# OPC Report On Illegal Immigrants



## sastark (Jun 21, 2007)

I'd like to have this topic stay out of politics (and therefore out of the political forum) and focus on the salvific aspect of the following quote:


Taken from here: http://opc.org/GA/74th_GA_rpt.html


> While a _prima facie_ case might be made that many illegal aliens cannot make a credible profession of faith because of their apparent failure to submit to the governing authorities ... it is nevertheless appropriate for sessions to judge the credibility of a person's profession of faith based on a case-by-case basis.



I'm sorry, but when was submitting to the governing authorities a qualification for salvation? I thought all that was required was faith in Jesus as your savior. 

Anyone know why the OPC needed a report on Illegal Immigrants in the first place? Is (or was) this a serious issue in the OPC?


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## etexas (Jun 21, 2007)

Every OPC person I know is white...........maybe there are some Canadian illegals(shame on them)!


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## Herald (Jun 21, 2007)

Illegal aliens are not the only criminals who have become Christians. There is no requirement in scripture that wrongs must be made right _before_ salvation. After salvation? Different story. Any criminal who persists in illegal activity _after_ coming to faith calls God a liar:



> 1 John 3:4-10 4 Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness. 5 And you know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin. 6 No one who abides in Him sins; no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him. 7 Little children, let no one deceive you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; 8 the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, that He might destroy the works of the devil. 9 No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. 10 By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.



If you haven't already caught on I am placing illegal aliens in the category of criminal. They emphasis is not on their alien status but on their illegal status. This does not preclude them from coming to faith in Christ, nor am I chastising individuals and churches that minister to illegal aliens. There is a precedent for ministering to criminals:



> Matthew 25:34-36 34 "Then the King will say to those on His right, 'Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 'For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; 36 naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.'



If God honors us with the opportunity to minister to a new believer we should encourage that individual to honor God in all areas of their life. This includes making rights wrong and obeying the law.


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## tcalbrecht (Jun 21, 2007)

Since the Session's responsibility is to judge a "credible profession of faith" (and not attempt to look into a person’s soul), they would need to get the person’s response to known sin in their life, see repentance and a desire to be in submission to all of God’s lawful ministers.

If they are not willing to submit to the civil authorities, what makes you think they will submit to ecclesiastical ones.


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## wsw201 (Jun 21, 2007)

It has nothing to do with qualifying for salvation. It has to do with becoming a communing member of a Presbyertian Church by making a credible profession of faith. One of the vows that a communing member makes in the OPC is as follows: *Do you acknowledge Jesus Christ as your sovereign Lord and do you promise, in reliance on the grace of God, to serve him with all that is in you, to forsake the world, to mortify your old nature, and to lead a godly life?* Someone who is breaking the law should have a hard time with this.


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## Puritan Sailor (Jun 21, 2007)

I follow Jesus said:


> Every OPC person I know is white...........maybe there are some Canadian illegals(shame on them)!



Actually the OPC has several hispanic churches and mission works.


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## etexas (Jun 21, 2007)

Puritan Sailor said:


> Actually the OPC has several hispanic churches and mission works.


I know Patrick ,I was just being silly about the "WASP" perception of the Presbyterian Church (that false perception also haunts us Anglicans as well.)


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## raderag (Jun 21, 2007)

Anglicans aren't Protestant.


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## RamistThomist (Jun 21, 2007)

Puritan Sailor said:


> Actually the OPC has several hispanic churches and mission works.



Especially in Florida or the Southwest.


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## etexas (Jun 21, 2007)

raderag said:


> Anglicans aren't Protestant.


No......we are better.


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## SRoper (Jun 21, 2007)

I look forward to next year's OPC Report on Speeders.


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## etexas (Jun 21, 2007)

Digging that new avatar Josh!


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## etexas (Jun 21, 2007)

joshua said:


> Ahh, the wonders of Photshop and an ugly mug.



You and me both brother.........I did not even try to glam mine up! My wife, Mama, Cat, Dog, and Auntie all love me no matter how ugly I am!


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## Formerly At Enmity (Jun 21, 2007)

SRoper said:


> I look forward to next year's OPC Report on Speeders.




Funniest response on the PB in weeks!


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## VictorBravo (Jun 21, 2007)

joshua said:


> Well, if the speeders start sucking my tax dollars dry, milk the federal government cuz they know it will not enforce its own laws, and persist in unrepentant speeding that consistently inhibits my freedoms all while professing Christ, by all means I welcome that report as well.



Maybe they should have a report on people who underreport their taxes too. The so-called "revenue gap" (amount of tax that should be reported but isn't) is estimated to be $345 billion. . . .


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## bookslover (Jun 21, 2007)

SRoper said:


> I look forward to next year's OPC Report on Speeders.



An OPC report on Speedos? What, now? I must be out of the loop in my own denomination.


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## tcalbrecht (Jun 21, 2007)

bookslover said:


> An OPC report on Speedos? What, now? I must be out of the loop in my own denomination.



That is one cover of the _Ordained Servant_ I do *not *want to see.


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## RamistThomist (Jun 21, 2007)

joshua said:


> Well, if the speeders start sucking my tax dollars dry, milk the federal government cuz they know it will not enforce its own laws, and persist in unrepentant speeding that consistently inhibits my freedoms all while professing Christ, by all means I welcome that report as well.



what are speeders?


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