, different types of food, even many dog breeds. Why can’t we celebrate what God celebrates? If we are all children of God, then we can celebrate the diversity of cultures and traditions as a reflection of God’s creativity, and in respect for the Christ that lives inside all of us. Every culture has unique expressions of faith, culture, worship, language, and more adding to the rich tapestry of God’s creation.

I will close by offering a prophetic warning. If you find yourself on the wrong side of this issue, Jesus is clear: you are on the wrong side of Jesus. There are no foreigners on earth. We all share identity as the children of God. If you cling to your nation, especially a particular ideological subgroup in that nation, more than you claim to the words of Christ, I fear for your soul.

Matthew 25:44–46.

Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?’ Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.