THE LAW YOU QUOTE AND THE LAW YOU IGNORED
You say you care about immigration because “the law of the land” matters. Fair enough—the Word of God does not treat authority lightly. But that conviction cannot be selective. If the law is sacred only when it protects your comfort, then it is not reverence; it is convenience. The same appeal to legality was once used to defend segregation, exclusion, and silence—systems that were enforced, codified, and upheld by courts, even while they crushed image-bearers made by God.
Some who speak most loudly today about obedience to the law are old enough to remember when discrimination was practiced openly while still being illegal on paper. Poll taxes, literacy tests, intimidation, and unequal enforcement all stood in defiance of the law’s stated intent. Were the same voices as forceful then? Were they as passionate about voting rights, equal protection, and justice at the gates? Or was “the law of the land” suddenly flexible when it demanded courage instead of comfort?
Jesus confronted this kind of moral inconsistency head-on. He rebuked religious leaders who prided themselves on rule-keeping while neglecting justice, mercy, and faithfulness—the very things the Word of God had always required (Matthew 23:23). He did not commend their precision; He exposed their imbalance. They appealed to Scripture, but they used it to shield themselves from love rather than to shape their obedience.
The New Testament calls Christians to respect governing authorities, yes—but never to baptize injustice. Paul teaches submission to rulers as servants meant to reward good and restrain evil (Romans 13:1-4), not as an excuse to ignore suffering or excuse partiality. James is even sharper: when the church honors one group while dismissing another, it stands guilty of breaking the royal law of love and becomes a lawbreaker itself (James 2:1-9). Legality without righteousness is not biblical faithfulness; it is hollow religion.
So the question is not whether the law matters. It does. The question is whether you honor it consistently—and whether you recognize when the law has been used, twisted, or ignored to deny dignity to your neighbor. The same Gospel that calls us to order also calls us to justice; the same Christ who respects authority also confronts oppression. If we appeal to the law today, we must be honest about how we treated it yesterday—and humble enough to let the love of Christ correct us today.
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Lord Jesus, give us eyes that see beyond selective obedience. Teach us to love justice, to walk humbly, and to honor both truth and people together. Keep us faithful to Your Word, not just when it is easy, but when it calls us to repentance and costly love. Amen.
BDD
