What does faith require toward immigrants and refugees?
By Will Bourne · Question 137
The direct answer
Scripture repeatedly commands care for the stranger, the foreigner, and the vulnerable. Governments may administer borders and public order, but Christians cannot use policy concerns to erase a person's dignity or ignore exploitation and suffering.
Fuller explanation
Immigration questions include lawful process, asylum, labor, family unity, security, local capacity, and responsibility for people already present. One verse will not write an entire policy.
The biblical command does establish a moral boundary: foreigners must not be treated as less human, convenient labor, or political symbols. Truthful policy can consider limits without cultivating contempt.
Churches can provide lawful practical help, listen to affected families, and evaluate policies by their real effects. Compassion is not the same as refusing every boundary, and enforcement is not permission for cruelty.
The objection we still need to face
Does welcoming the stranger mean a country cannot enforce immigration law?
No. It means enforcement remains morally accountable. The question is not only whether government has authority, but how that authority is used, who bears the cost, and whether justice and mercy remain visible.
Scripture and its use
Leviticus 19:33–34; Deuteronomy 10:17–19; Matthew 25:31–46; Luke 10:25–37; Hebrews 13:1–3
Read these passages in their surrounding chapters alongside the explanation.