To the Greeks, there are three types of love: eros, agape, and philia. Eros is the passionate love, agape is the unconditional love, and philia is the brotherly love. Only agape and philia love are mentioned in the New Testament.
God’s love is also called divine Love. It is God’s unconditional love for ALL human beings. It is the way God loves all people. God IS love, and He is kind and merciful to all people. He expects all Christians to do the same. Jesus told us, “For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust”(Matt. 5:45b). God has this kind of love for all His creatures.
Divine or agape love is described in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 in this way: “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (emphasis added).
Christians are commanded to have this kind of love for all others. Jesus, in The Sermon on the Mount, the greatest sermon ever preached, told Christians to “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you”(Matt. 5:44). This love is selfless and unconditional. It is not based on feelings and emotions. Christians are commanded to have agape love for other Christians (John 13:34, 15:12, 17) as well as brotherly love for all (Heb. 13:1).
Agape love is more than brotherly love. Brotherly love exists amongst family and friends when there is a shared sense of values and a connection rooted in feelings. There exists a sort of kindness and compassion towards others. But agape love is more. It is unconditional and not based on feelings and emotions. It is a selfless and sacrificial love.
Christians are taught to provide hospitality for foreigners, strangers, sojourners, etc. After all, they could be angels; we don’t know. (Heb. 13:2). The hospitality spoken of here is given with a physical as well as a spiritual love. It is a love that not only seeks to provide for their physical needs but yearns for them to become children of God, if they are not already such.
That is our responsibility and God’s command!
But we also have a responsibility to civil government. As I wrote in an earlier article:
It is God’s will for a civil government with individuals appointed to exercise authority over the citizenry. Consequently, to resist the authority of such persons acting on behalf of any form of civil government in exercising their lawful authority is an act of disobedience to God – i.e., sin.[1]
The Bible teaches us to obey the civil authorities because they exist as a result of God and to pay our taxes (Rom. 13:1–7; 1 Pet. 2:13-17). Christians are also taught to pray for authorities (1 Timothy 2:1-2). But our obedience is limited (Acts 5:29). As in the article previously mentioned,
Because the authority of those in civil office with the power to govern others, not in office, is delegated to them from God and is to be exercised in the ministry of God’s will, Christians should obey civil authority. They should obey civil authority, whether legitimate or just or unjust, until that authority is exceeded, such as when demanding the worship of idols. In this case, the Christian should obey God. But “Whenever obedience to man is inconsistent with obedience to God, then disobedience becomes a duty.”[2]
Entering the United States illegally is usually a civil matter, but under certain circumstances it may be a crime. Consequently, each citizen may have a responsibility to turn these persons over to the local civil authority, if allowed. Still, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has a system for reporting illegal aliens anonymously if a citizen so desires.
In the meantime, they can provide love, support, food, clothing, and other essentials until the person is taken away. But they should be removed in accordance with the law governing immigration.
So in our country, there is no reason or justification for a citizen of the United States not to report someone whom they know has entered this country illegally, provided the prevailing immigration law allows it. Meanwhile, Christians should show love for illegal immigrants while they are waiting for the immigration laws to be carried out.
[1] “The Christian Duty to Civil Government,” https://christianinquiry.com.
[2] Hodge, Charles, A Commentary on Romans, (Edinburgh, The Banner of Trust, 1972), 406.
