LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2019, Page 246

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II. THEOLOGICAL DOCUMENTS­­—COMMISSION ON THEOLOGY AND CHURCH RELATIONS

relationship between citizens and foreign nationals in
contemporary nation-states.
How should Scripture inform our attitude toward
immigrants today? The Bible invites us to see immigrants
as our neighbors. Scripture tells us what was to motivate
Israel’s love for its immigrant neighbors and what such
love meant (and still means) in concrete actions.
Read Ex. 22:21; 23:9; Lev. 19:33–34 and Deut.
10:19. Why were the Israelites to love the sojourners
and treat them fairly? Read Deut. 24:15; Ps. 146:9 and
Zech. 7:8–10. How does God respond to the cries of the
sojourner?
God’s Word tells us, “Let us not love in word or talk
but in deed and in truth” (1 John 3:18). Love for the neighbor, the sojourner, takes shape in concrete action. Aliens
in Israel were neighbors who were some of the most
vulnerable and disadvantaged members of society.
Read Deut. 10:18–19; 24:14–15 and Mal. 3:5. What
basic needs are addressed in these verses? What other
groups of vulnerable people are mentioned along with the
sojourners?
The New Testament also witnesses to God’s compassion for the stranger. Jesus identified Himself as the
stranger in need (see Matt. 25:31–40) and reached out in
compassion to those who were outside of Israel. In his
explanation of the Fifth Commandment in the Large
Catechism, Martin Luther writes: “Therefore God rightly
calls all persons murderers who do not offer counsel or
assistance to those in need and peril of body and life. He
will pass a most terrible sentence upon them at the Last
Day, as Christ himself says. He will say: ‘I was hungry
and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave
me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not
welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing,
sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ That is to
say, ‘You would have permitted me and my family to die
of hunger, thirst, and cold, to be torn to pieces by wild
beasts, to rot in prison or perish from want.’”2
Read Matt. 15:21–28. Why do the disciples respond to
the woman as they do? Why do you think Jesus responds
to the woman as He does? How does the woman address
Jesus? What does she believe about Him? Read John
4:7–30. What gifts does Jesus offer to this woman, who is a
“stranger,” a despised outsider in Israel?
2
Martin Luther, “Large Catechism,” in The Book of Concord: The
Confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, ed. Robert Kolb and
Timothy J. Wengert (Minneapolis: Fortress, 2000), 412.

IMMIGRANTS AMONG US

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Scripture requires us to obey God rather than man
when the civil authority and its laws are set in opposition
to the law of God (Acts 5:29). But when is that the case
in current immigration law? Most Christians are not
against immigration law in general, but some question
how fair and reasonable some aspects of such law are in
specific cases. What is our appropriate response when
there is no clear consensus among Christians on the way
in which immigration law conflicts with God’s law?
If a Christian considers a civil law to be in direct
conflict with the higher law of God, and decides to
engage in some form of civil disobedience, he is encouraged to “carry out his act of disobedience in a nonviolent
manner,” and “direct his act of disobedience as precisely
as possible against the specific law or practice which
violates his conscience.” He must also be willing to bear
the cross and suffer the “punitive consequences” of his
actions.4 Since we may not always agree in discussions of
immigration law, we should exercise great care in judging one another in our different responses to complex
social problems and apply Christian love to these specific
discussions and disagreements.
Read Eph. 4:29–32 and James 5:9–11. In your
discussions and interactions, even with those with whom
you disagree, how can you reflect the love and forgiveness
of Christ?
As residents or citizens of a nation, we are also called
to love our citizen-neighbors, those with whom we
share a common national identity. There are times when
a moral dilemma arises in the matter of obedience to
two equally valid demands placed on us by God’s law
of love. Therefore, some logical priority must be given
to one neighbor over another in a specific situation. In
such cases, one sins boldly for the sake of a neighbor and
suffers the consequences of one’s actions. Some argue, for
instance, that a citizen has an obligation to put his fellow
citizen first. This approach will inevitably place one’s
immigrant neighbor further down in the scale of priority. Others argue, however, that a foreigner who has lived
long enough in the nation without recourse to proper
documentation is no longer just an alien but one of those
who shares the way of life of the citizens and residents of
the state, and therefore citizens should now have moral
4
Civil Obedience and Disobedience (LCMS Commission on Theology
and Church Relations, 1966), 5, at lcms.org/Document.fdoc?src=lcm&id=367.

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Read Gal. 6:9–10 and Heb. 13:2. How should the
believers treat strangers and those outside of the household
of faith?
While Scripture shows us that God wants His people
to love the strangers and aliens by attending to their
bodily and spiritual needs, Scripture does not speak
directly concerning the church’s response to contemporary immigration law or illegal immigration. However,
God calls the church to reflect in her life His love for all
people, including strangers. This is not merely a culturally bound concern, but God’s will and command for His
people in every time and place. Scripture offers us basic
values that should inform our attitudes toward immigrants regardless of their status in society.
Although immigrants did not always share in the
same temporal and spiritual blessings as God’s people
in the Old Testament, the divine command to love the
alien as our neighbor remains valid and is not tied to the
fulfillment of any specific obligations on the part of the
alien. The legal or illegal status of strangers among us
cannot determine the church’s concern about the basic
dignity of aliens and their families as God’s creatures,
their need for food and clothing and a fuller life for their
families, their fair and just treatment in society, and their
need to hear the Gospel and receive the Sacraments.
The Ten Commandments guide us in giving shape
and substance to the love we share with others, including our concern for our immigrant neighbors’ physical,
social, economic and spiritual needs. Flowing from love
for God, our love for our neighbors seeks their spiritual
and physical well-being.
Review the Ten Commandments (and the explanations as found in the Small Catechism). How might each
of the commandments help you to give concrete shape to
love for your neighbor?
By serving as a point of departure for shaping the
church’s basic attitude toward immigrants today, the
biblical teachings on loving the immigrant neighbor as
ourselves and on showing hospitality to the strangers
in our midst also serve as a good deterrent against the
development of any attitudes toward aliens, whether
documented or undocumented, that are not driven by
a legitimate concern for the law and the neighbor. Faith

1: Immigrant Neighbors Past and Present

Read Col. 4:5–6 and James 1:19–21. What do these
verses say about our use of language, including our discussions of immigration and immigration law?

IMMIGRANTS AMONG US

The Old Testament witness to God’s compassion
for the stranger is also apparent in the teachings of the
apostles. Early Christian concern for neighbors in need
extended beyond the community of faith.

3: Living in God’s Two Realms

2019 Convention Workbook

2: God’s Law, Civil Law
and the Neighbor
“Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor
the emperor” (1 Peter 2:17).
Scripture instructs us to submit to the authorities whom God has sent and appointed for our good.
Submission to the authorities means obedience to the
laws they create, implement and enforce. While Scripture does not offer a specific position on immigration
law, it does bind Christians to obey the civil authorities,
including laws dealing with immigration (regarding civil
disobedience, see below).
Read Rom. 13:1–7 and 1 Peter 2:13–17. How are
we to respond to the governing authorities? How do these
verses inform our response to immigrants and to immigration law?
Martin Luther included the promotion of our neighbor’s life under the Fifth Commandment, and taught
submission to the authorities under the Fourth Commandment. Both commandments are the will of God
and must be carried out.
Read the Fourth and Fifth Commandments, given
below with their explanations. How do these commandments inform our response to immigrants and immigration law?

The Fourth Commandment: Honor your father and
your mother. What does this mean? We should fear and
love God so that we do not despise or anger our parents
and other authorities, but honor them, serve and obey
them, love and cherish them.
The Fifth Commandment: You shall not murder.
What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that
we do not hurt or harm our neighbor in his body, but help
and support him in every physical need.3
Given the equally valid demands of these two commandments, it is not uncommon for us, as brothers and
sisters in Christ, to argue among ourselves about the best
ways to be faithful to what God desires of His people.
Christians who speak of undocumented immigrants may
seek to affirm the basic dignity of immigrants (the Fifth
and Eighth Commandments), showing sensitivity to
their plight and the need to promote their well-being.
They may place lesser emphasis on current demands
of the civil law regarding the legal or illegal status of
immigrants. Some may even disagree with current immigration law, considering it inadequate to address the fair
treatment of immigrants. On the other hand, Christians
who speak more readily of illegal immigrants may focus
on the need for obedience to the civil law (the Fourth
Commandment) as it applies to current immigration law.
They may be viewed as insensitive to the plight of immigrants and uncritical concerning problems in current
immigration law that may not adequately address fair
treatment.
Christians who give priority to obedience to the civil
authorities (Fourth Commandment) in their approach
to immigration are not necessarily insensitive to the
plight of immigrants and their families. On the other
hand, Christians who give priority to the fair treatment
of immigrants and their families (Fifth Commandment)
in their approach to immigration are not necessarily
insensitive to the need for obedience to the civil authorities and the laws of the land. Adjectives such as illegal
and undocumented may show different, yet legitimate,
Christian attitudes in dealing with immigrants, and we
must remember that such terms have limitations. Since
these adjectives are neither commanded nor forbidden
in Scripture, we are not prohibited from using them. Yet
while using them, we should do so carefully, clearly and
with charity.

3
Luther’s Small Catechism with Explanation (St. Louis: Concordia
Publishing House, 2017), 14.

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obligations toward them.

IMMIGRANTS AMONG US

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2: God’s Law, Civil Law and the Neighbor

and justice in society. Through the “sword” (Rom. 13:4),
that is, through secular authorities, God uses governments to restrain sinners from evil and to reward good
behavior in society.

Read Gal. 5:13–15. How might the apostle’s admonition and warning apply to our discussions concerning
immigrants and immigration law? Read Jer. 29:7. How
might the prophet’s message to the exiles apply today both
to immigrants and to resident citizens?
Because we cannot fulfill the law of God perfectly for
every neighbor in need every time and in every situation,
we will always need to search our hearts and examine
our attitudes and actions, honestly confess our sins,
gratefully receive Christ’s forgiveness and strive to do
better with the help of the Holy Spirit.

In the spiritual realm, God works through His church
as it carries out activities that center in the message of
justification by grace through faith in Christ. In the
temporal realm, God works through civil government
as it carries out activities that promote justice, peace and
order in civil society. We must not confuse the activities
of the two kingdoms. For example, it is not the Godgiven responsibility of the church to formulate, enact
and enforce immigration laws. It is not the God-given
responsibility of the secular authorities to proclaim the
Gospel, administer the Sacraments or promote works of
mercy that flow from the Gospel.
Read 1 John 3:16–18 and James 2:1–5. Is obedience
to God’s will as expressed in these verses a confusion of the
two kingdoms? Why or why not?

3: Living in God’s Two
Realms
“Our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a
Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Phil. 3:20).
Mark Amstutz, the author of Just Immigration,
comments that the Immigrants Among Us report by the
CTCR “focuses on two imperatives — love of neighbor
and obedience to the authorities — and illuminates the
different tasks and responsibilities that arise in the spiritual realm and in the temporal realm” and highlights the
inherent tension between the two imperatives and the
two kingdoms.5 This inherent tension is evident in the
differences of opinion among Christians on the issue of
illegal immigration, reflecting our need to obey the command to love our neighbor and to obey the command
to submit to the ruling authorities. Such tension is an
attempt to be faithful to our callings as citizens of heaven
and as citizens of an earthly nation. Christian attitudes
about illegal immigration are often shaped by a genuine
desire to live faithfully in God’s two realms or kingdoms.
According to Scripture’s teaching on the two kingdoms, God works on behalf of His fallen creation in
two ways and to accomplish two distinct goals. In the
spiritual realm (also known as the right-hand kingdom),
God saves and preserves His fallen creation by forgiving
sinners for the sake of Christ. In the temporal realm
(also known as the left-hand kingdom), God protects
and preserves His fallen creation by promoting peace
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and charity compel all Christians not to form their final
judgments concerning aliens on the basis of discourse
and opinions that are fueled by unfounded fears or
myths concerning immigrants and/or racist or discriminatory attitudes against people of other ethnic groups
and nationalities. The remembrance of the Missouri
Synod’s own immigrant past, including the fears and
prejudices endured by many of our Lutheran fathers and
mothers in the faith upon arrival to the United States,
should help us to foster a charitable disposition toward
immigrants today. However, beyond appeals to our own
historic immigrant identity, stand the clear and timeless
will and command of God in the Scriptures concerning
the church’s need to remember and care for the immigrant neighbor.

Amstutz, Just Immigration, 212.

God’s purposes for the two kingdoms are confused
when requirements to obey civil laws concerning the
legal status of immigrants conflict with the church’s
responsibility to proclaim the Gospel to them and do the
works of mercy among them without regard to their legal
status. For example, such interference would happen if
civil legislation penalized individual Christians or church
workers with fines or imprisonment for proclaiming the
Gospel to undocumented immigrants or doing mercy
work among them. Civil regulations that prevent Christians from visiting persons in immigration detention
centers could also be an example of such interference.

Consider these issues and questions:
* Should a Lutheran congregation employ a lawn service to maintain church landscaping, knowing that a
good share of the employees of that company may not be
documented?6
* A pastor comments: “One of our members has a pretty
good theological education but is here illegally. He has
been in charge of our Hispanic congregation for some time.
Will we get in trouble with the law if we call and employ
him? If we ask him to leave to return to his home country,
he won’t be able to minister to his people here or support
his family here or there.” 7

6
Douglas Groll, “Theological Observer: Pastoral Questions about Immigration Problems,” Concordia Journal 32, no. 2 (April 2006): 130.
7

6

Groll, “Pastoral Questions,” 129.

IMMIGRANTS AMONG US

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3: Living in God’s Two Realms

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Confusion of the two realms also happens when
the church’s zeal to proclaim the Gospel interferes with
the government’s responsibility to regulate and enforce
immigration laws according to what is reasonable and
just. While it is possible within the spiritual kingdom for
immigrants to volunteer in church activities — even in
duties related to the ministry of the Gospel — without
holding a green card or a special visa allowing them to
work in the United States legally, employment practices
are still a matter regulated by the state. The church as a
legal entity is bound to adhere to such laws and regulations in the temporal realm.
Read Rom. 12:9. How might this verse be put into
action in a way that confuses the two kingdoms? In what
ways is it possible to follow the commands of this verse
without confusing the kingdoms?
The two kingdoms must not be confused, but there
is also a relationship between the two. They can never
be completely separated on this side of heaven. While
the state should not restrict the church’s proclamation
of the Gospel and pastoral care to all people regardless
of their legal status, the government does have a role in
regulating the work of the church as an institution in the
left-hand realm.
While the church does not tell the civil government
how to legislate, Christians may point out sin and injustice to the civil authorities when the authorities do not
act in a godly manner. Not just as individuals, but as a
church body, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod has
pointed out that abortion is sin and has made its position
official. But how and when is this to be done in the case
of immigration law? Could or should it be done publicly
as Synod in the case of certain immigration laws? Or
does the LCMS, perhaps more humbly, lay out the issues,
the tools for Lutheran interpretation and analysis in
responsible Christian decision-making? This approach
lets individual Christians make their own decisions, with
some guidance from the Synod. The LCMS has traditionally taken this more private and individual direction with
societal and political issues where black-and-white is not
easily determined.
Read Acts 22:22–29. How does Paul use his Roman
citizenship to point out an injustice about to be committed
by the Roman tribune in Jerusalem? Read Acts 25:1–12.
How does Paul use his earthly citizenship to claim his
legal rights?
The Lutheran distinction between the two kingdoms
reminds us that disagreements about immigration law

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