The ROMANS 13!!!! crowd likes to say that illegal immigrants are breaking the law and it’s a sin to break the law.
Judgment begins in the house of God. Christians are supposed to judge, as long as they hold themselves to at least as high a standard as they hold others. Is the ROMANS 13!!!! crowd holding themselves to the same standard they hold immigrants to? Do they ever break the speed limit or fail to come to a complete stop? Have they ever texted while driving? Do they get a permit when they replace a water heater or do home improvement projects that require a permit? Do they carry a gun in places they shouldn’t and have all the proper permits? Do they report any profit they make when they sell something privately?
That crowd might say illegal immigration is a serious crime while speeding isn’t. I don’t see why that matters. Romans 13 makes no distinction. But even if it did, sneaking across the border is a misdemeanor but overstaying a visa is a civil infraction like a speeding ticket.
Even if someone keeps the laws perfectly themselves, the people committing the greater sin in this area is the government acting contrary to the Constitution, abusing immigrants and taking away our freedoms. The ROMANS 13!!!! crowd needs to be at least as passionate about holding government to the standard of Romans 13:3-4.
So ROMANS 13!!!! people need to seriously consider whether they’re hypocrites who are sinfully judging.
It’s obvious that many conservatives want to limit immigration because they prefer white people. ICE doesn’t go around asking white people for their papers because they might be here illegally from Norway. But white people are the problem. Here are some excellent points from Charles Binham:
“It isn’t Immigrant Takeover. It’s White Suicide. White leaders caused housing to be unaffordable, supported abortion, celebrated homosexuality, emphasized women working, and didn’t let boys play unsupervised.”
If you want to be sobered up real quick, read Matthew 25:31-46 where Jesus talks about Judgment Day. There is a pastor on Facebook who I respect in many ways, but it was shocking the way he responded to my questions about this passage.
He posted about how supposedly the cops tricked protesters into protesting in the wrong place while ICE deported people without oversight from the protesters. I asked him what the definition of strangers was in Matthew 25:35 & 43, which say:
35: “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me…”
43: “I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.”
Here’s what I said, “Hi Steve. I was wondering who you think Jesus was referring to when he said we are to welcome “strangers” in Matthew 25:35, 43. Strangers in some Old Testament translations is referring to immigrants to Israel. If Jesus was referring to immigrants, would advocating for government to deport immigrants be a violation of the principle Jesus was getting at? —————————————– Here’s his first response, “there is a wall around the heavenly Jerusalem. Not everybody gets in unless they qualify.
While the illegal immigrant is here we must treat them with respect and deport them respectfully —————————————— My response: I guess, from your response, you believe that Jesus is referring to immigrants in Matthew 25. Is advocating that they be respectfully deported obedient to Jesus commanding us to welcome strangers?
I’m not sure how to apply the architecture of heavenly Jerusalem to immigration policies.
—————————————– His response: There is a law. If they are here illegally, then they are lawbreakers. They must be deported respectfully, courteously and quickly. And I’d be happy to give them a cup of cold water in Jesus name if they ask. —————————————–
Good laws have to be enforced and criminals must be punished according to God’s wrath (Romans 13:4). However, Jesus’ didn’t say welcome a stranger even though God’s wrath abides on them. He wouldn’t say welcome someone you know to be a murderer, kidnapper or thief who is a fugitive. Jesus was speaking to an audience who knew that foreigners and downtrodden people were welcome in Israel, even though it was a country surrounded by hostile neighbors.
Men don’t get to make up whatever laws they want, but carry out justice according to God’s Word. Moving isn’t a sin or a crime. What is a crime is government forcing citizens to pay for immigrants to be on welfare. Don’t blame immigrants for what is actually caused by government.
Here’s the standard. Deuteronomy 23:15-16: You shall not give up to his master a slave who has escaped from his master to you. 16 He shall dwell with you, in your midst, in the place that he shall choose within one of your towns, wherever it suits him. You shall not wrong him.
That is what Jesus was talking about when he said to welcome stangers. If you’re advocating that people be deported, you’re in violation of what He was saying and you might think you’re a sheep, but if you are doing the things goats do, you’re going to end up in hell.
I can’t believe a pastor was so flippant about that passage when it’s so sobering to me.
I’ve been thinking about what the best way to spread the gospel and how to teach the nations to obey all that Christ has commanded. I recently left a comment about what God’s law teaches about immigration, and 39 people left likes or laughs–mostly laughs. I could go somewhere and pass out tracts, and I think that’s a good thing to do. I posted that comment and I consider it to be equivalent of passing out 39 tracts. Probably more, because all the people who read it didn’t necessarily react.
The comments under it have started to fizzle out as the post ages, but this morning there was one more comment.
Imagine someone being given a paraphrase of Scripture about what people going to heaven ought to be doing (with the verse reference) and then laughing at it. If you read this passage, this seems to be exactly what the goats would do. I guess all we can do is pray for her. Our job is to tell people what the Bible says, and leave the results to God.
All people are commanded to repent and trust Jesus so that they will end up in heaven. The gates of heaven/New Jerusalem will remain open forever (Revelation 21:25). It’s hell that prevents people from leaving.
The whole analogy is false, but even if it were true, it’s not applicable. We know that government isn’t to harass people who aren’t committing a crime as defined by God (Romans 13:3-4).
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).
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?
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.
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 used to consider myself a conservative because I wanted extremely small government, lower taxes and more freedom. Maybe that’s was conservatism was at one point, though, more likely I was deluded that anyone in power actually cared about that. However, Trump has definitely destroyed that wing of the Republican Party if it existed. Now, fake conservatives beg for big socialist programs where government hopes to control the labor markets and are willing to surrender a lot of the freedoms men have died for. Here’s one example from Nino, and my response to the first 5 minutes of the video.
1. 1:40 The founding fathers were lawbreakers. They committed treason against England. Being law abiding isn’t even something to aspire to if the laws are unjust. None of us are really law abiding when there are thousands of laws on the books that nobody knows about, not to mention speeding. The standard for Christian behavior isn’t U.S. law, but God’s law (Romans 13:3-4).
2. 2:03 Americans commit crimes at a higher rate than immigrants. Throwing out examples of immigrants who have committed crimes is a bad argument. By that standard, you should be in favor of deporting American citizens. “A study analyzing Texas arrest and conviction records from 2012 to 2018 found that U.S. citizens were twice as likely to be arrested for violent felonies, two-and-a-half times more likely for felony drug crimes, and over four times more likely for felony property crimes compared to undocumented immigrants.” (https://news.wisc.edu/undocumented-immigrants-far-less-likely-to-commit-crimes-in-u-s-than-citizens/).
3. 3:10 The most often persecuted people in the world are Christians. They should be free to immigrate without having to go through a years-long process and get approval from a pencil-neck, liberal bureaucrat. Also, Hispanics are more likely to be socially conservative than American citizens.
4. 3:32 “Conservatives” saying that people coming here to hang drywall constitute an invasion are retarded.
5. 3:57 Here’s a case of an American citizen being arrested by ICE: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/26/immigration-ice-raid-andrea-velez In addition to that, there are border patrol checkpoints where everyone driving has to submit to the questioning of the border patrol. Only bootlickers are OK with such government checkpoints. They are contrary to true conservatism and America’s founding principles.
6. 4:55 The Bible and the Constitution teach that government has no jurisdiction over non-criminal individuals. In most of American history, no one could be arrested unless a judge had issued an arrest warrant, or they were caught in the commission of a felony (all felonies were death penalty crimes). I’m sure I could go on, but you’re 5 minutes in and you’re 0 for 6. You’re a fake conservative who is in opposition to everything the founding fathers stood for. Those who would give up freedom for security are worthy of neither (Ben Franklin).
Working for the Secession of Fremont County from the Union
