President’s Perspective: Immigration (and One Verse Wonders)

By Kevin Stone

I have written generally about this topic before, but it is on my heart again.  

Once again, immigration and immigration enforcement are big topics of conversation in the US. Our political climate keeps proving that yes, it can get worse. Five or six years ago, there was plenty of vitriol, but the questions seemed more closely associated with the issues at hand: Is it bad to build a wall? Is it cruel to remove certain immigrants? Now, the questions cut even more deeply into the fabric of our society. Should state and local officials follow federal laws? What is the difference between peaceful protest and illegal activity? When are officers allowed to use deadly force? What is an insurrection?  

These questions about current events come on top of long-standing tensions over morality, gender, political violence, election integrity, the role of government, and so many other difficult issues. And while grappling with these issues, we choose the news outlets that frame issues according to our existing viewpoint. We follow social media outlets, where an algorithm determines which viewpoints we are most likely to enjoy. We are increasingly dividing into tribes within our own communities.  

But the divide is not strictly between believers and unbelievers. There are deep divides even among believers. Pastors and parishioners alike try to figure out how to wade through this mess and represent Christ well. Most believe that politics do not belong in the church, but when political issues impact moral issues, it becomes more difficult to determine what type of response is appropriate. When a political issue goes beyond the efficient administration of government to interfering with morality, the church should teach its members to speak, act, and vote in a way that represents Christ.  

Outside of the church, I see many believers sharing their opinions in the public square, such as through social media posts. Engaging those around us with Biblical truth is vitally important. After all, making disciples of the nations is our commission. However, I am concerned that so many of those Christians sharing their opinion have simplified the Word of God to the point where they cannot seem to grasp the scope of the situation about which they are commenting.  

Put another way, many of today’s believers seem to be “one verse wonders.” They pick one verse out of context and state that the situation is simple when it is, in fact, complex. Or they cherry pick only the verses that support their specific point of view. Following are a couple of examples which pertain to immigration.  

“All immigrants should be welcome in our country. Deportation is wrong, because the Bible says to love the stranger who lives among you (Lev. 19:34).”  

That sounds reasonable, but the issue is far more complicated than that. God also said that the stranger who lived among his people must follow the same laws and customs, upon penalty of death (Lev. 24:16-23). The Bible affirms the concept of borders (Acts 17:26, Deut. 32:8, Hos. 5:10, etc.), and we are instructed to follow the laws of the government (Rom. 13:1-2, 1 Pet. 2:13-17, etc.).  

So yes, the people of Israel were commanded to love the stranger who lived among them, but only if that stranger followed God’s law. Nations should have borders, and governments enact laws to protect those borders. We are instructed to follow the law AND we are instructed to love people. So, the answer is not as simple as one verse would have us believe.  

“Jesus said ‘love your neighbor’ (Matt. 22:39) and ‘turn the other cheek,’ (Matt. 5:39). It is simply not Christlike to round up criminals or to use weapons to enforce the law.”  

This seems easy enough, if you ignore a few other verses.  
For instance, Romans 13:4 states that government authorities bear the sword in order to punish those who break the law. Without that possibility, laws are virtually unenforceable. And there are many passages of Scripture that apply to individual believers, not to governments. Again, the situation becomes more complex than some would lead us to believe.  

​God’s Word cannot fit on a bumper sticker or be used as a pithy rallying cry. One must examine all of Scripture and allow the Holy Spirit to reveal how its meaning unfolds in day-to-day life.  
I believe that one of the greatest threats to the Church today is Biblical illiteracy. It is far too easy to find a verse that matches your opinion or your mood without digging into the historical and grammatical context. But without proper context and the illumination of the Holy Spirit, we will rarely understand the text. ​

Let us not be “one verse wonders,” let us seek to understand God’s Word.  ​

We must continue to stand as a Fellowship of churches that preaches the full counsel of Scripture. We must continue to encourage Biblical literacy in our teaching, our programs, and our personal discipleship. We must encourage our people not to be swept up in the current culture of grabbing one verse to prove our point, but to be true students of God’s Word.  

2 Timothy 3 reveals the godlessness that will prevail in the last days. People will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, etc. But at the end of the chapter, we are given the foundation on which we are to stand in those days.  

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17 - ESV)  

​When we teach people to study the full counsel of Scripture, we may not change the climate within our nations, but we might just change the lives of those within our influence. “Bible” is our middle name. Lord, help us model that in every interaction.  

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

​Kevin Stone has been in full or part-time ministry for over 30 years. Before accepting the position of President, he spent 12 years as the full-time Pastor of Worship at Crosspoint Bible Church in Omaha, NE - one of our FEBC churches.