“Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people.” —1 Peter 2:13

That is an explicit command from the Apostle Peter to Christians to live in submission and obedience to local and national governing authorities. It is not to be taken as a suggestion, but as a rule for Christians.

And the reason, as Peter notes in the verse directly prior, is as a witness to the unbelieving world that “they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.”

Christians are to be known as not only loving people, but holy people, who share the message of the Gospel, salvation through Jesus Christ, with everyone. And by everyone, the Bible is clear that this includes both friend and foe.

Sharing the good news of the gospel is the church’s primary mission. It’s not societal transformation or the construction of some form of heaven on earth. Christians recognize that they are ambassadors representing Christ’s kingdom and his coming reign.

Unfortunately, a corrupt human-centric worldliness has infected and taken over a significant number of American churches, and in so doing has turned Christianity on its head. This liberal “Christianity” has usurped biblical fidelity, replacing it with a leftist social ideology promulgated under the guise of the Christian commitment to love and do justice.

American Christian theologian and apologist J. Gresham Machen identified this liberal Christianity as not being genuinely Christian at all, but rather an entirely new religion. Machen wrote that liberal Christianity “seeks to spread the blessings of Christian civilization (whatever that may be), and [is] not particularly interested in leading individuals to relinquish their pagan beliefs.”

To put it more bluntly, liberal Christianity has rejected and replaced the worship of God with the worship of man.

This is how our nation ends up with thousands of churches deluded into declaring themselves “sanctuaries” against immigration enforcement. It seems that they misunderstand the word “sanctuary.”

A list of some 5,320 churches across the country have designated themselves as such, places where the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection are not allowed. Among the churches that have declared themselves immune from ICE enforcement are the American Baptist Churches USA, the Alliance of Baptists, and the Metropolitan Community Churches. Ironically, some of these churches have sought legal protection for illegal aliens. How is that for a twisted sense of justice — using the legal code in an effort to protect lawbreakers?

Practically, when it comes to immigration enforcement operations, ICE doesn’t target churches. Instead, as the Center for Immigration Studies’ Jessica Vaughan notes, “Most of their work is done in jails or in carefully planned fugitive operations. They’re not patrolling the streets or looking to arrest people on their way to church or who are attending church.”

The only reason ICE may show up on church property would be in pursuit of an individual previously identified as a criminal alien. In other words, ICE agents don’t stake out churches hoping to round up some illegal aliens who may show up there.

Given this reality, why would so many churches advertise themselves as “sanctuaries” for illegals?

Simply put, it’s a virtue signal aimed at their congregation. Vaughan observes, “They want to signal that they’re trying to protect people in their congregations, but more than likely those are not going to be people that ICE is chasing.”

They have also used their sanctuary declaration to explain dwindling congregations, claiming that fear of ICE has led to fewer people showing up in the pews.

As noted above, Christians are called to obey the governmental authorities that God, by His providence, has placed over them. The only time Christians are justified and even duty-bound to disobey such authorities is when they are explicitly directing people to disobey God’s moral law.

There is no scriptural prohibition against nation-states and borders. There is nothing in Scripture that declares that people are free to move and live anywhere and in any country of their choosing without hindrance or process. Freedom to abide anywhere one desires is not a God-given right.

Furthermore, the U.S. does provide a means for foreigners to legally visit, reside, and even immigrate. Those who refuse to follow our nation’s laws do not get a pass legally because someone feels sorry for them. We may sympathize with the hungry thief who steals a bag of chips to satiate his hunger, but that does not justify his breaking the law.

Similarly, the person who illegally enters and resides in the U.S. is not justified simply because they are seeking a better life.

Scripture teaches that law and order matter. Christians should be people who are fastidious about following the law while also having a spirit quick to forgive.