Love Thy Invader

A Response to the Weaponization of Scripture in Immigration Discourse

“People tell me judge not lest ye be judged. I always tell them, twist not scripture lest ye be like satan.” — Paul Washer

The modern politician has many tools at their disposal in any given scenario, but it is always telling when the “Jesus” card is played. I wish in my lifetime it were played more often to decisively speak to what God has said on a matter or issue and to rightly apply His word to a situation. However, far more common than such just usage of God’s words is something much more satanic: the word of God is being wielded by enemies of the Way in order to weaponize goodness and truth to manipulate His sheep into compliance with an evil agenda. No greater issue exemplifies this uweaponizationsage than with the current discourse about immigration policy. What do some of these instances of theological doublespeak look like?

“Matthew 25 tells us exactly how we’re going to be judged and how we’re going to be saved: by feeding the hungry, by healing the sick, by welcoming the stranger, by visiting the prisoner. Nothing about being a Christian, nothing about going to church, nothing about saying the Lord’s Prayer, nothing about reading the Bible - just helping others...Because there is no love of God without love of neighbor.” - James Talarico, “Christian” Democratic Candidate for TX Senate 2026

“In our White House, you won’t have to shake your head and ask yourself: whatever happened to “I was hungry and you fed me. I was a stranger and you welcomed me” - Pete Buttigieg, openly homosexual candidate for Democratic Presidential Nomination 2020

The words sound so refreshing, don’t they? Finally a democrat who is saying that we should love God and quotes the Bible, what a breath of fresh air! But as Spurgeon wisely said, “Discernment is not knowing the difference between right and wrong. It is the difference between right and almost right.” The key is understanding the vocabulary and what the speaker intends when they use words like, “love your neighbor” and to recognize when they actually intend to do the exact opposite of the words they are attempting to use.

It is no secret that Christians are quickly becoming the sole remaining hurdle preventing our nation from delving into godless chaos and left wing politicians have discovered what is effectively the Christian kryptonite on any issue: quote the Bible. They are betting on the Christian not being well versed in context or systematic theology to be able to see through their smoke and mirrors games and hoping that they can weaponize good and noble virtues like empathy, mercy, justice and morality, things of which they are too enlightened to believe in, against those who hold them. This is the same strategy undertaken by The Enemy in Luke chapter 4 when Jesus was tempted.

Thankfully, unlike the devil, the modern-day biblically illiterate peddlers who think these verses are a good “gotcha” strategy, are severely limited in their ammunition as they don’t actually know the Bible, just the few they verses they have seen parroted repeatedly. This is good news for the believer, as a relatively easy study and preparation will be able to thoroughly defeat nearly all possible attempts at biblical manipulation for left wing agreement.

The American left has quickly and enthusiastically adopted the moral position on the Bible I’ve determined should be referred to as “selective literalism.” They are quicker than a dog to a bone to start quoting Leviticus when they perceive it benefits their existing immigration policy yet will throw out the portions in the very same book they disagree with concerning sodomy. This is an issue for another day perhaps, but we will focus today on two aspects of each of the main passages weaponized against Christians in the immigration debate; the first being what do they mean when they say this and the second, what does it actually mean to teach in context.

Allow my Gen Z to come through a bit and enjoy some great memes in this article like this one where the Antifa Communist is speaking

Welcome the Sojourner

When a stranger resides with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt; I am the LORD your God. - Lev 19:33-34

He executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and shows His love for the stranger by giving him food and clothing. So show your love for the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. - Deu 10:18-19

What the left means: Any human being is required to be permitted to come into America by any means necessary and reside as long as they want because they are the exact same as a biblical refugee.

Explanation: First we must dissect the term stranger or sojourner that is present in nearly all verses that fall under this category. In both of these verses the word present in the Hebrew is the word גָּר (gār (pronounced gare) - H1616). Gare is defined as a temporary inhabitant, a newcomer lacking inherited rights (not native born) , and foreigners in Israel through conceded rights (legal permanent immigrants). Strongs concordance further adds in the phrasing of, a guest, into its definition. So this begs the question, do people who criminally enter a country and remain under illegal means qualify as “gare”? I would say clearly not, and the reason stems from the meaning of the word itself…temporary or legal. This verse is saying guests of your country, those whom you have accepted and conceded rights to, and those passing through should be treated equally and not taken advantage of…amen! A foreign army marching through Israeli land would not be gare, and a band of Canaanite bandits coming to pillage towns would not be gare. Gare is not an end all be all trump card that anyone who’s not native that is present in Israel now by power of declaration alone is gare and must be treated equivalent to a native Israelite. In fact the legal sojourners who these verses are speaking of are also mentioned elsewhere. God’s law applied equally to the native as to the gare and all people must follow the law (Ex 12:49), resulting in the same penalties for laws like blasphemy and violation off feasts. These penalties did include deportation (Lev 17:10, Num 15:30). The sojourner did not result in a religiously plural, unassimilated, melting pot but rather those who sought to exist within the Israelite system, not opposed to it. They were not antagonistic to the national consensus. Sojourners didn’t build 100ft tall hindu demon statues, blast the call to prayer down the streets, have static rituals at the government centers, or require infinity immigration.

Love your Neighbor as Yourself

“The second is like it, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ - Mt 22:39

What the left means: Do not do to anyone else anything you would not want done to yourself without exception.

Explanation: Who is my neighbor and how do you love them? Many go to Luke 10 where this question is asked seeking the answer to this question but the question is improper. The question by nature seeks to limit who good must be done towards, but rather at the end of the short response, Jesus made it clear that a neighbor is who you are towards others. So how can you be a neighbor towards others? Let’s look towards Jesus’ original statement. The whole of the law is summarized in this saying (Gal 5:14). Acting in accordance with God’s law towards others is how you are a neighbor to them and how you show love to them. So we shall not murder, covet, or steal from our neighbor. Wait a minute, the left is the party of abortion, envious dismantling of the “1%” and forcible wealth redistribution. Ironic isn’t it?

Furthermore the perfect law of God commands how those who perpetrate evil on the innocent should be punished (Ps 19:7). Is the logic of the left, “If I broke the law I wouldn’t want consequences therefore we must not have any consequences for crime?” Their entire application of this verse collapses when we contextualize it to the scenario at hand. We are not saying that non-christians should be taxed at a higher rate than Christians for their unbelief as the muslims with their law, as this is obviously unjust (jizya - Sura 9:29). That would not be acting as a good neighbor. However, seeking justice, correcting oppression, and bringing justice is just and moral (Is 1:17). It is moral to deal with criminals in ways that fit their transgression. The just response to criminal aliens invading our country is to remove them. This is not a violation of loving your neighbor but an application of it.

I was a Stranger and You Welcomed Me

‘For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? And when did we see You as a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? And when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it for one of the least of these brothers or sisters of Mine, you did it for Me.’ - Mat 25:35-40

There’s a common saying amongst many who grew up in churches in the 90s and 2000s: What Would Jesus Do (WWJD). It was used to refocus a persons thinking about how they could act Christlike in a situation. A noble effort and a worthwhile exercise to ensure we act righteously. But there’s a second, spin-off phrase that never got the same traction culturally, though it can be equally as applicable in other situations: JPWHGHITSITFP - Jesus probably wouldn’t have gotten himself into this situation in the first place. Harder to sell the bracelets with this acronym so I can see the commercial appeal of the former over the latter. However, it does go to speak to a deeper issue, not every situation sinful man experiences is something the perfect God man would have encountered as many of our trials are a result of our sinful nature, sin and other issues. For example, WWJD might not be applicable for someone deciding whether to stay or flee from a scene of their DUI accident. That’s a JPWHGHITSITFP scenario.

When we apply this reasoning to the legal immigration situation, the list of situations Jesus wouldn’t have been in is extensive. Breaking the law of the government he established (Rom 13) by crossing the border of a nation he established (Acts 17:26) wouldn’t have happened. It’s not analogous to compare the perfect and holy Creator of the Universe to a criminal, something he has never committed.

Furthermore, who are the “least of these” He is mentioning in this section of Scripture? Verse 40 is key, it is ἀδελφός (adelphos G80) who He is speaking of. Adelphos means most simply brother, a terms Jesus uses to refer to his disciples in places such as Matthew 12. The most vulnerable members of the body of Christ, such as missionaries, persecuted believers, those in your fellowship under hardship, are who He is speaking of. This is not a blanket statement creating a moral duty to serve the needs of every single person on every continent, though many seek to make it seem as if it is. The push here is to try and create a moral duty on the Christian that the persuader doesn’t feel beholden to for the sole reason of using reasoning that is deeply persuasive to the Christian so they will concur with any policy that seems to help any person anywhere at any cost.

A True Biblical Response

We’ve discussed the distortions of Scripture; the selective literalism, the context-stripping, and the guilt tripping. Now it’s time to explore the full counsel of God. the Bible doesn’t command surrender, it commands order, protection, and justice.

• Acts 17:26 - and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation

  • Borders aren’t a human invention. Erasing them is rebellion against the Creator who divides nations for His purposes.

• Romans 13:1-4 - Every person is to be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves. For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same; for it is a servant of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a servant of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil.

  • Government is God’s ordained tool. ICE agents enforcing immigration law against criminal invaders are literally God’s “servant” wielding the sword against evildoers. The left, who hates God and his order in all aspects, is also against His order in this aspect too.

• Nehemiah 2:17 - Then I said to them, “You see the bad situation we are in, that Jerusalem is desolate and its gates have been burned by fire. Come, let’s rebuild the wall of Jerusalem so that we will no longer be a disgrace.”

  • Walls were built to protect those innocent inside, not because they hated foreigners. This was done for a love of God’s people and God’s land. Our fathers in the faith of Christ protected those in their care; the modern church should do as well.

True mercy isn’t lawlessness but protecting the vulnerable from exploitation and abuse. Open borders, immigration scams and amnesty fuel the fire of cartels, human trafficking, overdose deaths, and increasingly decreased quality of life for the law abiding innocent citizens of a nation. That is not loving your neighbor, but betraying them to lawlessness. Deport all threats and lawbreakers and allow the lawful that assimilate to the Christian values of America: this is biblical compassion.

Reclaim the Sword

Love of those wishing to enter America is simple:

1. Respect the Wall, Knock on the Gate - Enter solely through pre-approved legal means.

2. Assimilate - If coming to America meant something to you, become one of us. don’t expect to stay as you were. If you wanted to stay as you were, stay where you were.

3. Zero Strikes - Crime is a hard line. Come here and commit a single crime? Bye, Felicia. No exceptions. Don’t mistake our hospitality for gullibility.

How can you be a good neighbor? Know these verses and how they’re misused; don’t let people confuse you or those around you. Support politicians who will remove criminals at any cost and protect Americans. Call out those engaging in doublespeak to save others from the weaponization of the Bible. And pray for a revival among Christians on this issue so that they will stand and use their voice to advocate for their nation.

While the left tries to use biblical illiteracy as kryptonite against Christians, work hard at using their kryptonite against them: truth.

“Open borders means that virtually anyone from anywhere around the world can enter... Love of neighbor does not mean confusing our immigration policy with open borders.” - Albert Mohler

A closing meme that I find perfect for this topic