There are many far-left (so-called) scholars who distort Scripture to argue for open national borders, extrapolating the biblical concept of compassion entirely out of context. These same pseudo-scholars mistakenly invoke the 50-year Jubilee (Leviticus 25 ) — a law that forgave debt and returned property to the original covenant-keeping Jewish owners — to promote state largesse and universal grants, including property rights for all, whether people reside in a nation legally or are squatting illegally.
What these left-leaning scholars consistently ignore is that Yahweh established the Jubilee and other Mosaic laws in the Torah to protect the inheritance of covenant-keeping (circumcised) Jews who lived within the framework of biblical law — functioning as a nation with divinely appointed boundaries. When people take Scripture out of context to prop up their worldview, we must discern their biases and reject their flawed applications to modern public policy.
We also need to distinguish between how the Church ministers to people and how the civil government administers justice. As a pastor, I will welcome anyone, documented or not, offering care, food, and material help for their families. But if I were elected as a civic leader, my responsibility would be to secure the borders and uphold the law of the land.
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Unfortunately, too many well-meaning but uninformed pastors conflate the role of the Church with that of civil government, failing to grasp the biblical concept of separate jurisdictions — personal, family, business, civic, and church.
In this brief article, I will focus on correcting the misuse of Scripture to justify open borders in the name of compassion. Here are 10 reasons why open borders are not biblically sound:
1. God established national borders
“And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place” (Acts 17:26, ESV).
According to Saint Paul, God sovereignly determines nations and their boundaries to preserve various ethnic people groups, showing His design for national distinction and order.
2. The New Heaven and New Earth have guarded boundaries. Only those whose names are in the Book of Life can enter.
I’ve heard people claim, “If Jesus were president, He would support open borders.” But what biblical foundation do they have for such a bold assertion? In reality, Scripture gives us clear insight into what Jesus will do when He governs a geographical kingdom — and it’s the opposite of what many assume.
“But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life” (Revelation 21:27, ESV).
Even in God’s perfect eternal kingdom, there is restricted access. Only those whose names are written in God’s membership book show that borders and boundaries are part of God’s righteous order.
3. Foreigners in Israel had to respect Mosaic and civic laws in order to stay
“You are to have the same law for the foreigner and the native-born. I am the Lord your God”(Leviticus 24:22, NIV).
“The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt”(Leviticus 19:34, NIV).
While Israel showed kindness to foreigners, they were expected to respect and live under the laws of the land.
4. Compassion and hospitality do not erase the need for order and boundaries
“But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever” (1 Timothy 5:8, ESV).
This principle shows prioritized responsibility — just as families manage their homes with discernment, so too must nations guard their sovereignty and stewardship. Most people who advocate for open borders would never apply that same logic to their homes. How many would welcome total strangers — unvetted and unknown — into their house, especially if they have small children to protect? If you lock your doors at night, you already believe in secure borders. A home is a microcosm of a nation: families living together under a shared roof, protected by clear boundaries. What you wouldn’t risk in the personal space of your own household, you shouldn’t demand of a nation.
5. A nation without borders is not a nation but chaos
“If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand” (Mark 3:25, ESV).
No unity or stability can exist without a defined identity, which includes recognized borders and laws that protect them. Even the United Nations and key international charters — like the Montevideo Convention — recognize that clearly defined borders are essential to a nation’s legitimacy. Without recognized boundaries, there is no nation to govern or protect. The same principle applies when you buy a home: banks require a survey to establish your property lines, ensuring your legal rights and protecting what belongs to you. If borders matter at the individual level, how much more at the national level?
6. God condemns lawlessness and open borders often encourage lawlessness
“For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work” (2 Thessalonians 2:7, ESV).
Lawlessness is tied to the spirit of rebellion. Open borders without lawful vetting and due process laws regarding regulation, contrary to biblical teaching, at times foster disorder, crime, and rebellion against lawful authority.
7. Nations serve a distinct purpose in God’s redemptive plan.
“After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages” (Revelation 7:9, ESV).
God honors the diversity of nations. Erasing national distinctions through borderless ideologies undermines the divine order He has set for the flourishing of different peoples.
8. Borders protect citizens from harm, which is part of a ruler’s God-given responsibility
“For he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer”(Romans 13:4, ESV).
Government leaders are called to protect their people. Failing to enforce borders can expose citizens to danger and injustice, violating their God-given duty.
9. The principle of private property in Scripture presumes defensible boundaries
“You shall not move your neighbor’s boundary mark, which the ancestors have set” (Deuteronomy 19:14, NASB).
The respect for borders and property lines is deeply embedded in biblical law. National borders are an extension of this principle on a larger scale.
10. Babel was a judgment against one-worldism and globalism.
“And the Lord said, ‘Behold, they are one people, and they all have the same language … Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, so that they will not understand one another’s speech’” (Genesis 11:6-7, NASB).
God divided nations at Babel to prevent global tyranny and man’s rebellion. Open-border ideology often leads toward a one-world government, contrary to God’s intention for separate nations.
Dr. Joseph Mattera is renowned for addressing current events through the lens of Scripture by applying biblical truths and offering cogent defenses to today’s postmodern culture. To order his bestselling books or to join the many thousands who subscribe to his acclaimed newsletter, go to www.josephmattera.org.
