These are complex times for the United States, particularly regarding immigration. I hardly know where to begin, so I’ll start with a disclaimer: I’m still learning. A few years ago, I was only a passive observer of global migration trends, particularly during the pre-COVID-19 waves of migration in Europe. While living in Bosnia, we witnessed migrants from Africa and the Middle East attempting to enter the European Union. Our mission teams engaged with them in a measured way, supplementing the work of Bosnian churches. We interacted with immigrants we met in public, bought their wares, gave them rides, provided food and clothing, and even assisted some in their attempts to cross into the EU. Some succeeded; many were detained or sent back, only to try again.
That brings me to my main thought for this blog post. As a Christian and citizen of the United States, what is my responsibility towards the immigrants living among us? This question has many levels to it. It is complex, even on the two levels most apparent to me. One is the national immigrant policy. The other is the Biblical perspective on migration and immigrants. I don’t expect politicians to use the Bible as a blueprint on a national policy level.
On the other hand, I hope and pray they will craft fair and just laws, in which case they would do well to use the Bible to guide them. My greater concern is that the church would be guided by Biblical principles in our attitudes towards the foreigner in our midst. We can disagree on matters of policy or the numbers of refugees to allow in and from which countries. However, to quote Russell Moore in Christianity Today, “…we have no right to dissent from the Bible on what we are to think of refugees themselves or on the motivations with which we should approach responding to them”
Recently, vice-president J.D. Vance, gave us a lesson in Latin. Well, technically he just said to google the phrase, “ordo amoris”. Vance, a self-described devout Catholic, referenced the teaching of Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas in defense of the administration’s immigration policy. If you do google ordo amoris, you will find it refers to the proper ordering of loves. In other words, Vance believes he has a duty to his own family, friends, and nation first and others second, third and so on. Fair enough. All nations act in this way. In fact all people act this way. It is natural human behavior in a fallen world. As Bethel McGrew observed, “…it follows a natural hierarchy of duties, beginning with family first, then working outward to the local community, nation, and the world”. Vance also added ordo amoris doesn’t give license to hate the foreigner.
Vance is correct in citing ordo amoris as a Biblical framework for thinking about how to respond to prioritizing our natural affections towards people around us. I can see that it would also help navigate the complexities of developing fair and just immigration laws. However, ordo amoris is only half the story. While the 5th commandment tells us to honor our father and mother, the Old Testament also says, “When a foreigner lives with you in your land, do not mistreat them. The foreigner living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the LORD your God” (Leviticus 19:33).
The New Testament reinforces both. It affirms an ordo amoris perspective. For example, Paul writes, “…as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially those who belong to the family of believers (Galatians 6:9). This implies a priority towards the Christian brother or sister. But Jesus doesn’t let us off the hook so easily. In the Sermon on the Mount, he refers to the OT command to love your neighbor as yourself. For Jews, that mainly meant other Jews. But he goes on to clarify their tribalized misinterpretation by pointing out that even pagans naturally love their own family, friends, and fellow citizens. Jesus says we must move beyond our default nature to love and care mainly for those nearest and dearest. We are to love even enemies and those persecuting us (Matthew 5:44).
Perhaps his most potent picture regarding ordering our loves is the account of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:25-37. An expert in Jewish law tested Jesus on the greatest commandment. Jesus agrees that it is to love God and our neighbor as ourselves. But the lawyer, to justify himself, wanted to parse words and meaning about who exactly was his neighbor. Jesus tells this story in which a man is robbed and left for dead in a ditch. When the religious guys see the man, they ignore him and go on their way. But a foreigner, a hated Samaritan, shows the man mercy and helps him. Jesus says this is what love for one’s neighbor looks like. He had a personal encounter with a random foreigner in need, and he helped him according to his ability.
I appreciate Glen Scrivener’s observation in a recent podcast that, though ordo amoris represents our natural affections to those nearest us such as family, friends, and fellow citizens, Christian love transcends these natural boundaries through the supernatural grace we receive in Jesus. In other words, Jesus integrates nature and grace so that we can extend our natural affections to the outsider. God expects us to demonstrate the mercy and love we received from him to those on the outside to bring them into his family and kingdom.
The danger for the church is becoming more shaped by political and cultural narratives than by Scripture. I recall a Christian brother scoffing at the idea of Jesus as a refugee and, by extension, dismissing any obligation to care for refugees today. Yet, Jesus and his family fled to Egypt as refugees (Matthew 2:13-15). Furthermore, the Bible describes all Christians as “strangers and aliens” (Ephesians 2:19). If we allow secular narratives to harden our hearts, we risk missing the deeper biblical call to love the foreigner. My Bible-believing friend had been more swayed by anti-immigrant narratives than by Jesus.
It is one thing for politicians to apply ordo amoris to immigration policy. It seems natural and logical. Hopefully, they will temper it with enlightened self-interest that recognizes the dignity of people made in God’s image, including non-citizens. But it is quite another thing for the church to limit love to our natural affections. In Jesus’ life and teaching, our natural affections for our blood and soil are supernaturally extended to others, including the foreigner and stranger. I don’t claim this is easy. After all, Jesus said to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:31). As if that were not difficult enough, he also said, “Be perfect as your heavenly father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). As believers, it is worth remembering, we were once outsiders—strangers to God’s covenant. Yet, in Christ we’ve been adopted us into God’s family and made us citizens of a heavenly kingdom. And all by God’s grace and mercy. I did nothing to deserve it. Just the opposite, to be perfectly honest.
I hope we don’t let our hearts be hardened by messaging that may sound good but justifies tightening our circles around ourselves to the exclusion of others. Scrivener concludes, “The Bible does indeed teach an order of loves, but it is an expanding circle.” A day is coming when that circle will expand to a multitude that no one can count from every tribe and language and people and nation, worshipping God together, saying, “Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God forever and ever. Amen!” (Revelation 7:9).
Until then, what’s the harm in a bit of heavenly choir practice?