Questions and Answers

Is Inter-Racial Marriage Approved By God?
By Adam Bartlett

There are many views and opinions about marriage between races and most of them are based on faulty interpretation of scripture. The Bible does not use the word race in reference to skin color. Many try to use scriptures from the Old Testament to prove that God did not condone inter-racial marriage.

Genesis 10
5: By these were the isles of the Gentiles divided in their lands; every one after his tongue, after their families, in their nations.
20: These are the sons of Ham, after their families, after their tongues, in their countries, and in their nations.
31: These are the sons of Shem, after their families, after their tongues, in their lands, after their nations.


The people are divided according to tongues, families, nations, and lands, not the color of their skin. The Bible does not separate men according to the color of their skin but by their faith and what they do spiritually.

Deuteronomy 7
3: Neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son.
4: For they will turn away thy son from following me, that they may serve other gods: so will the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and destroy thee suddenly.

Joshua 23
11: Take good heed therefore unto yourselves, that ye love the LORD your God.
12: Else if ye do in any wise go back, and cleave unto the remnant of these nations, even these that remain among you, and shall make marriages with them, and go in unto them, and they to you:
13: Know for a certainty that the LORD your God will no more drive out any of these nations from before you; but they shall be snares and traps unto you, and scourges in your sides, and thorns in your eyes, until ye perish from off this good land which the LORD your God hath given you.
16: When ye have transgressed the covenant of the LORD your God, which he commanded you, and have gone and served other gods, and bowed yourselves to them; then shall the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and ye shall perish quickly from off the good land which he hath given unto you.


1 Kings 11
1: But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites;
2: Of the nations concerning which the LORD said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in unto you: for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods: Solomon clave unto these in love.
3: And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart.
4: For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father.
5: For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.
6: And Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD, and went not fully after the LORD, as did David his father.
7: Then did Solomon build an high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in the hill that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the children of Ammon.
8: And likewise did he for all his strange wives, which burnt incense and sacrificed unto their gods.


Ezra 9
1: Now when these things were done, the princes came to me, saying, The people of Israel, and the priests, and the Levites, have not separated themselves from the people of the lands, doing according to their abominations, even of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites.
2: For they have taken of their daughters for themselves, and for their sons: so that the holy seed have mingled themselves with the people of those lands: yea, the hand of the princes and rulers hath been chief in this trespass.


It is very clear through these scriptures and throughout the Old Testament that the only reason for God to restrict marriages was due to the spiritual consequences not anything to do with color of skin. God's concern was that the Gentiles of that time worshipped many idols and false gods and if Israel would intermarry with them they would fall victim to their rituals. His concern was for their "Spiritual" well being and not that the color of their skin might not be the same.

Society and senseless bigotries have made it hard on people today to be able to marry whom they would. If we really think about it we all originated from one blood and that of Adam and Eve as the Bible attests to.

Acts 17
26: And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;


In 1 Corinthians 7 the whole chapter deals with the biblical regulations of marriage and there is not one mention of race listed. It all deals with the spirituality of those involved.

Summary

It is unfortunate that there are prejudices in the world and it is impossible to know how many relationships have been wrecked due to them. There are probably just as many relationships that were never even started due to these prejudices. The Bible clearly says that God is no respecter of persons and what gives us the right to be? It is also clear in scripture that God looks on the heart and that is how He determines the worth of a person. We should learn from that method of evaluation of a person's worth and make the world a much better place. Unfortunately as long as the enemy runs all over this earth with his agenda of destroying all human existence it is not likely to happen. Regardless of what people may say, there is no biblical support for opposing inter-racial marriages based on the color of a person's skin.

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