Dr. Preus at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis was very pointed in telling future pastors to seek to understand the Question behind the Question! What is the real question for which an answer is being sought? It may be a different question entirely.

There are a number of reasons why this question may be important to individuals.

1. A person is contemplating marriage to someone of another race and wants clarity on the issue from Scripture.

2. A person is confused as to where the races came from and how God intends for us to interact.

3. A person is racially prejudice and is seeking to condemn any such marriage.

We shall seek to Answer each of the Questions from Scripture.

1) A person is contemplating marriage to someone of another race and wants clarity on the issue from Scripture.

When addressing the Topic of Marriage the Bible never addresses "race" as an issue.

It is not the color of the skin which is of concern to God but rather the condition of the heart!..

What is of primary importance to God is the presence of "Faith" or the absence thereof.

A verse of which gives a founding principle for all relationships is from II Corinthians;

Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? (6:14)

This basic teaching applies to all relationships which involve commitment and dependance, be it marriage, partnerships, and even close friendships..

Survey the following passages and see what God has said concerning His people and marriage.

Exodus 34:12-16 "Watch yourself that you make no covenant with the inhabitants of the land into which you are going, or it will become a snare in your midst. {13} "But rather, you are to tear down their altars and smash their sacred pillars and cut down their Asherim {14} --for you shall not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God-- {15} otherwise you might make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land and they would play the harlot with their gods and sacrifice to their gods, and someone might invite you to eat of his sacrifice, {16} and you might take some of his daughters for your sons, and his daughters might play the harlot with their gods and cause your sons also to play the harlot with their gods.

Deuteronomy 7:1-4 "When the LORD your God brings you into the land where you are entering to possess it, and clears away many nations before you, the Hittites and the Girgashites and the Amorites and the Canaanites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and stronger than you, {2} and when the LORD your God delivers them before you and you defeat them, then you shall utterly destroy them. You shall make no covenant with them and show no favor to them. {3} "Furthermore, you shall not intermarry with them; you shall not give your daughters to their sons, nor shall you take their daughters for your sons. {4} "For they will turn your sons away from following Me to serve other gods; then the anger of the LORD will be kindled against you and He will quickly destroy you.

Ezra 9:10-12 "Now, our God, what shall we say after this? For we have forsaken Your commandments, {11} which You have commanded by Your servants the prophets, saying, 'The land which you are entering to possess is an unclean land with the uncleanness of the peoples of the lands, with their abominations which have filled it from end to end and with their impurity. {12} 'So now do not give your daughters to their sons nor take their daughters to your sons, and never seek their peace or their prosperity, that you may be strong and eat the good things of the land and leave it as an inheritance to your sons forever.'

The Following passages can be applied to any relationship including marriage.

1 Corinthians 5:9-11 I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people; {10} I did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters, for then you would have to go out of the world. {11} But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he is an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler--not even to eat with such a one.

1 Corinthians 15:33 Do not be deceived: "Bad company corrupts good morals."

[The most grievous error made by many well intentioned Christians is to believe that once a marriage takes place the influence of "good" will overcome the influence of "bad" Very rarely do people change after marriage.]

1 Kings 18:21 Elijah came near to all the people and said, "How long will you hesitate between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him." But the people did not answer him a word.

John 15:18-19 "If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. {19} "If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you.

1 Corinthians 10:21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons.

1 Thessalonians 5:4-8 But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief; {5} for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness; {6} so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober. {7} For those who sleep do their sleeping at night, and those who get drunk get drunk at night. {8} But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation.

Psalms 1 How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers! {2} But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night. {3} He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season And its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers. {4} The wicked are not so, But they are like chaff which the wind drives away. {5} Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, Nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. {6} For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the wicked will perish.

Romans 16:17 Now I urge you, brethren, keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and hindrances contrary to the teaching which you learned, and turn away from them.

2 Corinthians 6:14-18 Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? {15} Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? {16} Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, "I WILL DWELL IN THEM AND WALK AMONG THEM; AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE. {17} "Therefore, COME OUT FROM THEIR MIDST AND BE SEPARATE," says the Lord. "AND DO NOT TOUCH WHAT IS UNCLEAN; And I will welcome you. {18} "And I will be a father to you, And you shall be sons and daughters to Me," Says the Lord Almighty.

Amos 3:3 Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?

All of these passages (and many more) agree that there are differences between believers and unbelievers and that God is very concerned that His people not be intimately connected to unbelievers.

2) A person is confused as to where the races came from and how God intends for us to interact.

"Open your mind to the possibilities!"

- Think of how awesome our God is as a creating God.

Adam & Eve! There were no others, nor did God create any other person outside the order He established on the sixth day of creation.

Within these two people God created all the possibilities for all the peoples of the world. The entire "gene pool" of the human race was present in these two individuals.

Evolution would have us believe that the Black man in Africa is black because his race has lived so long near the Equator that the pigment in his skin has changed colors.

The Eskimo has squinted to see in the brilliance of the sun and snow so long that his eyes have naturally evolved to be slanted.

This is man's feeble attempt to explain away the wonder of what God has created.

It is very possible that each child of Adam and Eve was different in appearance. Maybe Cain was white and Able was red and Seth was black. Who knows? Who is to say how God ordered the nations to come into beings through the pro-creating process He ordained.

If Adam and Eve's reproductive ability is proportional to those of today then think of the number of children they could have produced.

Average woman today can bare children to about 40

Average man - ?

Average life span of people today is about 85.

The average possibility for childbearing is 47% of life. (40 divided by 85)

Eve lived 900+ years Adam lived 900+ years.

47% of 900 = 423 years of Child bearing.

Even at 1 child every 3 years the number of children born by Eve would be 141 children.

Each of her daughters would have the same possibility for childbearing.

Great multitudes come forth from Adam and Eve to the time of the Flood.

Genesis 6 - 10 the entire population of the world is reduced to 8 people. (Population equal to 1950)

3 couples were to repopulate the earth.

These individuals also had long life spans as did their children.

Two possibilities - Gene pool still diversified among these three couples

Each of the wives are of differing races.

Genesis 11 - the Tower of Babel - Great multitudes of people inhabit the earth once more.

The following chart shows the descendant of Noah's sons and the lands which populated. All people of the world can be traced back to these three families.

The Descendants of Noah

Japheth:

Gomer = Germany

Magog, Tubal, Mechech = Russia

Madai = Persia (Iran)

Jauan = Greece

Tiras = Italy

Togarmah = Armenia (Turkey)

Tarshish = Spain

Kittim = Cyprus

Ham:

Cush = Ethiopia

Mizraim = Egypt

Phut = Africa

Canaan = Canaanites of Palestine

Nimrod = Babylon and Assyria (Iraq)

Sidon = Phoenicia (NW of Sea of Galilee along Mediterranean)

Heth = Hittites (Western Syria)

Jebus = The Jebusites--Occupants of Jerusalem prior to King David

Philistim = The Philistines (Gaza Strip area)

Sin = Possible founder of oriental peoples of China, Japan, and India

Shem:

Through Abraham came Ishmael and Isaac.

The descendants of Ishmael became a branch of the Arabs.

Through Isaac came Jacob and Esau.

Esau's descendants became an Arab line (Edomites).

Jacob's name was changed to Israel and he was the father of the Jews

----We know where the races came from but how does God intend for us to interact with each other.

Romans 12:18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.

1 Corinthians 9:19-23 For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I may win more. {20} To the Jews I became as a Jew, so that I might win Jews; to those who are under the Law, as under the Law though not being myself under the Law, so that I might win those who are under the Law; {21} to those who are without law, as without law, though not being without the law of God but under the law of Christ, so that I might win those who are without law. {22} To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some. {23} I do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow partaker of it.

Romans 15:1-3 Now we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of those without strength and not just please ourselves. {2} Each of us is to please his neighbor for his good, to his edification. {3} For even Christ did not please Himself; but as it is written, "THE REPROACHES OF THOSE WHO REPROACHED YOU FELL ON ME."

Galatians 6:1-4 Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted. {2} Bear one another's burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ. {3} For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. {4} But each one must examine his own work, and then he will have reason for boasting in regard to himself alone, and not in regard to another.

It is very true to say that God is "color blind." He is not concerned about the color of a persons skin but rather about the condition of their heart.

Jesus died for the sins of the world, not for one segment of the population.

This leads us into question #3.

3) A person is racially prejudice and is seeking to condemn any such marriage.

James 2:1-10 My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality. {2} For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings, in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes, {3} and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, "You sit here in a good place," and say to the poor man, "You stand there," or, "Sit here at my footstool," {4} have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? {5} Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? {6} But you have dishonored the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts? {7} Do they not blaspheme that noble name by which you are called? {8} If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself," you do well; {9} but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors. {10} For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.

James 2:13 For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

James 3:8-10 But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. {9} With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. {10} Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so.

1 John 4:20-21 If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? {21} And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.

Acts 10 & 11 - Acts 11:1-18

God tells His servants many times to love others and He warns us against being judgmental against others for any reason.

Conclusion:

God is silent on the issue of Inter-Rational marriages!

Of upmost importance to God is that both people are believers.

It is incumbent upon each believer to support fellow believers in there Christian life.

We should not ignore the difficulties of inter-rational marriages nor should we be the cause of such difficulties.