Is God Male Or Female?

By Robert McCallum

September 1, 2010

As we open God's Word we find two truths that help to answer this question. The first is that God is a Spirit (John 4:24).

Secondly, God is always referred to in the male form. One example is found in Luke 2:49 where Jesus speaks of God as his "Father".

And He [Jesus] said unto them, How is it that ye sought Me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business? -Luke 2:49

John writes: God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth. -John 4:24

Since God is a spirit we understand that He does not have a physical body. However, sometimes picture words are used in Scripture to help us better understand what is being taught. When we read in Isaiah 40:10-12 that God uses His hands and arms to gather his sheep and measure the earth we realize this is a word picture which helps us understand God's character.

Some people are confused because the Bible says that men and women are created in God's image.

Genesis 1:26-27 says, "Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.' So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female created He them."

Let us look at Genesis 2:7 as well. It says,

"And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul."

This is not said of any other part of creation, only of mankind. People were created with a mind, will, emotions, and moral ability unlike animals which act on instinct without a conscience or moral nature. The "image of God" is the spiritual part that man alone possesses. People are the only part of creation designed "in the image of God" with the purpose to have and enjoy a relationship with their Creator.

God is three in one; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We are made up of body, soul and spirit, again, three parts in one.

Do you see that being made "in the image of God" has nothing to do with our physical appearance? Instead, it has to do with our spiritual nature.

Scripture is where God shows Himself to man and is therefore the only true source of information about God. In looking at what Scripture tells us, there are several truths about the form in which God reveals Himself to man.

Scripture contains approximately 170 references to God as the "Father." One cannot be a father unless he is male. If God had chosen to be shown in a female form, then the word "mother" would have been used. In the Old and New Testaments, words are used over and over again which speak of God in the male form.

Jesus Christ referred to God as the Father several times and in other cases used male words in reference to God. In the Gospels alone, Christ uses the term "Father" in direct reference to God nearly 160 times.

In John 10:30, Jesus says: "I and the Father are one."

Obviously, Jesus Christ came in the form of a human man to die on the cross as payment for the sins of the world. Like God the Father, Jesus was revealed to humanity in a male form.

The New Testament Epistles (from Acts to Revelation) also contain nearly 900 verses, where, in it's original writings, the word "theos" is used in direct reference to God. "Theos" is the Greek word for "man". There is a clear pattern of God being referred to with male titles, such as King and Savior.

While God, the Father does not have a human form, He chose a male form for God, the Son. Jesus took a male form while He walked on the earth. The prophets of the Old Testament and the apostles of the New Testament refer to both God and Jesus Christ with male names and titles.

God chose to be shown in this form in order for man to more easily understand who He is. Although God is shown to us in this way, let's not place limitations on who He is or what He can do. We must remember that in His true form He is an All-powerful, All-loving, and Everlasting Spirit.

Keywords: amish, amish voice, bible discussion, god, map ministry, mission to amish people, robert mccallum