Jesus gave the fundamental principle regarding a Christian’s relationship to the government when He was asked about paying taxes to Caesar. “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s; and to God the things that are God’s” (Matt. 22:21).
From that point, then, Christians are obligated to obey the laws of man unless they violate the laws of God. There may be laws we do not like but we are obligated to obey them. When a Christian chooses what laws to obey and what laws to ignore, he/she is setting the stage for anarchy – everyone doing what is right in his own eyes.
Thus, Paul demands of Christians in the heart of Rome: “Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God” (Romans 13:1).
This demand is universal as Paul shares the same sentiments with the Christians in Ephesus, telling Timothy: “Entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity” (1 Timothy 2:1-2). Obeying laws leads to a tranquil and quiet life.
Peter’s demand of Christians throughout Asia Minor also shows the universality of this injunction: “Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king” (1 Peter 2:17).
A nation exists based on its own laws. There is not a nation in the world that does not have its own sovereignty and its own borders. A nation’s borders, in fact, help define that political entity as a nation. To violate a nation’s borders is to violate a nation’s sovereignty. One can only enter a nation by the permission of that nation’s citizenship or its leadership, permission which is usually encoded in law.
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To violate that nation’s sovereignty, then, is to fail to render to Caesar (respect for law) what belongs to Caesar. An illegal immigrant, then, is violating that nation’s laws (and God’s law cited above) as long as he or she remains in that respective country. He or she is sustaining a sinful (illegitimate) relationship with that country.
If I were studying with such an illegal immigrant, as we discussed repentance, I would emphasize to him or her that they have to restore a legal relationship with the citizenry if he or she wants to be right with God. I am not familiar with our immigrant laws in the U. S. but restoring a legal relationship would be filling out the proper paperwork to be a legal employee or a legal student at a college or university (for example). If there were no other way, then the illegal immigrant would have to return to his or her country of origin (having a family is irrelevant in this case to obeying the laws of the land and the laws of God) – in order to have a proper relationship with the government and, consequently, have a proper relationship with God. That’s what repentance would entail.
It is very similar to a man who divorces his wife because she was lazy and then enters a second (illegitimate) marriage. He now sustains a relationship that is illegal, by God’s definition (Matt. 19:9). In that case, baptism does not change the fact that he was not eligible to enter a second marriage (1 Cor. 7:11-12). The only recourse he would have is to exit that second (illegal or illegitimate) relationship and either remain unmarried or be reconciled to his original wife.
We dare not let the culture define our relationships to the exclusion of God’s revealed will.
–Paul Holland
