Former President Donald Trump sparked controversy at a New Hampshire rally, claiming immigrants, including those from Africa and Asia, are "poisoning the blood of our country." He echoed these sentiments on Truth Social, linking illegal immigration to "poisoning the blood of our nation." Critics, including the Biden campaign, likened his language to Adolf Hitler's, who used "blood poisoning" in his manifesto.

Republican rival Chris Christie condemned Trump's remarks as "disgusting," criticizing fellow Republicans for tolerating such rhetoric. Trump's focus on immigration, a campaign theme, led to heated debates, with allies in Congress prioritizing border policies. This isn't the first time Trump used the term "blood poisoning" in criticizing immigration, drawing mixed reactions from politicians.

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The Remnant's Response

Before reading this response, please check out 12 principles to help you think biblically about immigration law, border security, and our responsibility to provide hope for the world. These biblical principles make a clear case that nations have a right and responsibility to protect their borders. Meanwhile, any talk of immigration, whether legal or illegal, being a problem because it causes "blood poisoning" is both foolish and unsupportable when looking at God's word.

If you want to make sure error doesn't 'immigrate' into your thoughts about politics, then build a wall of conviction that will help you resist the constant urge to defend a particular political party or politician. Oswald Chambers, the celebrated author of the devotional "My Utmost for His Highest," was right to remind us to "beware of anything that competes with your loyalty to God." Iain Murray, the founder of the great reformed publishing house Banner of Truth, exhorts, "Faithfulness to God is our first obligation in all that we are called to do in the service of the gospel." Both are correct. God's first command was to love nothing more than Him (Exodus 20:3), and His second was not to worship or idolize anything more than Him (Exodus 20:4-6).

When our loyalty to a party or person causes us to swallow our prophet's tongue, we lose our credibility, and our favored party or person loses a true friend (Proverbs 27:5-6). The remnant's focus should be on defending principles, not parties, righteousness, not Republicans, doctrine, not Democrats. Our engagement with the culture around us should be informed and shaped by the whole counsel of God rather than our favorite Twitter account or politician.

The church of Jesus Christ is called to be the conscience of the state, not the public relations department for a party or politician. The faithful church that exposes evils in the current administration must also rebuke imprudent rhetoric from Trump.

If someone misspeaks, and we all do, especially the more we talk or write (Proverbs 10:19), they have an opportunity and obligation to make it right by immediately retracting their words, acknowledging their error, and seeking forgiveness as appropriate (Proverbs 6:1-6). "The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit" (Proverbs 18:21). Those whose tongue produces the fruit of foolishness deserve a fool's rebuke, irrespective of our closeness to or fondness of them. Grace should be readily available to all who seek it. What human can claim to have tamed their tongue (James 3:8)? But the man who will not tame his pride to repent of his foolish tongue must be admonished and rejected as a leader until he does (1 Thessalonians 5:14).

It is not diversity of blood that poisons a society, but a rejection of the Bible, coupled with the immigration of false ideas, syncretism, and compromise, which divides and poisons it (1 Kings 11:1-14).