God as much of a woman as a man

ewq1938 said:

Since we know Jesus was a male, we also know the Father is a male who looks like the Son.

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chevyontheriver said:

The one thing you have not accounted for is that the Father is ... male. God as Trinity does not have gender but the Father does, as does the Son. That God is not male or female is good theology ... as long as the Father is not morphed into something other than the Father.

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Paidiske said:

I disagree. I think arguing for the maleness of God is kind of projecting our biology in a way which inappropriately anthropomorphises God. (Similarly to why it's inappropriate to imagine God as old, or bearded, or white, for that matter).



Well, I'm not sure about the reality of ghosts, or whether how they appear reflects their reality.

But I absolutely do not see any basis for believing that maleness is anything other than a function of our bodies, necessary for sexual reproduction.

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Messerve said:

Jesus was a man and Jesus is God. It would be wrong to put a woman on a crucifix just as much as it would be wrong to refer to Yahweh as a goddess, in my opinion.

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ewq1938 said:

My understanding of the relationship between God the Father and God the only begotten Son as literal not metaphorical and since he was eternally begotten this Father/Son relationship always existed.

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Paidiske said:

Well, that one came from outta left field....

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shineyourlight said:

I'm not getting into a debate. Because, honestly, I don't care if God is a male or female. All I care about is that there is a God who loves me and created me. That's what I care about.

I know some of us are confused as to what Genesis 1:26-27 mean. A few of you are saying, "It literally SAYS that God made Adam in His image." But, it says more. It also STATES female. Remember, basic hermeneutics: Take the SURROUNDING Scripture. You can't take one Scripture and nick-pick at it. You need to take the Bible as a whole. Read below

"And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them." Genesis 1:26-27

This Scripture is not at ALL saying that Adam is a man and that is what God is. At all.

There are three approaches people have wondered about what it means to be created in the "image of God":
1) We are image-bearers with intellectual structures, like God.
2) God requires us to function as rulers of creation as they reflect God.
3) Created relationships of humans - they reflect who God is as they relate to God, to other humans, and to nature.

Yes, God does mostly refer to Himself as a male. As a Father, as a King. But, there are also feminine qualities about Him, too.

(I know I just triggered many people. "I can't believe she just said 'God' and 'feminine' in the SAME SENTENCE. Sure did. You'll be okay.).

The Word is literally God-breathed and God has referred to Himself as a "Him", as a "Father." But, there are Scriptures which point to feminity:

• 'As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you; you shall be comforted in Jerusalem.' (Isaiah 66.13, ESV)
• 'Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you.' (Isaiah 49.15, ESV)
• 'Did I conceive all this people? Did I give them birth, that you should say to me, "Carry them in your bosom, as a nurse carries a nursing child," to the land that you swore to give their fathers?' (Numbers 11.12, ESV)

I can understand the confusion. I believe God shows both male and female traits. I do call God a "He," because that is how I grew up, seeing Him as a Father because He is. But, he also shows Himself as a mother. God is described as both using masculine and feminine imagery.

I believe that male and female are created in His image. Not because God fits strictly into those categories of gender, but because characteristics that females and males show come from God's character.

God has attributes and experiences with both female and male - therefore, these genders reflect the very image of God. Male and females should be able to relate to God because He made them and understands the masculine and feminine experiences.

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Aussie Pete said:

God created Adam in His image. It was God's intent that man should also be in God's image. If Adam had eaten from the tree of Life, we would not be having this conversation. God uses male speech to speak of Himself. God is Father, God is He. From our point of view and our understanding, God is male.

Eve was taken from Adam, which is symbolic of the church being taken out of Christ. As Adam was caused to sleep so that Eve could be formed, so the Lord Jesus "slept" - a euphemism for death. I don't believe it is helpful to mess with the Bible. I do not believe that God can rightly be called Goddess. Worshipping females is occult and/or pagan.

In Christ, there is neither male or female. (Real) Christians are equal in God's sight. However, God appoints various roles to each one who is born again. Many of the problems in the Christian life are due to neglect of the ministries that God has given. A foot trying to be an eye is a recipe for trouble. Most churches don't even consider the calling that the members might have. Control and ministry is centred on the pastor in most cases. Yet the role of pastor barely rates a mention in the New Testament. How far we have drifted from God's plan and purpose.

Robert Morris has good insight into this issue.

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DamianWarS said:

Male pronouns are the biggest argument but to suggest God has gentiles I think is extremely a pagan mindset and incorrect.

The modern conversation of gender vs sex may be more relevant here as God may identiy as a gender without it being a biological identity. The bible may perhaps support this view over all else.

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Paidiske said:

To exactly the same degree that I believe in a divine masculine.

Again, in case this is not clear from what I've said, I don't believe we can project our human ideas or experience of maleness or femaleness onto a God who utterly transcends our reproductive biology.



Maybe, but healing is a process. In the meantime, pastoral sensitivity to our use of language can help that process. (All I'm really arguing here is that while "Father" is a valid term for God, there are many valid - even Biblical - terms for God, and we can use them with wisdom and compassion as befits the situation).



I'm not familiar with the term, but I definitely find some of the statements in this thread (for example, denying that women are created in the image of God) denigrating and likely to cause people to be "riled up."

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Silly Uncle Wayne said:

I suspect the response to your request will be to refer to all the male pronouns used. While conveniently ignoring the far fewer references to being female (off the top of my head, Wisdom in Proverbs is female, and God is referred to as a mother hen as well).

The truth is I will continue to refer to God as he, and would balk at Goddess and she. Nothing to do with theology where I am wholeheartedly behind you, just personal preference and to avoid confusion... particularly in these transgender times.

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Olmhinlu said:

How have you asked for Scriptures indicating the maleness of God after declaring that references to God as male were artifacts of culture

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Petros2015 said:

And in the Controversial Christian Theology forum!
For Shame!

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ewq1938 said:

That verse doesn't say angels aren't males. It says they do not marry.

Angels are always male and often are confused for being human males because angels look human even though they aren't.

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Fullness of the Gentiles said:

Yes but Genesis 2 has a chronological sequence of God's creation of first Adam and then Eve from Adam: God creates a man (in his image and likeness - Genesis 1), and breathes the spirit of life into him, then God gives the man He created the command regarding the trees and the one he may not eat of, then God says it's not good for man to be alone, then Adam names the animals, then God creates Eve out of Adam. Eve is bone of Adam's bones and flesh of Adam's flesh.

Eve learned the command from her husband. He received the command before she was created. The serpent approached Eve and asked her a question meant to sow doubt in her mind as to whether her husband correctly understood the command of God, or maybe even lied to her: "Hath God indeed said,". In her reply, Eve then adds a little ("neither shall you touch it) and takes a little away ("lest you die" when God had said they would surely die) from what God had commanded Adam in her reply,

so the serpent realizes he had neither sown doubt in Eve's mind as to what Adam heard or told her, nor as to what God had said, or the fact that God had commanded it - so he tells her a direct and deliberate lie: "You shall not surely die"

So God created a man in his own image and likeness, gave the man the command, then created the woman by taking her out of the man, and making her bone of the man's bones and flesh of his flesh. God is male. The Father of all creation.

In Christ there is neither male nor female, and Christ is God - but in the world there is both male and female.

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Sam81 said:

^ I can imagine you saying that with a lisp and a midwest accent.

The divine nature consists not of a single female attribute. Period. Get it through your noggin compadre, God is 100% MAN.

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• God comforts his people like a mother comforts her child (Isaiah 66:13)

• Like a woman would never forget her nursing child, God will not forget his children (Isaiah 49:15)

• God is like a mother eagle hovering over her young (Deuteronomy 32:11)

• God seeks the lost like a housekeeper, trying to find her lost coin (Luke 15:8-10)

• God cares for his people like a midwife that cares for the child she just delivered (Ps 22:9-10, Ps 71:6, Isa 66:9)

• God experiences the fury of a mother bear robbed of her cubs (Hosea 13:8)

• Jesus longed for the people of Jerusalem, like a mother hen longs to gather her chicks under her wings (Luke 13:34)

Dkh587 said:

We can see evidence of there being a female aspect of the divine nature because God’s creation is chock full of the concept of male & female, whether in the sky, on the earth, or under the water.

Humans, animals, plants etc, consist of male and female.

Why do you think that is?

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Dkh587 said:

God created a species designed like him(mankind), and he created it male and female.

that’s in the first chapter of Genesis, no?

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Dkh587 said:

Mankind(humans, both male and female) are made in the image of God

Genesis 1:26
And God said, Let us make mankind in our image, after our likeness: and let them

them = the ones made in the image of God = humans = male and female.

God creates humans to be like him, and he creates humans male and female.

It wouldn’t make sense that the divine nature has no female/feminine aspects to It, when there is female/feminine aspects all throughout creation.

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ewq1938 said:

That is a metaphor not a direct description. God the Father is not a female hen, does not have feathers and does not lay eggs. The only meaning that passage has is that God cares for children like a hen cares for her brood.

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