Interracial marriage can be a divisive issue in the church. Some Christians claim that Scripture forbids interracial unions as sinful; however, these claims can often be misconstrued and taken out of context.
Some interpret Genesis 11:9 as meaning that God separated races on earth, making it sinful for two members from different races to marry each other. This interpretation is incorrect. Everyone on earth descends from Adam and Eve, before the flood all spoke a single language which then got scattered all across the planet resulting in different physical characteristics and different races emerging as a result.
Old Testament law prohibited Israelites from marrying foreigners not because of race or ethnicity but due to religion. God knew that if His people intermarried with people from other nations they might stray away from worshipping the one true God and turn instead toward idol worship instead. This is what happened during Old Testament times; therefore the Bible advises against intermarrying among different nationalities.
This same principle holds true today among Christians. The New Testament clearly indicates this fact by declaring it unlawful for believers to marry non-believers (2 Corinthians 6:14). Just as God forbade the Israelites of Old Testament times from marrying people from other nations due to their differing beliefs, He does not want Christians marrying those who do not believe in him either.
Christians sometimes point to KJV Bible passages against interracial marriage in order to support this position, however this argument has been taken out of context in order to support their claims. These verses come from Deuteronomy where Israelites were warned not to marry those from other nations simply due to race or skin color but due to religion instead.
Additionally, the book of Numbers stipulates that Israelites may not marry members from another tribe (Numbers 36:9-11). This restriction does not have to do with race or skin color but instead constitutes a violation of Moses’s Law regarding circumcising before entering into marriage contracts.
Decisions about marrying someone of another race should always be made on an individual basis and take into account how their family and church may react before making such a choice. Racism, prejudice and discrimination remain realities today; therefore interracial couples must be ready to face these challenges head-on. Additionally, interracial marriage increases their children’s exposure to racism and discrimination as well. For this reason, interracial couples must conduct extensive research before making the commitment of interracial marriage. Before embarking on this path I strongly urge them to undertake due diligence on all sides of their decision and evaluate any challenges associated with interracial relationships as well as its significance for both themselves and God.