. . . Scripture suggests that all of us who follow Christ, whatever our nationality, have become aliens in this world, as our allegiances are to lie not primarily with any nation-state but with the kingdom of God. Paul reminds the believers at Philippi that their citizenship is in heaven (Phil 3:20), while Peter (1 Pet 2:11) and the author of Hebrews describe believers as foreigners and strangers on earth (Heb 11:13).
God used migration throughout Scripture to accomplish his purposes and bring his people to a greater understanding of his will for creation. God, who used migration so vividly throughout the Bible, works today to move his people from one place to another. – Soerens and Yang (2018), “Thinking Biblically About Immigration,†Chapter 5 in Welcoming the Stranger, p. 89.
Chapter 5 Summary
I am a facilitator for a 3-year discipleship course at New Psalmist Baptist Church here in Baltimore. Before becoming a facilitator, I was of course a student in the course, and my own facilitators would often ask us our opinion on a topic or an issue. And then, after we offered our opinion, our facilitators would ask: “Now, what does the Word say?†It was as if to say that they were okay giving us an opportunity to speak our minds, but after expressing our opinion it was now time to consult the real authority—the Word of God—so as to direct our thoughts and our conduct on whatever issue it was we were talking about. [Read more…] about Thinking Biblically About Immigration. Part 7 of the Welcoming the Stranger Series
