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God is calling people from different ethnic, social and economic backgrounds to the knowledge of His truth and way of life. Our young people are growing up in a world that is constantly changing. The established truths forming the foundation of moral behavior are increasingly viewed as irrelevant and subject to popular acceptance and fashion. The teachings of the United Church of God, on the other hand, must be drawn from the Scriptures rather than public or personal opinion or ever-changing social custom. In modern culture as well as within the Church, there are differing views on interracial marriage. Some see it as sin, while others are of the opinion that one should be free to marry anyone from any ethnic or racial group. What do the Scriptures have to say about race relations, and more specifically, what do they say about interracial marriage? Where Did the Races Originate?God is the creator of the races. All mankind, regardless of color or characteristics, came from the same original parents. In the creation account God said, “‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness…’ So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them” (Genesis 1:26-27). All mankind sprang from this event, and all have the same original parents. This point is made once again in Genesis 3:20 where Eve is credited with being the mother of all living. Though thousands of years passed between creation and the New Testament era, the teaching was the same. As Paul was fulfilling his commission, preaching to the gentile world, he reminded a Greek audience, who by tradition saw themselves as a special creation and all other men as barbarian, that in fact all men had a common origin. In Acts 17:26 Paul said, “And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their pre-appointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings.” Despite the differences that exist between the various races, they are all children of Adam and Eve and spring from a common blood. |