Recently, I had a conversation about the gender of God. I had an initial opinion on the subject, but I want to examine the subject in depth. This article is the result of my research.
I'd like to start by establishing something that should be an obvious fact; humans have gender. A person's gender is established from conception by his or her genetic code. Two X chromosomes make someone a female. One X and one Y chromosome, make someone a male. Many people would like to argue that gender is flexible, but this is not the case. We may perceive our gender incorrectly. Gender reassignment surgery, hormone treatments, and other techniques may change what we look like. Regardless of any of these situations or techniques, human gender is fundamentally immutable.
Is this the case with God? Does God have gender as well? The obvious answer is to say that God does have a gender. After all, when our Bibles use pronouns to refer to God, they are exclusively male. However, what is obvious is not always correct. While most English translations of the Bible use male pronouns, Elohim, the Hebrew word we translate as God may refer to male or female deities. For questions about God, the Bible is our best source of information. Here is what the Bible has to say on the subject:
“A time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”
John 4:23-24
In this verse, we learn that God is a Spirit. In another passage, Jesus tells us that spirits do not have physical bodies:
“Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.”
Luke 24:39
Based on the Bible, God has no gender. When God chooses to appear in the form of a human, this form must necessarily have a gender; God is in no way defined by this physicality. If this is the case, why do we refer to God using terms like Father? There are three reasons:
No Gender-Neutral Pronouns
The English language has no gender-neutral personal pronouns, and with good reason. By definition, personal pronouns refer to people. Since people are either male or female, gender-neutral personal pronouns are not necessary.
Tradition
In addition to the limitations of English vocabulary, The Bible refers to God in male terms, and most people are comfortable using them. Anyone who reads the Bible, however, knows that God has little use for human traditions. Jesus blasted the religious teachers of His day in this and other similar passages:
“You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.”
Mark 7:8
Following human traditions is a poor reason for doing anything, but there is one more reason that actually is valid.
Accurately Representing God’s Role
In human conception, men and women have different functions. Mothers are essential to the development of an infant, and they are perfectly capable of accomplishing this feat without the assistance of the father. Though I would never try to minimize the essential role of the mother, when it comes to conception the father takes the more active role. The father gives and the mother receives. This accurately represents God’s role in creation.
The words we use are human constructs. As such, they are limited by the human capacity for understanding. We cannot completely describe God because we cannot fully comprehend God. However, in the English language, referring to God using Father and other male pronouns is the best choice.
