Are interracial marriages wrong?
Question:
Hello Jeff,
I have been a bit worried lately, and I needed your guidance.
I am currently dating someone of a different race. We love and respect each other, but like any other relationship, it has ups and downs. We also do our best to follow Christ's teachings.
Lately, I have heard people's views on interracial dating and marriage. I have been hearing the term "miscegenation" going around. I was told that race-mixing is abuse and forbidden by God. People were saying that adultery originally meant miscegenation, but it was changed to mean sexual affairs. Additionally, white people have a racial covenant to stay pure.
I understand that there are problems when it comes to interracial dating, such as potential problems with children and cultural differences. I also trust in the Bible and believe it comes with no errors. However, that statement I mentioned earlier has made me worried. I don't want to commit adultery, and I trust Jesus and his teachings. I love my boyfriend and want to marry and live with him while following Christ. It's just that after hearing this, I wondered if I was doing something wrong just being with him.
I need a response from you. I have been so stressed out over this issue lately.
Answer:
The concept of race doesn't exist in the Bible. Although there are nationalities, God states that all mankind is one race. We all descend from the same couple: Adam and Eve. "He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth" (Acts 17:26). The concept of race is an artificial division of mankind based on external variations.
- Joseph married an Egyptian woman (Genesis 41:50).
- Moses married a woman from Cush (Ethiopia) (Numbers 12:1).
- Boaz married Ruth, a Moabite (Ruth 4:10; Matthew 1:5).
- Salmon married Rahab, a Canaanite prostitute (Matthew 1:5).
The last two are ancestors of Jesus.
Na'aph in Hebrew means "to commit adultery." It referred to having intercourse with a married or engaged person. In Greek, the word is moicheuo and means "to commit adultery." The claim that it once referred to interracial marriages is false. I cannot find such a claim in any reference book.
The claim that white people have a racial covenant is also outlandishly false.
Just because you can find something on the Internet, it doesn't make it true. Most people are not credible sources.
Response:
Thanks, Jeff,
I don't know why people make bizarre claims. I needed to remind myself that the internet can sometimes be deceiving and stop worrying about such issues.
Regardless, I wish you all the best for you and your church.
