The author of the ridiculous graphic above is an idolater. The Bible nowhere indicates that crossing a border or getting a job in a foreign country are sins, much less crimes. If you think men get to make up crimes, then you believe that men define good and evil and that means that you idolize men. The Bible says that only God determines good and evil and God is the only lawgiver (Isaiah 33:22, James 4:12). Law giving is a job reserved for God. If you think there is some other source of law, that is your false god.
Here’s your homework. What does the Bible call people who move to a foreign country in your favorite translation? After you figure that out, it’s easy to search that word for the 20 or so Bible verses that mention them. What does the Bible say about how to treat them? If you’re a Christian you better know the answer to those questions, and you better advocate for what it says and be teaching the nations to obey what He has commanded (Matthew 28:18-20).
Calvinism From our perspective, it seems like we choose to submit to God and get saved. But the Bible says that God is in control of everything. We will someday see that God worked our lives out to His glory and we receive no credit for our salvation. We all deserve hell. God chooses to save some people out of His mercy. No one can choose God apart from Him enabling us to do so (Romans 3:10, John 6:44). Good passages about this are John 6, 8, 10, 17 and Romans 3, 8 and 9.
Presuppositional apologetics is examining the presuppositions of unbelieving worldviews and showing that none are adequate to explain the world we see. This is as opposed to evidential apologetics where we offer evidences for the faith and hope that unbelievers eventually decide in favor of Christianity. Here’s why:
People who are dead in their sin can’t reason their way out of being dead (Calvinism).
We are commanded to not put the Lord to the test (Matthew 4:12, Deut. 6:16). Applied to apologetics this would mean that we ought not lead unbelievers to think that they have the freedom to weigh evidence and decide a verdict for or against God.
Those who are humble and seeking should be given the gospel. Those who are fools should be answered according to their folly (Proverbs 26:5). This means that we apply their worldview to their claims using presuppositional apologetics, leaving them without a leg to stand on.
Everyone knows the God of the Bible is the true God and they suppress that knowledge in unrighteousness (Romans 1:18-19). Since the Bible says they all know God, we ought not pretend that they don’t really know or attempt to convince them that God exists.
Presuppositional apologetics is striving to do apologetics the way Scripture says it ought to be done, and doing it consistently with what it says about unbelievers. Christians love evidence for the faith and evidence is great for believers.
3. Theonomy
Just as presuppositional apologetics teaches that morality, the laws of logic and truth are absolutes (the standards for these things have always been true for all times and people because they are part of God’s character), justice and freedom are absolutes in the same way. Is theft a crime? What is the punishment? If Scripture defines what justice is in that case, anything other than that would be injustice. If we don’t answer questions like those from Scripture, we are left with men deciding those things. Romans 13:4 says that government’s only job is to carry out God’s wrath on evildoers. In that passage, God decides what actions make a man evil and earn His wrath. Governments only carry out what He says. The New Testament doesn’t go into great depth on those topics because it’s assuming that we know the Old Testament.
Christ fulfilled the ceremonial law, but not one jot or tittle of the civil law and the moral law, will pass away (Matt. 5:17-19). Our job is to teach then nations to observe all that Christ has commanded (Matt. 28:18-20). Christians alone know what justice and freedom are and our job is to spread that knowledge.
4. Covenantalism Covenantalism means that God deals with people through covenants. This is as opposed to dispensationalism.
Scripture presents God’s dealings with humanity through covenants that provide the framework for redemption and history. In Genesis 17, God established an everlasting covenant with Abraham and his offspring, tying covenant promises to households. Exodus 19-24 describes God making covenant with Israel as His “kingdom of priests,” while Jeremiah 31:31-34 promises a New Covenant that continues God’s redemptive structure rather than discarding it. Ephesians 2 and 3 portray Gentiles as grafted into God’s covenant people. These passages support the idea that God works covenantally with families, nations, and history, and that His covenants define responsibilities, blessings, and sanctions.
5. Postmillennialism
Premillennialists believe that the Church and the gospel is pretty much defeated by the end of history. At that point Christ returns and kills His enemies. This is as opposed to postmillennialism where the gospel slowly spreads and God’s kingdom grows to fill the whole earth through peaceful means. The church will be victorious by the means given in Scripture.
The gospel isn’t accepted and spread by the sword but by God’s mercy, grace and truth. All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Christ and He commands us to disciple the nations. Psalm 110:1 is the most-quoted verse in the New Testament, and it declares that Christ will reign until all His enemies are made His footstool. 1 Corinthians 15:25–26 says this footstooling happens happening before the end of history. Parables such as the mustard seed and leaven (Matt. 13:31–33) depict the kingdom growing gradually until it permeates the whole world. These passages teach an era of gospel-driven cultural transformation prior to Christ’s second coming.
How idolatrous can a Christian be before you have to doubt their salvation? The authority you use to determine right and wrong is your god. If the source of your morality is Jesus Christ, you’re a Christian and you are almost certainly a Christian and will go to heaven. If your moral authority is anything other than Christ, such as the U.S. Congress, then you’re not a Christian and you’re headed to hell. This conversation exposed this guy as an idolater.
Here’s the conversation:
Donald said this in response to an original post trying to apply Scripture to politics: More twisting of the scriptures to fit your social justice false gospel. A sovereign nation enforcing its immigration laws is not oppressing the poor. Your mind is just as twisted as your interpretation of scripture.
ME: Donald McGinnis by what standard do you discern what is a just or unjust law?
Donald says: God’s word is the standard, Hebrews 4:12.
ME: Good. Can you be more specific? How do you know if an immigration law is just or unjust?
Donald says: Romans chapter 13.
ME: Romans 13 teaches you that US immigration law is just or unjust?
Donald says: So, you didnt read it or is it that you’re just not very bright?
ME: If you’re saying that Romans 13 gives a blank check for governments to do whatever they want, that is the complete opposite of what it’s teaching. Romans 13:3-4 places strict limits on what government can do. But maybe you can explain it better.
Donald says: Governments make just laws as to who can enter the sovereign nation that they are. They have rules of entering according to their laws. Illegal aliens broke those laws and are now experiencing the consequences of their illegal actions. It’s really that simple. It’s just like your home. you determine who is welcome and who is not. If they break in, you call the police and they get arrested. No difference. Do you really have a problem with that?
ME: This exchange started by me asking you how you discern what a just or unjust law is. I don’t think you’ve answered clearly in regards to immigration. If I had to guess what you’re getting at so far, it seems you believe government can regulate immigration however it wants. Is that correct? How do you square that with Romans 13:3-4?
Donald says: You have nothing to teach anyone. And your opinions don’t make any sense. You are just another social justice libtard masquerading as a Christian who twists scripture and tries to apply those twisted scriptures to your false narrative. And yes, the govt which is our duly elected representatives does have the right and the authority to regulate immigration policy and laws, whether you like it or not. If you don’t like it, go move somewhere where your wacky imagined legal system actually exists.
ME: you’ve provided no scriptural basis for anything you’ve said. If you believe government determines good and evil, your god is the government. Thanks for the conversation.
————————————————————————————- So this guy thinks that Romans 13 means that government can do almost whatever it wants. It would be preposterous if I hadn’t heard that taught from more than one pulpit. Is the twisting of Romans 13 this way what is causing Christians to idolize the government? Would a campaign to teach the proper interpretation of Romans 13 help solve that? What would such a campaign look like?
Millions of American Christians have no idea who the real enemy of the kingdom of God is: the U.S. government.
They send their kids to the government for 8 hours per day for 13 years to be discipled by God-hating liberals in socialist-funded indoctrination centers. The kids learn that government giving people things and taking care of them is just fine. Spending more and more money and even government taking on debt and raising taxes to spend on schools is just fine.
When the local police don’t lift a finger to stop abortion in your city, Christians don’t bother to teach the cops that Scripture says that government’s only job is to carry out God’s wrath on evildoers (Romans 13:4).
When the federal government/the Federal Reserve print money and mail out checks causing rampant inflation, no pastor says anything from the pulpit. Rampant theft of the money in people’s savings via inflation is just fine, because Trump and Biden sent out checks I guess.
When government takes over the job of individuals and churches of charity and taking care of our parents and grandparents via socialist redistribution schemes (theft), we’re content to ignore our family members.
When a Republican is in office, even if it’s a whoremongering scumbag New York liberal who makes Bill Clinton look conservative, Christians call for loyal obedience to the government and even demand their children pledge allegiance to our wicked government thousands of times over the course of their socialist education.
“But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil” (Hebrews 5:14).
Christians are woefully unable to distinguish good from evil to the point that they unwaveringly support the biggest enemy of the kingdom of God.
I speak to a lot of Christians who don’t understand this. It seems so simple.
Here’s the premise:
Men don’t determine good and evil; God does. Christians are to advocate that government not harass people who aren’t sinning.
If I stated this in the context of gun control or something consistent with what Trump is teaching, Christians would agree. However I’ve been starting it in regards to immigration, and you should see how many fuses it blows.
The completely predictable response people have over and over is to quote Romans 13 and say everyone should obey the law. If you read what I said, you’ll notice that isn’t even really a response to what I said. I didn’t say anything about what immigrants should be doing. I said that Christians shouldn’t support the government when they are committing injustice.
If they can get move on from there, which they rarely can, the question would be: what is a just or unjust law? I could probably write a book on that where I would explain that justice is defined in the Old testament civil law and how it teaches that moving isn’t a sin. Fortunately for the little Facebook comment box, an essay isn’t required. I can use Romans 13, which they’ve often helpfully copy and pasted. Verses 3 and 4 say that those who do good have nothing to worry about and that those who commit a crime that earns them God’s wrath are to come under jurisdiction of human government.
Moving to a new country is not a sin, so how can men try to make it illegal? If men do try to make it illegal, it’s the job of Christians to teach the government that they have no right to make something that’s not a sin into a crime.
For a Christian to advocate for anything other than that reveals that they’re actually idolaters who think that men can define right and wrong.
I had this conversation on Facebook with a pastor, Kevin. What he believes and teaches is absolutely false. Here’s the conversation. His first comment is in response to me saying that anyone who votes in favor of taxation to fund a swimming pool is committing the sin of covetousness.
As a Christian, you might believe that you have a biblical duty to pay every dime you owe in taxes, and I have no problem with you if you believe that. I can see how you’d arrive at that conclusion.
However, Romans 13:4 gives government its mandate, which is to carry out God’s wrath on criminals as His Word defines criminality. They aren’t allowed to collect taxes for schools, roads, swimming pools, or anything other than criminal justice. That means any taxes they attempt to collect other than for criminal justice are theft.
My ending question was, “What is the biblical penalty for not paying taxes?” The answer is there was no penalty in ancient Israel under God’s law for not paying taxes. You not paying taxes was between you and God. It would have been a sin to not pay proper taxes. But there weren’t tax courts or people going to jail or receiving any other punishments for not paying their taxes.
So anytime the US government tries to force you to pay a tax you’d rather not pay, other than criminal justice, they are stealing from you. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t pay it, but it does mean the people participating in that theft will face God on Judgment Day.
Just FYI: “Conservative” and “the Right” are not necessarily synonymous. Edmond Burke defined conservatism as the idea that the wisdom that led our forefathers to create Western society is still just as applicable to the modern era as it was back then. The source of that wisdom is the Bible, and a true conservative is someone who adheres staunchly to the doctrines of God’s Word.
This can be contrasted with “the Right” in the sense that the Right is merely the opposition of the Left. There is no set of guiding principles that establishes what it means to be “the Right” other than the principle that the Right is always opposed to the Left. Thus, there are many areas in which those who claim to be the Right are significantly different from true conservatives.
Ellis Island closed this day, November 12, in 1954 with 12 million immigrants having passed through. Until 1924, it was mostly just a processing facility, with no limits to immigration. During that time, It is estimated that only about half of immigrants came through Ellis Island. The US-Mexico border was wide open. Mexicans and anyone (except Chinese) could freely cross the border and immigrate through that border without even being counted.
Men don’t define what is good and evil–not even by voting on it. Government’s only job is to carry out God’s wrath on evildoers (Romans 13:4). People who aren’t doing evil, are to be free from government interference. This godly government is juxtaposed to the government of the beast (Revelation 13:17) where government permission is required for even righteous activity such as buying and selling. Is the way you advocate for immigrants to be treated more in line with godly government or government of the beast?
I’ve said many times that socialists are much more greedy than capitalists. Here’s the perfect example of a socialist swimming-complex advocate (the 2nd comment from the top) calling others greedy because they don’t want to steal from others to pay for her pet project.
What a perfect meme for that person.
Capitalists make money by serving other people. Socialists have to steal from people to redistribute. Government shouldn’t be in the swimming pool business at all.
There are sometimes when first amendment auditors do something a little awkward or cringy. There are times when they cuss a little more than I’d like. There are times when they are promoting a message I don’t want to see, much less my little girls to see. But that’s okay with me.
If you notice, most of them aren’t spreading a message. They aren’t handing out literature or referring people to websites. Their only message is that their activity is legal and protected by the Constitution.
Christians are the ones with a message to spread. We are to be spreading the gospel and teaching the nations to obey all that Christ has commanded and standing for our pre-born neighbors. I wish there were Christians everywhere boldly pushing legal envelopes in every town in this country. Until that becomes a reality, first amendment auditors are at least preserving these freedoms for eventual use by Christians, even if they’re unbelievers.
We know that cops don’t know the law or don’t care about the law. I suspect that many of them hate the people they’re supposed to be serving.
I used to stand on Main Street in front of bars on a weekend evening and try to have gospel conversations with people. Shortly after starting, the cops threatened to arrest me and my friend. According to the law, they were supposed to be protecting our right to free speech, not impeding it. I was shocked at the time at how ignorant the cops were. But no Christians were doing anything like that. That wasn’t even pushing the envelope. That was just free speech in a traditional public forum. Thankfully it worked out and our rights were vindicated after getting a civil rights attorney to send a threatening letter to the city council, city attorney, and police department. You can be doing perfectly legal activities and still be threatened with arrest.
Uneducated, hostile cops are an ongoing problem and we need people to stop blindly obeying unlawful orders and demanding that cops obey the law.
Working for the Secession of Fremont County from the Union
