Is God Male or Female

QUESTION: Is God male or female?

ANSWER:

In answering the question, "Is God male or female," it is important to note that God did not appear in physical form anywhere in the Bible. 1 John 4:12 say, "No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us." In Exodus 33:20 God says, "You cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live."

God is Spirit and He does not have the physical reproductive parts of a man or a woman. John 4:24 says, "God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth." John is using the masculine term "Him" in this passage, and again he uses masculine terms when he reports the words of John 8:16: "But if I do judge, my decisions are right, because I am not alone. I stand with the Father, who sent me."

God is a concept that we understand as being a Spirit and as such is an entity completely devoid of form and shape. Therefore, we must have spiritual eyes to "see" God, yet we as human beings have difficulty attempting to fit an infinite concept into our finite minds. So the term "Him" is frequently used when speaking about or referring to God.

Genesis 1:26 reads: "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.'" The term "man" is used to refer to the whole of humankind - both men and women. Men and women are only patterned after the image of God-not identical replicas. This fact does not require God to have a body like a man or a woman. Being made in the image of God has nothing to do with physical characteristics.

The Bible contains around 170 instances where God is referred to as the Father. Fathers are traditionally the protectors of the family, and historically the bread-winners. God is proclaiming Himself as our protector and supplier.

As we learned earlier, God is not a man. He is a Spirit. However, it is clear in the Bible that God chose masculine pronouns and responsibilities to reveal Himself to us. By using the male titles, God made it easier for us to understand Him. Do you have an answer for "Who is God"? If not, that is an eternally important question!