Sanctuary cities and states
are using taxpayer funds to help illegal immigrants and I recently learned of a
local nonprofit health network accepting donations under their 501 3c tax
exempt status to help with an illegal immigrant’s legal defense. I find it disconcerting
that the church does something similar by using tithes and offerings to aid illegals.
Certainly people of faith can rationalize that they are helping the poor; however,
they are also encouraging those who should and could immigrate legally to subvert
federal law. James said, “If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love
your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing right. But if you
show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point
is guilty of breaking all of it. For he who said, “Do not
commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but
do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker” (James 2:8-11 NIV).
1 comment:
Gail;
-----Before we cast such a suspicious eye towards the church giving comfort and aid to illegal aliens, which actions further influence the erosion of public respect for important border laws, do we need to address who’s responsibility it is to judge? Yesterday, I listened to a sermon against judging others. It wasn’t occasioned by the need to love illegal immigrants. I’m not sure exactly what did occasion it, though I have some clues. But within this sermon a short tome clearly reflected off the rather common resistance area churches yet have towards not accepting homosexuality. The clear message was that we are not to judge.
-----I rather agree. God is the judge. A lot of His judgments are yet forthcoming. But if resisting participation in the lives of people making particular behaviors is judgment over those behaviors, then has God shown forth some of His own judgments? “It is actually reported that there is immorality among you…a man is living with his father’s wife…Let him who has done this be removed from among you…I wrote to you not to associate with any one who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or robber—not even to eat with such a one…Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge…‘Drive out the wicked person from among you.’” (I Cor 5:1-3,11-13 Why would the Corinthians not be judging for doing what the Holy Spirit instructed them to do through Paul while we would be? Maybe it is that the Holy Spirit has judged the evil done by the Corinthian man along with the evils of immorality, greed, idolatry, reviling, drunkenness, and robbery, since those were mentioned too, yet not of homosexuality or deliberate anarchy against the laws of a government since they weren‘t mentioned. “You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination,” (Lev 18:22,) “[they exchanged the truth about God for a lie so] God gave them up to dishonorable passions. Their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural, and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in their own persons the due penalty for their error…They were filled with all manner of wickedness, evil, covetousness, malice.” (Rom 1:25-27) Are these scriptures that difficult to understand? Do they not express God’s judgment? “…the authorities are ministers of God…Pay all of them their dues, taxes to whom taxes are due, revenue to whom revenue is due, respect to whom respect is due, honor to whom honor is due.” (Rom 13:6-7) How is it that we are judging when simply following God‘s Word? Oh quite contraire, it is we who judge when not following His Word. It is only by His judgment that we can follow His Word. For people who do not follow His Word exchange their own lies for His truth, and so are “…filled with all manner of wickedness, evil, covetousness, malice.” It’s kind of a butterfly effect. So let’s stop starting it and get back to the authority of God’s Word rather than our own judgments.
Love you all,
Steve Corey
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