Deportation Is Not a Sin: The Bible Says Foreigners Should Respect the Law

When liberals tire of calling ICE supporters Nazis, they attempt to argue from a biblical standpoint, suggesting that it is a sin to support immigration enforcement. They often cite Leviticus 19:33–34: “And if a stranger sojourn with thee in your land, ye shall not vex him. But the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.”

The King James Version uses the word “stranger” to refer to foreigners, immigrants, or non-citizens living among the Israelites. The Bible is remarkably consistent on this point, repeatedly reminding the Israelites to be kind because they themselves were once foreigners in Egypt. From this, critics argue that supporting the deportation of illegal aliens is sinful.

Illegal aliens have been given the option by the Trump administration to self-deport. If they choose that option, they receive a cash payment and a free plane ticket. Since the majority know they are in the country illegally, failing to depart means they are knowingly breaking the law. The Bible teaches that as foreigners, we are to respect the laws of the country in which we live.

Jeremiah 29:7 states, “And seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the Lord for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace.” Even in a land that is not your own, and even if you are there against your will, you are commanded to work for its prosperity and pray for its well-being. If the country does well, you will do well.

Scripture has much to say about how a person should conduct himself when sojourning, living as a guest or foreigner in another land. In Jeremiah, the Israelites were taken captive to Babylon, a foreign and pagan nation. God instructed them to live peacefully and seek the good of the society in which they resided because their well-being was tied to that nation’s well-being.

Both illegal aliens and liberals interfering with or attacking ICE agents are going against biblical teaching that breaking the law is a sin.

In the New Testament, the Apostle Peter addresses Christians as “strangers and pilgrims,” meaning people just passing through the world. He gives direct instruction on how to handle earthly laws and authorities. First Peter 2:11–13 says, “Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims… Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; Or unto governors…”

As a pilgrim or guest in a land, your responsibility is to follow local laws so that your conduct is above reproach. By being a law-abiding guest, you represent your faith well.

The Bible also emphasizes that foreigners should behave so uprightly that even critics have nothing legitimate to accuse them of. First Peter 2:12 states, “Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God…” A guest in a foreign land should be so honest and diligent that his good works are visible to all, effectively silencing accusations.

Many Christians understand Romans 13:1–2 in the King James Version to teach that breaking the law is sinful: “Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.”

The phrase “no power but of God” indicates that all earthly authority, whether a king, a president, or a local judge, exists because God has permitted that structure to stand. Paul wrote to Christians living under the Roman Empire, reminding them that civil authority is part of a broader providential order. By commanding believers to be subject to governing powers, the text presents obedience to the law not merely as a civic duty to avoid punishment, but as a spiritual obligation. Respecting lawful authority is framed as respecting the order God has allowed to exist.

The only exception to following the law in the Bible occurs when a human law directly commands someone to sin against God, as in Acts 5:29, where the apostles say, “We ought to obey God rather than men.” Otherwise, the default posture for a guest is cooperation.

Since obeying immigration law and supporting deportations does not require anyone to sin against God, these are laws that must be obeyed. Abortion, however, goes against biblical teaching, which prohibits the killing of the innocent. Raising your son as a daughter or forcing Christians to pretend a man is a woman, or risk jail, also goes against biblical teaching.

Genesis 1:27 states, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.”

In Matthew 19:4, Jesus quotes Genesis: “And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female.”

The King James Version also contains specific ordinances regarding how men and women should present themselves in order to maintain the distinction between the sexes. Deuteronomy 22:5 states, “The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman’s garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the Lord thy God.”

First Corinthians 11:14–15 addresses what Paul describes as natural order: “Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him? But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering.”

It is interesting that some liberals will entertain the Bible as evidence when they mistakenly believe it supports their position but reject it when it does not. They call it “hate” when someone points out that an action they favor is described in Scripture as sin.

The post Deportation Is Not a Sin: The Bible Says Foreigners Should Respect the Law appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.