Christians live with a tension: we are citizens of nations, yet our identity and home are found in Christ. Scripture describes God’s people as strangers, foreigners, and exiles in this world. In an age of heightened nationalism, that identity should shape how we see refugees, immigrants, and people whose homes have been disrupted by war, persecution, poverty, or political upheaval.
Peter writes to believers as “foreigners and exiles” (1 Peter 2:11, NIV). It reminds us that Christians cannot allow national identity to become We belong to a kingdom that crosses borders, languages, cultures, and political boundaries. Our allegiance to Christ does not erase our responsibilities as citizens, but it places those responsibilities under the lordship of Jesus.
This has consequences for how we receive the foreigner.
Israel was commanded to remember its history as a people who lived as foreigners in Egypt. Therefore, God instructed his people: “Love those who are foreigners” (Deuteronomy 10:19, NIV). The command was rooted in memory, empathy, and covenant faithfulness. God’s people were to treat the outsider not as a threat to be managed, but as a neighbor to be loved.
Jesus makes this calling unmistakable. In Matthew 25:35, he identifies himself with the stranger: “I was a stranger and you invited me in” (NIV). The passage confronts a faith that speaks about compassion while keeping suffering people at a distance. For Jesus, welcoming the stranger is not peripheral to discipleship. It is an expression of love for him.
Hebrews 13:2 adds another dimension: believers are urged not to forget hospitality, because some have welcomed angels without knowing it. Hospitality requires us to see people before we see categories. Refugee, migrant, foreigner, citizen, legal or undocumented—these descriptions may matter for governments and public policy, but they must never become excuses for denying someone’s dignity.
The church therefore has a witness . We can love our nations without worshiping them. We can value borders without building walls around our hearts. We can engage public questions while refusing to dehumanize those on the other side of them.
Christians are people who know what it means to be foreigners. Our hope is not secured by a flag, passport, border, or government. We are “foreigners and exiles” on the way home (1 Peter 2:11, NIV). Until that day, the gospel calls us to welcome the stranger, defend human dignity, practice hospitality, and embody the love of Christ across every border. May we embody calling faithfully today.
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