We do. It is important to understand what the Bible has to say about the subject of interracial marriages.

Let
us first of all explain that no ethnic group, race or color is superior
or better than another. The concept, as taught by Hitler and others,
that there exists a master race is simply demonic. This Satanic concept
was derived from the equally demonic concept of the Evolution Theory,
which holds that only the fittest animals survive and that those less
fit die out. Hitler, adopting racial theories taught by quite a few at
his time inside and outside Germany, applied the Evolution Theory to
man (after all, according to that abominable concept, man is just the
highest developed form of an animal). Hitler postulated that the
Germanic race was a superior master race to all other races. As
mentioned, this idea, which caused mass murders of millions of innocent
people, is clearly inspired by Satan and nowhere taught in the Bible.

God’s
Word teaches, however, that God created different races or colors for a
purpose. Biblically speaking, and as explained below, God created
basically three different races or colors–the yellow, the white and
the black. God made of one blood all the nations of men (Acts 17:26).
Eve is identified as the mother of all humans (Genesis 3:20). All
humans are children of God through Adam, and God intends for all to
repent in order to attain to the potential of man–the reason for man’s
creation: to become a born-again spiritual member of the God Family
(Galatians 3:28-29; 1 Timothy 2:4; 2 Peter 3:9; Revelation 21:3-7).

In
a letter from the Personal Correspondence Department of the Worldwide
Church of God, dated January 1988, the long-standing teaching of the
Church was set forth as follows: “God created Eve with the capability
of producing children having the varied characteristics that are now
manifested in the different races… The children and grandchildren of
Adam and Eve would have naturally separated into families of racially
similar people, and as they continued to marry within their own groups,
distinct racial traits would have become established. God tells us that
He separated the families of man and decreed the boundaries of their
dwelling places (Deuteronomy 32:8; Acts 17:26). Natural barriers, such
as mountain ranges and oceans, would have served to keep the racial
families apart and prevent amalgamation. Thus, God intended that there
be different races and He caused them to develop.”

In a related
letter from the Personal Correspondence Department of the Worldwide
Church of God, dated January 1988, these additional statements were
made:

“Anciently, God separated the different races by giving
each its own area of the world to develop (Genesis 10:5, 32…). He
placed them where geographic features… formed great natural barriers
and boundaries between them. He obviously did not want different people
to intermingle. Notice also that Abraham… was deeply concerned that
his son Isaac should find a wife among his own people rather than from
among the Canaanites, who were a different people (Genesis 24). In
turn, Isaac instructed his son Jacob to go back to their ancestral home
to find a wife (Genesis 28:1-2)… It is in keeping with these biblical
principles, then, for a person to marry someone of the same race and
who is compatible in personality, culture, temperament, and outlook on
life. Disregarding these principles is likely to result in problems and
hardships for the couple and for the children.”

Some claim that
Abraham and Isaac only asked their sons not to marry a Canaanite woman
because the Canaanites were pagan idol worshippers. They say that the
request had nothing to do with race–even though Isaac and Jacob were
white, while the Canaanites were black (Canaan was the son of Ham. The
word Ham means “dark.” On the other hand, Genesis 22:11 describes
Sarai, Abram’s wife, as “fair” or of “beautiful countenance.” The word
in Hebrew means, “bright.” A scroll from the Dead Sea states about
Sarai that “her brightness was lovely.”)

The concept that
Abraham’s and Isaac’s son were not to marry a Canaanite woman just
because of her religion cannot be correct. We read in Genesis 11:28
that Abraham (then called Abram) lived in Ur of the Chaldeans. Ur means
“fire”–it was a place of worship of the pagan fire god. Joshua 24:2,
14 tells us that Abram’s relatives were idol worshippers. The Broadman
Bible Commentary states: “Both Ur and Haran [where Abram went, when he
left Ur] were important centers of moon worship, and his living there
indicates that Terah [Abram’s father] probably was involved in that
cult. The fact, however, that Terah practiced idolatry (Josh. 24:2)
does not mean that he was not also acquainted with the true God. Laban
asserts that the God of Nahor and Terah was the God of Abraham
(31:53).”

The Bible strongly indicates that Abraham’s
relatives, Laban, Rebekkah and Rachel, were still involved in idolatry
at the time when Abraham’s servant appeared to seek a wife for Isaac,
and when Jacob came to live with that family. We read that upon Jacob’s
departure, his wife Rachel stole the housegod idols of her father Laban
(Genesis 31:34, 30). From this it follows that Abraham’s and Isaac’s
request of their sons not to marry a Canaanite woman (the Canaanites
were idol worshippers) was not ONLY based on religion (as Laban and his
household were still engaged in idol worship, too). It HAD to also be
based on race. The following explanations will make this fact clearer.

To
introduce the next section, let us just state that the Church of the
Eternal God and its corporate affiliates, the Church of God, a
Christian Fellowship in Canada, and the Global Church of God in the
United Kingdom, reconfirmed our position during our last conference in
March of 2006 that we teach what was taught under Mr. Herbert W.
Armstrong (1892-1986), who was the late human leader of the Church of
God. Unless we can prove from Scripture that doctrines or practices,
which were taught by Mr. Armstrong, were wrong, we will abide by those
doctrines and practices.

With this background, let us focus on
Mr. Armstrong’s book “Mystery of the Ages.” In that book, Mr. Armstrong
had much to say about the origin of the races and the concept of
interracial marriage. When discussing the reasons for the worldwide
flood at the time of Noah, Mr. Armstrong pointed out the following, on
page 147 (hard copy):

“Noah was ‘perfect’ in his generations
[Genesis 6:9 reads: “Noah was a just man, perfect in his
generations.”]. That is, his heredity, ancestry (Genesis 6:9). Proof of
this lies in the meaning of the Hebrew word translated ‘perfect.’ It
may refer either to spiritual character (Genesis 17:1) or to physical
characteristics (Leviticus 22:21). Therefore Genesis 6:9 allows the
translation that Noah was either ‘blameless’ or ‘unblemished.’ The
context (Genesis 6:2) clearly indicates the latter is the intended
meaning of ‘perfect.’ So a good rendering of Genesis 6:9 is that Noah
was the only ‘just’ man (in spiritual character), and also
‘unblemished’ (in his genetic heritage) among his contemporaries.”

Appendix
26 of The Companion Bible seems to confirm this understanding. Note its
comments about this Hebrew word, translated “perfect” or “unblemished”
in verse 9 of Genesis 6:

“The Heb. word tamiym means without
blemish, and is the technical word for bodily and physical perfection,
and, not moral. Hence it is used of animals of sacrificial
purity. It is rendered without blemish in Ex. 12.5; 29.1;
Lev. 1.3, 10; 3.1, 6; 4.3, 23, 28, 32; 5.12, 18; 6.6; 9.2, 3; 14.10;
22.19; 23.12, 18; Num. 6.14; 28.19, 31; 29.2, 8, 13, 20, 23, 29, 32,
36; Ezek. 43.22, 23, 25; 45.18, 23; 46.4, 6, 13. Without spot: Num.
19.2; 28.3, 9, 11; 29.17, 26.”

Mr. Armstrong, when describing the worldwide conditions at the time of Noah, continued on pages 148-149:

“…
men ‘took them wives of all which THEY chose [Genesis 6:2].’ There was
rampant and universal interracial marriage–so exceedingly universal
that Noah, only, was unblemished or perfect in his generations–his
ancestry. He was of the original white strain. It is amply evident that
by the time of Noah there were at least the three primary or major
racial strains on earth, the white, yellow and black, although
interracial marriage produced many racial mixtures. God does not reveal
in the Bible the precise origin of the different races. It is evident
that Adam and Eve were created white. God’s chosen nation Israel was
white. Jesus was white. But it is a fair conjecture that in mother Eve
were created ovaries containing the yellow and black genes, as well as
white, so that some of the children of Adam and Eve gave rise to black,
yellow, as well as white. The one man God chose to PRESERVE the human
race alive after the Flood was perfect in his generations–all his
ancestry back to Adam was of the one strain, and undoubtedly that
happened to be white–NOT that white is in any sense superior…
[Noah’s] wife and three sons were of that same white strain. But
Japheth evidently had married an Oriental woman, and Ham a
black.”

Another way of explaining the existence of
different races would be that the three sons of Noah–Shem, Ham and
Japheth–were white, black and yellow. As mentioned before, the meaning
of the word “Ham” is black. This would mean that God created Eve with
the capacity of producing black, white and yellow offspring.

After
the Flood, Noah’s descendants tried to build a great tower at Babel, so
that they would not be “scattered abroad.” Mr. Armstrong comments on
these events on pages 151 and 152 of his book:

“These people were
not only of one language, they were of three races or families–white,
yellow and black. Just as God created varieties in many species of
flowers and of animals–for example, many varieties and colors of
roses–for greater beauty, so God created the three races and colors of
human skin. God intended to prevent racial intermarriages. But man has
always wanted to violate God’s laws, intentions and ways. They wanted
to become one race or family through intermarriage of races… God had
set the bounds of the races, providing for geographical segregation, in
peace and harmony but without discrimination. But the people wanted to
be of one amalgamated people. One purpose of the tower of Babel was to
unite them, and to prevent them from being scattered…”

But we read that God confounded their languages and scattered them abroad upon the face of all the earth.

Some
claim that Judah, one of Jacob’s sons, married Shua, purportedly a
woman from a different race. This would not prove, however, that God
favored interracial marriages. The Bible contains many examples when
Judah did not live up to God’s standards. He even violated his own
daughter-in-law, and he was instrumental in selling his own brother
Joseph into slavery.

Some say that interracial marriage is
perfectly acceptable to God, as Joseph married an Egyptian and Moses an
Ethiopian. We discuss these episodes in the Q&A’s of Updates #138
and #136. IF Joseph married a pagan idol worshipper from a different
race, he would have been wrong (In any event, this argument does not
assist those who advocate interracial marriages, as they still have to
admit that Joseph would have acted wrongly by marrying an idol
worshipper.). But Joseph might not have done any of this. And Moses’
conduct might have occurred long before his conversion–before he
actually knew God and His laws, which would explain why God was angry
with Miriam and Aaron to bring up something which might have occurred
more than 40 years earlier. In any event, both episodes cannot be used
to prove that interracial marriages are in accordance with God’s will,
as both Updates explain in detail.

When God chose the nation of
Israel to offer them physical blessings, He never called them for
salvation. God fulfilled an unconditional promise that He had made to
Abraham, because of his unquestioned obedience and loyalty to God. On
pages 166-173, Mr. Armstrong explains the reason for the nation’s call
to PHYSICAL greatness:

“WHY did God raise up this special Hebrew
nation as the ‘chosen people’? WHY, when God never made accessible to
them his Holy Spirit? One point to notice here. The probability is that
these people were all–or nearly all– of the white racial strain,
unchanged since creation. After Jacob and his sons and families had
come into Egypt at Joseph’s behest, they were kept in the locale of
Goshen–geographically separated from the Egyptians, marrying among
themselves. In this connection, go back momentarily to Abraham. He
prevented his son Isaac from intermarrying among the dark Canaanites
then in the land… Jacob had six sons by Leah, two from Rachel–all of
the same original racial stock, and two each from the maids of Rachel
and Leah… Even the maids of Leah and Rachel undoubtedly were of pure
Hebrew stock… [Israel] became God’s chosen nation. BUT WHY?…

“Undoubtedly,
one reason was to preserve the original physical racial strain… Here
was a people of almost clear racial strain, and the God believing
heredity of Abraham, Isaac and Israel… They, despite their favorable
heredity, FAILED UTTERLY TO QUALIFY… The Promised Land was then
called Canaan. Canaanites, racially dark, had settled in the land. But
God had given this land to the racial descendants of Abraham BY
PROMISE! It did not belong to the Canaanites or other races settled
there… GOD INTENDED TO KEEP THEM [the nation of Israel] PHYSICALLY
SEPARATE from other nations–both nationally (racially) and
religiously. For them to intermarry with other races would result in
two things: It would interbreed them into other races, and mix them
into other idolatrous religions!… Much later, after the captivities
of both Israel and Judah, God sent a colony of Jews… to Jerusalem…
Against God’s command, the people of the colony began to intermarry
with Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Jebusites and other races, ‘so
that the holy seed [racially pure, for they had not the Holy Spirit] had mingled themselves with the people of those lands…’ (Ezra 9:2).”

As
Mr. Armstrong goes on to explain, God proved, by choosing a physical
nation with everything going for them, that they were still unable to
obey Him without His Holy Spirit within them. Their heredity and
environment, and even the fact that God Himself was among them, did NOT
prevent them from sinning and rebelling against Him. What a lesson of
history–and what a warning for us today, not to neglect the gift of
God’s Holy Spirit within us.

Some have claimed that Paul teaches
in Galatians 3:28 that interracial marriages are now in accordance with
God’s will. This is not true. Galatians 3:28 addresses the spiritual
potential of all men, from all races, ethnic groups or cultures. It
says: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free,
there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ
Jesus.” This Scripture cannot be used to justify interracial
marriages; because with the same argument, we might as well justify
homosexual or lesbian relationships (as it says, “there is neither male
nor female.”). As stated, this Scripture strictly addresses the
equality of our calling. “But in every nation whoever fears Him and
works righteousness is accepted by Him” (Acts 10:35).

From all
the Biblical evidence at our disposal, and considering the
long-standing teaching of the Church on this subject, we must conclude
that it is not in accordance with God’s will to marry interracially.
However, couples who are married interracially are not to despair–and
they are most certainly not to separate for that reason. The Church has
NEVER asked interracially married couples to separate. This article is
written to caution those who might be thinking of marrying
interracially. Administratively, ministers of the Church of the Eternal
God and its corporate affiliates have carefully considered this issue
and concluded, barring extraordinary circumstances, that they could
not, in good conscience, officiate over a marriage, which is clearly,
obviously and visibly interracial. However, this would not include
marriage candidates who are of “mixed” blood. The Church has always
taught, for instance, that a child of a black and a white parent is
free to marry a black or a white person. We are only addressing clear
cases, in concern for the well-being and happiness of the persons
involved.

God designed all ethnic groups and races from one human
ancestor and all members of every ethnic group and race are made in the
image and likeness of God. All Spirit-begotten members in
the Church are spiritual brethren, irrespective of any other
consideration. It is God’s purpose and command that we preach the true
gospel to every ethnic group and race in the world, without fear or
favor. The Bible forbids a marriage between a believer and an
unbeliever, and the Scriptural evidence shows us that marrying someone
of another color, as explained in this Q&A, is also not in
accordance with God’s Will.

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

God never promoted polygamy or intended that His followers should engage in that practice. Although the Old Testament records that several of the patriarchs practiced polygamy, it was never in accordance with God’s will and His intent for marriage. When a man took more than one wife, curses and punishment were the consequence.
Abraham sinned when he had sexual relationships with Sarah’s maid Hagar. This was not only a sin because he lacked faith in God that He could give him a son through his wife Sarah, who was barren, but he also sinned, because he was married to Sarah and therefore committed adultery with Sarah’s maid.

Even though Sarah had consented to this act, it did not in any way negate God’s law. And so, we read that Sarah gave Hagar to Abraham, “to be his wife” (Genesis 16:3), but when God speaks to and of Hagar, she is only referred to as Sarah’s maid (Genesis 16:8) or the bondwoman (Genesis 21:13). God never calls Hagar Abraham’s wife, but when God is referring to Sarah, He speaks of her consistently, even after the episode with Hagar, as Abraham’s wife (Genesis 17:15, 19; 18:9-10; 20:2, 7). In Genesis 21, it is recorded that Abraham sent Hagar away, as Hagar’s and Ishmael’s presence created problems for Sarah and Isaac. After the episode with Hagar, the Bible does not mention that Abraham had sexual relationships with any other women but Sarah, until Sarah’s death.

Isaac had only one wife – Rebecca. Although Isaac repeated Abraham’s mistake when he lied about his wife, by calling her his sister, he did not repeat the mistake of his father Abraham to try to produce offspring through Rebecca’s maid, but he waited on God to give him children through Rebecca, trusting in God that He would heal Rebecca who was barren (Genesis 25:21-22).

Jacob took more than one wife (Leah and Rachel), and he repeated the mistake of his grandfather Abraham and produced offspring through the maids of his wives, but he was unconverted at that time. His conversion apparently took place when he wrestled with God, as recorded in Genesis 32:22-32.

Israel’s first king, Saul, took more than one wife, and he thereby sinned, following the practices of the pagans all around him. He violated God’s specific command to Israel’s kings in Deuteronomy 17:17, not to “multiply wives for himself.”

David had more than one wife. We read of his wives Michal, Abigail, Bathsheba, and of other wives and concubines (2 Samuel 5:13). At least ten of his concubines (2 Samuel 15:16) are also called his wives in 2 Samuel 12:11. It seems to follow from 2 Samuel 19:5, that David had even more concubines and wives, than just the ten whom he left in Jerusalem, to guard his court, when he fled from his rebellious son Absalom. David followed the practice of Saul and other kings, to multiply wives, against God’s explicit commandment prohibiting such practice.

We read in 2 Samuel 20:3 that David no longer had any sexual relationships with his concubines, after they had been disgraced by his son Absalom. We also read that Michal was once his wife (1 Samuel 25:44), but ceased to be so, when she had become the wife of another, namely Paltiel. When that happened, the Bible calls Paltiel her husband (2 Samuel 3:15), and David was not supposed to take her back, when he had become king, under the law in effect at that time (compare Deuteronomy 24:1-4. Update #73 discusses the question whether or not this law is still in force and effect today). David probably did so for political reasons, so he could say that he was the husband of King Saul’s daughter. The Bible does not refer to Michal as David’s wife, after he had taken her back, but consistently refers to her as “Michal, Saul’s daughter” (2 Samuel 6:16, 20, 23).

David’s son Solomon took seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines, transgressing thereby God’s commandments, and they turned away his heart. What Solomon did was “evil in the sight of the LORD” (1 Kings 11:6).

These Old Testament examples only prove to show that polygamy always has been wrong and against God’s law. This fact is clearly confirmed in the New Testament.

Christ explained, in Mark 10: 6-9, that God’s intent for marriage was a relationship between one man and one woman. The “TWO” (verse 8) were to become one flesh. We don’t read that the “three” or the “four” are to become one flesh.

Human marriage is a symbol of the spiritual marriage between Christ and His Church, as Ephesians 5:25-33 brings out. There, too, we read about the fact that “each one of you… so love his own wife as himself” (verse 33). We don’t read about a husband loving his own WIVES as himself.

Christ will only marry ONE wife – not many wives. It says in Revelation 19:7: “His wife has made herself ready.” It does not say: “His wives have made themselves ready.” Christ’s Church is a spiritual organism, consisting of all in whom God’s Spirit dwells. But it is ONE body (Colossians 1:18) – not several bodies.

We read in 1 Timothy 3:2, 12 that a minister or a deacon must only have one wife. But this does not mean that unordained Church members are permitted to have more than one wife. As we saw, God intends marriage to be a bond between one man and one woman. When addressing the requirements for ministers and deacons, Paul emphasizes God’s teaching, not to have more than one wife, as he emphasizes other character traits required of ministers and deacons (such as, to be “temperate,” “of good behavior,” “not violent,” “not greedy for money,” etc.). This does not mean that these are just requirements for ministers and deacons, and that other Church members don’t sin when they behave badly, or when they are violent or greedy for money.

The teaching of the Old and New Testament is clear and consistent: It is not the Will of God that a man should have more than one wife.