A government officer has authority. But what happens when the facts surrounding the use of that authority are unclear?

As Christians, we shouldn’t rush to condemn someone before the evidence is known. But we also shouldn’t act as though asking difficult questions is rebellion against God.

Authority matters.

So does accountability.

On Monday morning, July 13, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot and killed 26-year-old Colombian national Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero during an immigration operation in Biddeford, Maine.

According to federal officials, Guerrero attempted to drive away, and the officer fired because he feared for public safety. Senator Angus King’s office said federal officials described the vehicle as being used—or potentially used—as a weapon.

But the publicly available video does not show the moment the shots were fired. The agents reportedly were not wearing body cameras. And federal officials later acknowledged that Guerrero was not the person agents had originally intended to arrest.

State and federal investigations are now underway. Reuters reports that ICE has also temporarily suspended immigration-related vehicle stops following this shooting and another fatal encounter in Texas six days earlier.

That is what we know.

What we do not yet know is exactly how Guerrero’s vehicle moved immediately before the officer fired. We don’t know whether it presented an imminent threat that legally justified deadly force. Witnesses, advocates and federal officials have offered conflicting accounts.

So I am not going to declare the officer guilty.

I am also not going to pretend that an official explanation automatically settles every question.

A man is dead. His wife and young daughter are grieving. An officer’s actions are under investigation. A community wants answers. And public trust has been damaged.

Before this becomes another political shouting match, Christians need to slow down.

Neither political side possesses all the facts.

But Scripture does give us something important: a moral framework for thinking about authority, justice and truth.

Romans 13 is one of the passages Christians frequently turn to when discussing government. Paul teaches that governing authorities have been established by God. He describes government as God’s servant, with a responsibility to restrain wrongdoing and serve the good.

That means civil authority is legitimate.

It does not mean civil authority is unlimited.

Romans 13 is not a blank check written to every government official. Paul explains what authority is for. Government is supposed to serve justice, protect people and restrain evil.

That purpose becomes the standard by which authority should be examined—not a shield protecting every governmental action from scrutiny.

Government authority is delegated authority. It does not create itself. It does not answer only to itself. And it never becomes morally righteous simply because someone wearing a badge, holding an office or speaking for an agency exercised it.

Respecting authority does not require blind acceptance of every official claim.

An investigation is not automatically hostility toward law enforcement. Sometimes investigation is one of the ways a society demonstrates that law matters—including for the people entrusted with enforcing it.

Here is what I have had to ask myself:

Do I really believe authority should be accountable, or only when the person holding that authority belongs to the other political side?

That question becomes uncomfortable very quickly.

It is easy to demand investigations when we distrust the agency involved. It is much harder when we already sympathize with it.

It is easy to presume innocence when we like the uniform. It is harder when we dislike the person wearing it.

And the reverse is also true.

Deuteronomy 16 instructs judges to pursue justice without partiality. That principle confronts both reactions.

We must not assume the officer is guilty merely because he was an ICE officer.

We must not assume Guerrero was dangerous merely because he was encountered during an immigration operation.

A uniform does not prove guilt.

Immigration status does not erase human dignity.

And incomplete video does not give any of us divine knowledge of what happened outside the camera’s view.

Refusing premature certainty is not moral cowardice. It is part of loving the truth.

We can demand answers while admitting that we do not yet possess them.

Luke 3 gives us another helpful picture. When soldiers asked John the Baptist what repentance should look like in their work, John did not tell them to abandon public service. He warned them against intimidation, false accusations and using their position for personal advantage.

The Bible did not treat their authority as evil.

It also did not treat them as being above moral examination.

The biblical question is not merely, “Did this person possess authority?”

The deeper question is, “Was that authority exercised justly?”

Scripture cannot tell us exactly what happened beside Guerrero’s vehicle. The Bible does not reveal the missing camera angle or settle the legal investigation.

I am not comfortable claiming God has given us facts He has not revealed.

But Scripture does tell us what authority is for, what justice requires and why no human institution should be afraid of the truth.

And this is where Jesus must become more than a closing religious reference.

Jesus is the perfectly righteous King.

He possesses absolute authority, yet He never manipulates evidence. He never distorts the truth to protect His position. He never treats people as disposable obstacles. He never uses power to cover wrongdoing.

Every judgment He makes is righteous because He sees completely and judges truthfully.

Jesus also knows what it means to stand beneath abused human authority. He was falsely accused, wrongfully condemned and subjected to state violence.

Yet at the cross, He was accomplishing redemption—not only for victims of injustice, but also for guilty people, fearful citizens, compromised officials and sinners like us who are often more loyal to our preferred narratives than to the truth.

The gospel frees us from having to turn everyone in this story into a political symbol.

Guerrero was not merely an immigration talking point. He was a human being made in God’s image.

The officer is not merely a symbol of federal power. He is also a human being whose actions must be investigated fairly rather than judged by assumption.

The grieving family, the witnesses, the investigators and the officials involved all bear God’s image.

So here is the central question I believe we need to carry with us:

Do I care more about discovering the truth, or about protecting the political narrative I already prefer?

Before sharing a post, repeating a claim or commenting on this case, take one concrete step: determine whether the claim is confirmed, disputed or merely attributed to one side.

Then speak accordingly.

We can respect legitimate authority without worshiping authority.

We can seek accountability without presuming guilt.

We can grieve a death without exploiting it.

And we can admit that we do not yet know everything without becoming indifferent to justice.

Earthly authority deserves appropriate respect.

But only Christ deserves unquestioning allegiance—because every earthly authority must eventually answer to the King who never misuses power and never fears the truth.

Pray This

Father, we pray for the wife, daughter and family of Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero. Comfort them in their grief and surround them with people who will care for them faithfully.

We pray for the officer involved, for the witnesses and for everyone carrying the weight of what happened. Give the investigators courage, honesty and protection as they seek the truth.

Expose anything that needs to be exposed. Prevent prejudice, political manipulation and false testimony. Bring justice according to what actually occurred.

And give us wisdom and restraint. Help us care more about truth than about winning an argument. Keep our allegiance firmly rooted in Jesus, our perfectly righteous King.