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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | Interracial marriages? Bible says what? | 2 Cor 6:14 | Hank | 135629 | ||
xmikx - Thank you for your contribution to this latest thread on what the Bible says about interracial marriage. .... It should be pointed out, however, that the passages from Ezra and Nehemiah that you cite in your post, in order to be exegeted correctly, must be read within the full context of God's dealings with His covenant people, the Jews. If modern readers, to whom such words as "race" and "racial" evoke ideas of racism and racial discrimmination based on physical characteristics such as color of skin or slant of eyes, read into the words of Ezra and Nehemiah a proscription against intermarriage based purely on physcial features, they miss the point. To hold and teach that Scripture in any manner promotes racism as we define it in our culture today is to fall into grievous error. The Bible does not teach racism as it is defined today, not in any way! The Old Testament prohibition against Jews intermarrying with "the nations" of Old Covenant times was based on religious grounds and nothing more or less. What the Bible calls "the nations" were paganistic, polytheistic worshipers of idols, false gods. Intermarriage among Jews and pagans would lead and did lead the Jews to theological corruption, to idolatry, to disobedience of God and rupture of His covenant relationship with His chosen people. Thus God's prohibition of this practice in the Old Testament had everything to do with the preservation of spiritual purity and nothing to do with physical. It was, in fact, not unlike what He says in the New Testament in 2 Corinthians 6:14: "Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?" This passage from Corinthians primarily relates to the false teachers who were troubling the church, though it may apply to other alliances such as marriage and even business relationships. In any event, neither the Old Testament nor the New teaches racism nor condemns "mixed marriages" based on color of skin or other physical distinctives. A question to ponder: Which is better for a believer -- to marry a non-believer of the same skin color, or to marry a believer whose skin is darker (or lighter) than his own? ....... Here's how it is and how it must be in Christ's church, among the sheep of His pasture: "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." ...... Call it what we will -- bigotry, racial superiority, racism -- there is no room in the Church for racial discrimination of any form or for any reason. --Hank | ||||||
2 | Interracial marriages? Bible says what? | 2 Cor 6:14 | xmikx | 135834 | ||
Hank, I completely agree with you. The post prior just mentioned that mixed marriage was not discussed in the Bible. I merely posted two different passages where mixed marriage is mentioned in the Bible. Maybe I should have included more information, but someone mentioned to me to not read too much into what is not in the scripture. I only included the verses. It is then left up to the individual to study its significance. | ||||||
3 | Interracial marriages? Bible says what? | 2 Cor 6:14 | pcdarcan | 135842 | ||
The "mixed marriages" comment was in the context of the question about the scriptural propriety of inter-racial marriages alone, as opposed to mixed marriages based on different religious backgrounds - which would include the scriptures you just cited. The Israelites weren't forbidden to marry a non-Isaraelite, just because their skin color was "Asian or Black". However, they were forbidden to marry non-Israelites because - to state it simply - they were not of the same religion, although some transgressed that law. So, within that context (the context that we often hear spoken about today), the Bible doesn't speak of inter-racial marriages. We see many inter-racially mixed Christian marriages today and the Bible doesn't speak one way or the other about the scriptural correctness of this - it's totally silent, and that along with Acts 10:34,35 should tell us something. Hope that clarifies things... |
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4 | Interracial marriages? Bible says what? | 2 Cor 6:14 | xmikx | 135844 | ||
Yeah man, we are cool on this subject. The end result is God loves all. Just read John 3:16 and really think about what Jesus did for all and it makes me go WOW!!!!! He did that for me. Thank you Jesus for loving me that much!!! | ||||||