This post comes from Calvary Chapel Pastors
If you haven’t read my last two posts, you might want to take a few minutes and do so. Today I conclude with:
“So, are you telling me it’s o.k. to marry a black man!” Part 3
I believe the fact that there is only one race and I know that what God cares about is the heart, not outward appearances. This is seen in Exodus 12:38 where we read that when Israel left Egypt, a “mixed multitude went up with them.” In verse 43 God says that a “stranger” (a non-Israelite) may not eat the Passover unless they are first circumcised.
In the Old Testament, circumcision was a permanent sign of God’s covenant with His people, Israel. It was an act of faithful obedience and an outward sign of an inward faith in the God of Israel. So also for the stranger, circumcision was an act of faithful obedience by which they demonstrated an inward faith in the God of Israel and could enter into the house of Israel and become a partaker of God’s promises.
Now, once a stranger was circumcised, the Bible teaches in Exodus 12:48-49:
“And when a stranger dwells with you and wants to keep the Passover to the LORD, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; AND HE SHALL BE AS A NATIVE OF THE LAND. For no uncircumcised person shall eat it. ONE LAW shall be for the native-born and for the stranger who dwells among you.” (emphasis added)
Think about it, if a stranger becomes “as a native of the land” that means that he is accepted into the house of Israel, by faith that has been declared by circumcision, and would therefore no longer be forbidden to marry an Israelite. This clearly shows that Scripture forbids marriage between God’s people and those who worship other gods, NOT marriage between different people groups or skin colors.
Speaking of marriage, there is a very clear prohibition that God gives in His Word, and a couple of youth brought it up recently, stating, “But the Bible says we’re not supposed to be ‘unequally yoke’!”
Wow! It still surprises me that Christians quote 2 Corinthians 6:14 to justify racism. All I can do is encourage them to read this verse in context. When we do that we see that this is a prohibition in marriage, but it has nothing to do with race. Just as with the Israelites, this prohibition for the church is that believers are never to marry non-believers. No place in the Bible is there an exception to this type of “mixed” marriage. God never encourages believers to date or marry in an attempt to convert, or with the hope of converting someone. You will not find “missionary marriage” or “missionary dating” anywhere in the Scripture.
Now, please don’t think I’m chucking stones at you if you find yourself married to a non-believer. Although my wife, Masami, and I were not unequally yoked when we married, she received the Lord before I did and lived with me for a few years unequally yoked. It was because of her faith and obedience that our family has been so dramatically impacted by the grace and love of Jesus Christ.
It must also be stated that the Lord does NOT want believers to willfully put themselves into the position of being unequally yoked. However, if you find yourself in that position, please do as my wife did and be a witness for the Lord. Because of her faithfulness, not only did I come to know the Lord, but also many others in our family.
So, how did I answer the question the young lady who asked, “So, are you telling me that it’s o.k. to marry a black man?”
My response, “I’m telling you that it’s o.k. to marry a Christian regardless of what they look like! And don’t trust me, go to the Scriptures for yourself and see if what I’m saying lines up with what God says.”
I also told her that anybody planning a wedding needs biblical counseling regardless of whether they’re both blond haired, blue eyed and lived next door to each other their whole lives. And, if you are from different cultures you need counseling to deal with other issues that will arise. Most importantly, everyone needs pre-marital counseling to be certain that the foundation of their faith in the Lord is biblical and that their marriage will be built on the rock-solid foundation of Jesus Christ.
Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. (Matthew 7:24-25)
Blessings,
Carl Kerby and the rforh team
Email mosaic@rforh.com to get the FREE chapter on “Tackling the Issue of Race” from Reasons for Hope in the Mosaic of Your Life.
continue reading the views expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of Calvary Southampton
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