Sinner and Saint. Interracial Marriage. Emotions and Faith.
by the Rev. Walter Snyder
Religion Columnist

Q: I try my hardest to live in the truth but sin of course takes over sometimes, so I repent.
but if I don't follow God's commandments 24/7 then I'm not living in the truth and I'm a
liar. I'm so confused; what do I do?

A: God's divine Law always accuses. Even Saint Paul could speak of what a wretched man he
was, saying, "I do not understand my own actions." The good he knew to do, he didn't and the
evil he knew not to do, he did (Romans 7:15--20). The Christian is simultaneously sinner and saint
and the sinner hears and fears.

Yet the saint knows that when these words of condemnation strike home, there is a place to go.
And that place is God's grace in Christ. The forgiveness of sins we receive then becomes
motivation, as we desire to thank and praise God by loving him with all our heart, soul, and
strength and loving neighbor as self. 

When you hear God tell you through his Word and your conscience that you have sinned and this
knowledge deeply hurts you, yet you also know and trust that Christ died for you, then you know
that you are a believer, for an unbeliever would not be so wounded, nor have such consolation.
Flee to the cross, to the Word, and to the pastor God has called to pronounce Christ's
forgiveness.

It's a paradox of the Faith that those who know most well their sins and shortcomings often also
know most well the love of God in Christ and cherish most their forgiveness. These same people
are then often the ones who dedicate themselves to service, ever striving for the perfection God
demands not to earn salvation, but to thank him for the salvation earned by Jesus' suffering and
death. And when they fail (as we believers always do) they are genuinely upset and turn again
away from their sin and back to the throne of grace. Through this, God builds the endurance and
hope that will not be disappointed (see Romans 5).

Q: Do you know how many interracial marriages there are in the Bible and who they are?

A: The Bible doesn't speak much of race as a factor in marriage. It focus on belief. Thus, while
there are a few accounts of people of different nations marrying, race is less a factor than faith. In
this, we know that Rahab of Jericho and Ruth of Moab both married into Israel, and both were in
Jesus' human line. So was Bathsheba, whose name means "Daughter of Sheba." Yet of the first
two, they were probably fairly closely related, especially since Moab was descended from
Abraham's nephew Lot through his relationship with his daughter after Sodom fell. We cannot
identify the race of Bathsheba. As far as the Bible is concerned, it appears that race is a non-issue.
Nations might be important at certain times, but relationship with God is the only real factor that
is mentioned over and over when the Lord speaks of who should marry whom.

Q: How do people's emotions effect or play a role in their love for Christ?

A: Emotion, like intellect, must be subject to faith. If thoughts or feelings get ahead of trust in
Christ and His saving work, they can lead us astray. The negative emotions certainly deserve
much blame. Often, because people don't feel loved or saved or forgiven, but instead feel hated,
lost, and guilty, they assume that God ignores or hates them. Conversely, the positive feelings,
such as romantic love, friendship, and loyalty elevate our feelings about ourselves and we can
become like strong, rugged, and boastful Peter---who bragged that he would never desert Jesus
before running away, then denying Him three times.

To Ask the Pastor, please write Ask the Pastor, PO Box 12, Emma, MO, 65327 or send email
to askthepastor@aol.com. I look forward to hearing from you.

Walter Snyder is the pastor of Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Emma, Missouri and coauthor of
the book "What Do Lutherans Believe."

Ask the Pastor is copyright (c) 2001 by Walter P. Snyder. It may be reproduced  in totality,
including this disclaimer, by anyone, provided that no profit is generated by said
republication and redistribution. Translations into other languages should similarly note
the United States and any appropriate international copyrights, as well as God's Scriptural
injunctions concerning the property of others.