As a fundamental, Bible-believing Christian who is also an ordained minister of the Word, I am well aware of the biblical teaching to love our neighbor, just as I am also aware of the teaching regarding showing mercy.
I am likewise aware of the clear teaching of Romans 13:1-5,
"Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience."The course of action for which you advocate is contrary to God's clear instructions that we obey the laws established by our authorities. The individuals for whom you advocate are those who have CHOSEN to disobey the laws of our country; now they demand that we set those laws aside and give them the entrance for which thousands of others stand in line and patiently wait as they navigate our immigration system.
Worse, this course of action violates the Bible's clear teaching that forgiveness first requires repentance. You would have us offer amnesty where no repentance, rather, defiance, has been shown. Our salvation first requires us to recognize our sins. It then requires us to repent of those sins. Finally, it requires us to receive God's forgiveness on HIS terms - not ours. As this applies to the current situation, illegals must first recognize that they have violated our laws, that they have stolen livelihoods from the families of the citizens whom they displaced. They must turn away (repent) from their illegal status and activities. Finally they must make application for citizenship in the manner specified by the laws of our country.
Will this have potentially adverse ramifications for the families of illegals? Obviously, the answer to that question is Yes. But therein lies the problem with sin; it affects not only the sinner, but many associated with the sinner as well. Likewise, because of the choices of parents, children may face undesirable consequences, as is true of any situation in which a lawbreaker has children. Or as is stated in the proverb found in Ezekiel 18:2,
"...The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge."Yet, even in this passage there is hope for the children of illegals:
"Yet you say, ‘Why should not the son suffer for the iniquity of the father?’ When the son has done what is just and right, and has been careful to observe all my statutes, he shall surely live. The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself" (Ezekiel 18:19-20).Many of the children of illegals are old enough to make application for citizenship on their own, or to acquire citizenship through serving in the armed forces of our country. If they do what is right, it is possible for them to legally obtain the citizenship they now DEMAND by way of amnesty.
God's love and mercy is offset by His justice. All three characteristics are integral to who God is, and to emphasize love and mercy to the exclusion of His justice is to misrepresent His character and teachings.
I implore you to reconsider the course of action to which you call others who name the name of Christ, and to recognize once again the explicit teaching of Romans 13.
No comments:
Post a Comment