There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. (Gal 3:28-29)
"There is neither Jew nor Greek - All are on a level; all are saved in the same way; all are entitled to the same privileges. There is no favoritism on account of birth, beauty, or blood. All confess that they are sinners; all are saved by the merits of the same Saviour; all are admitted to the same privileges as children of God. (Barnes Notes on the Bible)."
People are people. There are good people, there are bad people, there are rich people and there are poor people. Their demographics include all races and all religions. Their upbringing includes privileged and underprivileged. There are Christians and non-Christians. They come in all colors. They come in all sizes. The question one needs to ask with regard to marriage (or dating) is not whether you would date or marry someone outside your "race", but would you marry or date someone who does not belong to Christ. The subject of interracial marriage came up yesterday and I was asked if I would ever date anyone who wasn't "white". I chuckled to myself - for me that's a no-brainer. I don't generally use a color wheel to decide whether or not to date someone.
We are all descended from Adam. Narrowing that down just a bit further - we are all descended from Noah (the flood wiped out everyone but his family). It's not about the color of skin, but the content of heart, the condition of the soul and the God people serve that I look at when surrounding myself with friends. I am attracted to God-fearing people. Faith in Jesus transcends all differences and makes us all believers in one Christ! For many, it is a natural inclination to feel uncomfortable around those who are "different" from them; to gravitate towards those who resemble them. When we allow our differences to separated us from our fellow believers, we are disregarding the teaching set forth in verse 28. Seek out people who are like you spiritually, not people who fit into a certain class or status, race or ethnicity.
A "true" Christian believes inwardly and outwardly that Jesus' death has allowed God to offer them forgiveness and eternal life. We are challenged daily to live that life with His help. Do you live so that God will accept you, or do you know that you live because God has accepted you in Christ???
