Short Answer: The Bible does not forbid interracial marriage; it consistently points to unity in Christ and treats the real spiritual concern as faithfulness to God and marrying in the Lord, not skin color or ethnicity.
Long Answer: The Bible does not forbid interracial marriage; it consistently points to unity in Christ and treats the real spiritual concern as faithfulness to God and marrying in the Lord, not skin color or ethnicity.
This question matters because some people have heard that the Bible opposes “mixed” marriages. Scripture does not teach that. In fact, the gospel is for every nation, and Jesus creates one family out of many peoples (Revelation 7:9).
What the Bible actually warns about
When the Old Testament warns Israel about marrying certain peoples, the issue is not race—it’s idolatry. God repeatedly warns Israel not to intermarry with surrounding nations because those nations would turn their hearts to other gods (Deuteronomy 7:3–4). You can see the same concern in stories like Solomon, whose many foreign wives “turned away his heart” toward idols (1 Kings 11:1–4).
That is a spiritual warning, not a statement about ethnic superiority. God was protecting covenant faithfulness, not promoting racism.
Examples of inter-ethnic marriages in Scripture
The Bible includes examples that cut against the idea that interracial marriage is sinful.
Moses and his Cushite wife
Numbers 12 describes Miriam and Aaron criticizing Moses “because of the Cushite woman whom he had married” (12:1). In that episode, God defends Moses and rebukes Miriam. Whatever all the details were, the passage does not treat the marriage as sin; it treats the criticism as wrong.
Ruth and Boaz
Ruth was a Moabite, and she married Boaz (Ruth 4). Far from condemning this, Scripture celebrates it. Ruth becomes part of the lineage leading to King David—and ultimately to Jesus (Matthew 1:5). That is a powerful statement: God’s redemptive story includes faithful people from different nations.
What the New Testament emphasizes
In Christ, racial and ethnic barriers do not determine someone’s standing or worth. The church is a new family where dividing walls come down (Ephesians 2:14–16). While believers still honor their cultures and families, they do not treat ethnicity as a barrier to obedience or love.
The New Testament’s marriage concern is spiritual: believers are called to marry “in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 7:39) and not to be “unequally yoked” with unbelievers (2 Corinthians 6:14 – this scripture is not speaking exclusively of marital relationships but it certainly applies). That doesn’t mean a Christian can never marry someone of another ethnicity; it means a Christian should not marry someone who does not share faith in Christ.
What to do next
- Make your first question spiritual, not racial: Are we both committed to Jesus and to a biblical marriage covenant?
- Seek wise counsel about practical challenges (family expectations, cultural differences, communication).
- Talk openly about faith, church life, children, and how you will honor Christ together.
- If others oppose your relationship for racial reasons, respond with patience and conviction. God’s Word does not support ethnic prejudice.
A marriage between two believers of different races can honor God deeply and display the unity Jesus creates.
Key Scriptures: Deut 7:3–4; Num 12:1–10; Ruth 4:13–17; Matt 1:5; 1 Cor 7:39; 2 Cor 6:14; Eph 2:14–16; Rev 7:9