One of the challenges you may encounter when sharing the gospel with skeptics or atheists is their argument on incest, which they use to discredit the Bible and its message.
Skeptics will cite various verses, claiming God contradicts Himself on this topic. For example, they will reference Leviticus 20:17-19 and Deuteronomy 27:22 and say God forbids incest. Then they will quote Genesis 19:30-36, 20:12, and Exodus 6:20-25 and claim He condones incest—relegating the Bible’s validity to a manufactured fabrication.
Not surprisingly, their argument is filled with flaws, which renders their attempt to discredit the Bible’s authenticity invalid. But before I get into those reasons, it is important to understand that intermarriage between certain family members “in the beginning” was necessary to populate the earth. It was not sinful or forbidden by God until He later issued a command against it.
Most likely, genetics had become “polluted,” which made childbearing among married relatives unsafe and unwise. Therefore, God instituted a command to prohibit that practice from continuing. However, the Bible never condones sin under any circumstances, which includes sexual relations between parents and children, grandparents and grandchildren, etc.
With that said, the verses cited by skeptics and atheists in Genesis 19:30-36, 20:12, and Exodus 6:20-25 do not favor or condemn incest but simply record historical facts. None of these passages are instructional but informational.
For example, Genesis 19:30-36 records an incestuous act between Lot and his two daughters. These verses do not imply or teach that God approved sexual relations between fathers and daughters. Rather, they simply recorded a sinful, historical fact that occurred between these three individuals.
Likewise, Exodus 6:20-25 records various genealogies from Amran to Phinehas, which included certain individuals marrying a close relative. Once again, these verses are not instructional, nor do they favor or condemn intermarriage. They simply record historical lineages and cite how they were formed.
Finally, Genesis 20:12 contains a portion of Abraham’s statement to Abimelech regarding his wife Sarah, who was his half-sister. This passage and its surrounding context do not teach, command, condone, or forbid intermarriage. Instead, they accurately record Abraham’s spoken words.
I hope this information has been helpful in this specific argument. If you have any questions about this or any other topic, reply to this email to let me know.
