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These questions have been on people’s lips for ages. The answers provided in history have been wide-ranging and varied. The Bible is clear: "God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them." (Genesis 1:27)  But what about the different races and skin colors? How did they come about? One thing that we do know is that God created the human race and that we all came from Adam and Eve.

Is the whole world related? Acts 17:26-28 says, “He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us. For in Him we live and move and have our being …’For we are also His offspring.’ ”

These verses tell us that mankind has come about from one gene pool which God created, and we all have the same limitations. We can only use human blood for transfusions and not insect or bird's blood to sustain life. The times that affect us-–birth, death, Jesus 1st and 2nd coming, the seasons, the prophecies of the Bible--have the same effect on all of the human race. Our very length of life in a sinful world is determined by God. None of us will live forever without Him, in spite of medical science and all it's advances.

So why are some people black and some white? The Bible doesn’t give a definite answer to this question. Because man is curious and often wants to know what God has not told us, he begins to speculate. This is not sin as long as we don’t turn our answers into dogma.  Let's not forget that what we think is just that – not revelation.  For the sake of this question, let's take a look at some of the ideas people have considered in an effort to explain the races.  Please keep in mind that Word of Truth Radio.com does not accept, endorse, support, or promote any of these ideas!

One idea that has surfaced comes from Genesis 4:15. After Cain killed Able the Bible says that Cain felt insecure about life and God said, “Therefore, whoever kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.” and “the Lord set a mark on Cain, lest anyone finding him should kill him.” Some have concluded that this “mark” was black skin. First of all, we don’t know what the mark was, but is it possible that the black gene was started with Cain and carried onto the ark in one of Noah’s sons or daughter-in-laws? Not very likely at all. That would be a very prejudiced viewpoint in our opinion, and a view that has no Scriptural evidence.

Others have jumped on Genesis 9:25 (This is the curse Noah placed on Canaan for his father Ham's lack of respect.) “Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants he shall be to his brethren.”  Some have tried to suggest that the people of Africa can trace their ancestry back to Ham.  Here the conclusion is drawn that the black race has been in slavery more than any race in human history; therefore, it is concluded that this curse was genetically followed into Ham’s offspring. However, the curse was placed on Canaan, not Ham.  Canaan's descendents where the Canaanites and they dwelt in what is now modern Israel (Genesis 9:15-19). People wanting to bolster the doctrine of slavery in the Southern United States in the 1800’s advocated this theory of black people being "cursed". Obviously, this is a very rude and prejudiced idea that is totally lacking in supportive evidence.

Some Christians believe that just as man is currently tinkering with the genes of plants and animals (and humans), scientists of Noah’s day tinkered with the genes of the animals and altered animal life, producing the prehistoric monsters we now know as dinosaurs. If we want to daydream, perhaps we could wonder if they also manipulated human embryos. Who knows? Maybe this is why God is silent on the matter. Why give the sinful heart an idea God deplores?

A better conjecture is the idea of variety. When we investigate our world, we see that God has put in place a gene pool that has made possible a whole panorama of color and shapes: in the flower world, in the breeds of dogs that are possible, etc., etc. The same is true with the human race: we have a spectrum of profiles and colors, as this seems to have been God's plan from the beginning.  We don't have to explain it; we only need to accept it.  Some scientists arrogantly suggest that Caucasians are farther up the ladder because they have reached a superior level of evolution.  Does this sound like something that our loving Creator would allow?  Of course not!  We can be sure that the devil is behind this type of absurd reasoning.  Let's not forget that all men are equal in the sight of God.  "For man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart."
(1 Samuel 16:7)

Click here to read a great article on skin color!

--Thanks to George Blumenschein for contributing to this question!  Although we would like to know everything, our humans minds are limited. God has not revealed the answers to all of life's questions, but he has given us enough information for that which is most important in life: a relationship with Him through His Son Jesus Christ.  That's what really matters! The good news is that every human being has equal access to His Heavenly Kingdom, regardless of our skin color.