Original Post in Chinese: https://henryau.org/2023/09/30/feminine_god/
Question: Why is God called “Father" instead of “Mother"? Is God male? Why did Jesus, when becoming flesh, come as a man and not as a woman? Does this imply that in God’s eyes, men are more important than women?
Answer: Feminist theologian Phyllis Trible points out that the repetitive use of masculine language to describe God can mislead people into thinking that “God is male," which also reinforces the concept of “man as god" and solidifies the patriarchy’s control. Feminist Mary Daly even asserts that “If God is male, then the male is god." Some feminist theologians have further suggested replacing the terms “Father" and “Jesus" with “Mother" and a female Christ in order to elevate the status of women. But does the God of the Bible truly regard men as more important than women? The author will argue below that through Jesus, the Word made flesh, we can know that God is neither exclusively male nor female, and that in God’s eyes, both men and women are equally important.
Is God male?
Feminists have raised the argument that “if God is male, then the male is God." I believe there is some truth to this, at least in the sense that men might get the illusion that they are more like God than women, or even believe that God favors men. But is this really the case?
John 4:24 (ESV):
24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.
This scripture states that God is spirit, meaning He has no body, so how could He be male or female? Therefore, the argument that “God is male" is certainly incorrect.
But isn’t God depicted in the Bible as a Father and a Husband? If He is a Father and a Husband, doesn’t that make Him a man?
Indeed, the male imagery (Father, Husband) of God is more prominent in the Bible, for example:
Deuteronomy 32:6 (ESV):
6 Do you thus repay the LORD, you foolish and senseless people? Is not he your Father, who created you, who made you and established you?
Psalm 103:13 (ESV):
13 As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him.
Proverbs 3:12 (ESV):
12 for the LORD reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights.
Isaiah 54:5 (ESV):
5 For your Maker is your husband, the LORD of hosts is his name; and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer, the God of the whole earth he is called.
Jeremiah 3:14 (ESV):
14 Return, O faithless children, declares the LORD; for I am your husband, and I will take you, one from a city and two from a family, and I will bring you to Zion.
At the same time, there are numerous passages that use female imagery (Mother, Woman) to compare to God:
Isaiah 49:14-15 (ESV):
14 But Zion said, “The LORD has forsaken me; my Lord has forgotten me.”
15 “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 66:12-13 (ESV):
12 For thus says the LORD: “Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the nations like an overflowing stream; and you shall nurse, you shall be carried upon her hip, and bounced upon her knees.
13 As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you; you shall be comforted in Jerusalem.”
Deuteronomy 32:18 (ESV):
18 You were unmindful of the Rock that bore you, and you forgot the God who gave you birth.
Psalm 131:1-2 (ESV):
1 O LORD, my heart is not lifted up; my eyes are not raised too high; I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me.
2 But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me.
Luke 15:8 (ESV):
8 Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until she finds it?
Matthew 23:37 (ESV):
37 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!
If saying that God is likened to a “Father," “Husband," or “Heavenly Father" implies that God is male, then do these scriptures that use female imagery to describe God imply that He is also female?
Moreover, God is also compared to various “inanimate objects." Does that make God an “it"?
2 Samuel 22:32 (ESV):
32 “For who is God, but the LORD? And who is a rock, except our God?
Psalm 18:2 (ESV):
2 The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
We wouldn’t think of God as an inanimate object based on these descriptions, would we? It’s clear that these are metaphors used to communicate certain attributes of God – His strength, protection, and steadfastness, for instance.
So, when the Bible uses male or female imagery, it’s doing something similar. It’s using language and pictures familiar to us to explain aspects of God’s character and His relationship with us, not to assign a gender to God.
In conclusion, God transcends human gender. The use of masculine and feminine metaphors in the Bible is meant to help us understand aspects of God’s nature in a relatable way. God encompasses all the best qualities of both genders and goes beyond them. Therefore, to say that God is male would be to limit the limitless, to define the indefinable. The truth is, God is spirit, and those who worship must do so in spirit and truth, without getting caught up in the human constructs of gender.
Why is God called the “Heavenly Father" and not the “Heavenly Mother"?
Before Jesus, the Jews did not refer to God as Father due to their reverence for Him1; it was Jesus who taught them that the relationship between God and humans could be so intimate2. Thus, in the Old Testament era, no one called Jehovah “Heavenly Father," and this term began only because of the “Word becoming flesh" with the “Son of Man." Those who have children can be called parents, right? So why must God be the “Heavenly Father" and not the “Heavenly Mother"?
I used to think this was entirely because it was a patriarchal society at that time, where men were valued over women, so God being the “Heavenly Father" and Jesus incarnating as a male were purely “practical" choices tailored to the needs and context of that era. But after reading Amy Peeler’s analysis in “Women and the Gender of God," I understood the subtleties involved more clearly.
Firstly, if God were likened to a female (“Heavenly Mother"), how then would Jesus be born? Everyone is born through a woman (a mother), so should Jesus have two mothers? One being the “Heavenly Mother" through whom the Holy Spirit caused Mary to conceive, and the other being Mary who gave birth to Him. Wouldn’t that be strange? But if God is likened to a “Heavenly Father," then Jesus has both a father and a mother (and of course, Joseph is also regarded as his father).
Could God not have brought Jesus into the world without a woman (Mary)? Certainly, He could, but if that were the case, Jesus’ “incarnation" wouldn’t be fully as the “Son of Man." He would not have experienced being carried in the womb and being born, which are stages everyone must go through from conception, birth, to death. Additionally, there is another important reason why God wanted Jesus to be born through a woman3, which will be analyzed further below.
Why did Jesus have to become a man in the “incarnation" and not a woman?
As analyzed earlier, since only a female can give birth, God could only bring Jesus into the world through a woman (a virgin, and the scriptures also indicate this was done through the power of the Holy Spirit, without any sexual intercourse) and not a man. So why didn’t the incarnate Son of God come into the world as a daughter? Does Jesus being male imply that men are more important in the eyes of God?
In fact, the opposite is true. If Jesus had come into the world as a female, aside from the patriarchal culture of the time—where women could not preach openly, could not teach as rabbis, and women’s testimonies were not as credible as men’s—there would be practical difficulties. Moreover, if Jesus had come as a woman, it would mean that God accorded honor exclusively to women, which would fail to reflect that both men and women are created in God’s image.
Why is this said? Indeed, it might seem that Jesus incarnating as a male bestows glory solely on men. However, let’s not forget that the Son of God was born of an ordinary young girl! If Jesus being male gives glory to men, then the “virgin birth" bestows immense honor on women. God came into the world through a woman, without any male involvement, and it was God’s power that enabled this woman to give birth to the Son of God, no wonder Mary also said, “For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed" (Luke 1:48).
Therefore, by allowing the virgin Mary to give birth to the male Jesus, God granted honor to both men and women, an act that could not have been achieved under other circumstances. The fact that Jesus came into the world through a woman also reverses the order of creation. Men cannot claim that they should be considered more important because Adam was created first (man before woman); after all, even the Son of God was born of a woman (woman before man).
God Values Both Men and Women Equally
Genesis 1:27 (ESV):
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
This passage states that both men and women are created in the image of God. God does not favor men over women because both are made in His likeness.
Genesis 2:18 (ESV):
18 Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper(עֵזֶר) fit for him.”
The term “helper" (עֵזֶר) here does not imply that women are only meant to be assistants. This word appears 21 times in the Old Testament, with 15 instances referring to God as the “helper,4" so the term carries no negative connotation; instead, it signifies that women can indeed provide significant support to men.
Exodus 20:12 (ESV):
12 “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.”
In the Ten Commandments, God commands children to honor both their father and mother, not just the father who holds the highest status in a patriarchal society, showing that God does not regard women as inferior.
Jeremiah 3:20 (ESV):
20 Surely, as a treacherous wife leaves her husband, so have you been treacherous to me, O house of Israel, declares the Lord.”
The house of Israel, composed of both men and women, is also described as God’s wife. Even in the Old Testament, the Israelites, regardless of gender, were God’s chosen people.
2 Corinthians 11:2 (ESV):
2 For I feel a divine jealousy for you, since I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ.
The New Testament church, comprising both men and women, is also seen as betrothed to Christ as a pure virgin.
Galatians 3:26-28 (ESV):
26 for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.
27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
Jesus died and rose again for all people (both men and women), and salvation is available to both genders equally. God shows no partiality.
Ephesians 5:20-25 (ESV):
20 giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
21 submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.
22 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.
23 For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior.
24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.
25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.
Do not overlook verse 21, which says “submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ." Wives are to submit to their husbands, and husbands are to love their wives just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her. God expects mutual respect between the sexes, with husbands loving women as Christ does.
1 Peter 3:7 (ESV):
7 Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.
The biblical standard transcends the requirements of a patriarchal society; not only are husbands to care for their wives, which goes beyond provision to also include respect.
Jesus’ Care and Respect for Women
In the Old Testament era and even during the time of Jesus, it was certainly a patriarchal society that esteemed men over women. But how did Jesus treat women?
Mark 14:3-9 (ESV):
3 And while he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he was reclining at table, a woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly, and she broke the flask and poured it over his head.
4 There were some who said to themselves indignantly, “Why was the ointment wasted like that?
5 For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor.” And they scolded her.
6 But Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing to me.
7 For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you want, you can do good for them. But you will not always have me.
8 She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for burial.
9 And truly, I say to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her.”
Why didn’t anyone appreciate this woman’s generosity and her love for Jesus, instead they became angry with her? Jesus not only stopped the disciples’ reproach, but also praised the woman for what she had done for him. Why did this woman understand to prepare for Jesus’ burial? Jesus had indeed repeatedly predicted His own suffering and death 5, but at that time the male disciples did not understand Jesus’ prophecy at all, but this woman understood the meaning of Jesus and did her best to express her love. Jesus praised what she had done, and even commanded the disciples to speak of this woman’s deeds when they spread the gospel to the ends of the earth6. Besides instructing his disciples to establish the Lord’s Supper in remembrance of him, another time he asked his disciples to remember was for something done by this unnamed woman.
Feminist theologian Elizabeth Schüssler Fiorenza believes that Jesus’ disciples “never took this command of Jesus seriously, the name and story of the disciple who betrayed Jesus are written in history, but this woman and such a prophetic symbolic act are not spoken of, not even her name is recorded," which makes her very angry7. The author also quite agrees with this view. It cannot be denied that the disciples at that time also dismissed women just like the popular culture of the time8, but Jesus himself always had good relations with women9, just as he had a friendship with Martha and Mary of Bethany10, he also helped many women to heal and cast out demons, including some ‘sinful women’, foreign women, and sick women who were looked down upon by people at that time. Jesus not only helped women but also respected and cared for them. Although the testimony of women was not believed in that era, God still allowed women to be the first to witness Jesus’ resurrection.
Summary
The author hopes that the aforementioned discussions help readers to understand that God, through the incarnation of “the virgin birth," has honored both men and women alike. Since “male and female are created in the image of God," and “God is not male," the term “Father" is only one metaphor for the relationship between God, humans, and Jesus. God truly shows no partiality towards any gender. The author recognizes the efforts of feminist theologians who wish to reimagine God or Jesus as female or to change the gendered language of the Bible to elevate the status of women and prevent men from seeing themselves as superior and causing harm. However, the presence of goddesses in many countries and religions does not necessarily lead to greater respect and care for women. For instance, Hinduism has many goddesses that are worshipped, yet India is considered one of the worst countries for women today. The author believes that changing men’s attitudes towards women does not require changing the gender of God or Jesus, but rather that everyone should emulate the attitude of the Lord Jesus in treating women with respect and care. Women, like men, are made in the image of God and are beloved children of God.
References
- Woman and the Gender of God by Amy Peeler
- Feminism and Christianity: An Essential Guide by Lynn Japinga, translated by Yiling Huang
- Theological Activation: Sketches of Feminist Theologians by Lucy Hu, Hui-Chen Huang, Hui-Xian Huang, Ming-Yi Mac, et al.
- “Why I Continue to Call God ‘Father’" by Katelyn Beaty, Christianity Today, October 2017 issue
- “Why We Call God ‘Father'" by Simon Chan, Christianity Today, Jul/Aug 2013 issue
- “Why We Don’t Need a Mrs. Jesus” by Maureen Farrell Garcia, Christianity Today, Dec 2014 issue
- John 5:18 (ESV):
18 This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God. ↩ - Of course, it is also through the incarnation of Jesus, through His death and resurrection, that people can draw near to God. ↩
- Galatians 4:4 (ESV): But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law. ↩
- Exodus 18:4 (ESV):
4 and the name of the other, Eliezer (for he said, “The God of my father was my help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh").
Deuteronomy 33:7 (ESV):
7 And this he said of Judah: “Hear, O Lord, the voice of Judah, and bring him in to his people. With your hands contend for him, and be a help against his adversaries.”
Deuteronomy 33:26 (ESV):
26 “There is none like God, O Jeshurun, who rides through the heavens to your help, through the skies in his majesty.
Deuteronomy 33:29 (ESV):
29 Happy are you, O Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the Lord, the shield of your help, and the sword of your triumph! Your enemies shall come fawning to you, and you shall tread upon their backs.”
Psalm 20:2 (ESV):
2 May he send you help from the sanctuary and give you support from Zion!
Psalm 33:20 (ESV):
20 Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and our shield.
Psalm 70:5 (ESV):
5 But I am poor and needy; hasten to me, O God! You are my help and my deliverer; O Lord, do not delay!
Psalm 89:19 (ESV):
19 Of old you spoke in a vision to your godly one, and said: “I have granted help to one who is mighty; I have exalted one chosen from the people.
Psalm 115:9 (ESV):
9 O Israel, trust in the Lord! He is their help and their shield.
Psalm 115:10 (ESV):
10 O house of Aaron, trust in the Lord! He is their help and their shield.
Psalm 115:11 (ESV):
11 You who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord! He is their help and their shield.
Psalm 121:1-2 (ESV):
1 I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come?
2 My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
Psalm 124:8 (ESV):
8 Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
Psalm 146:5 (ESV):
5 Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God. ↩ - Matthew 16:21；Mark 8:31；Luke 9:22 ↩
- Matthew 26:13；Mark 14:9 ↩
- 《神學起動：女性主義神學家素描》，pages 51-52 ↩
- Jesus’ interactions with women in the Gospels often break the cultural norms of His time, showcasing His revolutionary approach to gender equality and His respect for women as individuals.
John 4:27 (ESV) describes the reaction of Jesus’ disciples when they found Him speaking with the Samaritan woman at the well: “Just then his disciples came back. They marveled that he was talking with a woman, but no one said, ‘What do you seek?’ or, ‘Why are you talking with her?'" Jesus’ conversation with this woman was significant, not only because she was a Samaritan, with whom Jews typically did not associate, but also because she was a woman, and rabbis usually avoided speaking to women in public.
In Matthew 15:22 (ESV), we see Jesus’ interaction with a Canaanite woman: “And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, ‘Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.'" Initially, Jesus’ response seems distant, but He ultimately commends her faith and grants her request for her daughter’s healing. This encounter illustrates Jesus’ willingness to engage with and extend His mercy to those outside the Jewish community, including women.
In Acts 12:13-16 (ESV), we encounter the story of Rhoda, a servant girl who was so overjoyed to hear Peter’s voice at the door that she forgot to open it and ran to announce that Peter was standing outside. “They said to her, ‘You are out of your mind.’ But she kept insisting that it was so, and they kept saying, ‘It is his angel!'" This incident reveals the often-dismissive attitude toward the testimony of women and servants, yet Rhoda’s experience was true despite the initial disbelief.
Luke 24:10-11 (ESV) narrates the women’s testimony of Jesus’ resurrection: “Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles, but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them." Despite being the first witnesses of the empty tomb and the resurrection, the women’s accounts were not readily accepted by the male disciples. It took Jesus’ own appearances to confirm their testimony.
These passages collectively show Jesus’ radical treatment of women as bearers of truth and as recipients of His ministry. They also expose the pervasive skepticism and biases of the time, which often undermined women’s credibility and significance. Jesus’ interactions with women set a precedent for elevating their status and affirming their value in His kingdom. ↩ - Luke 8:3 ↩
- Indeed, the account of Mary sitting at Jesus’ feet to listen to His teaching is a profound illustration of Jesus’ inclusive approach toward women. This narrative can be found in Luke 10:39 (ESV), which states, “And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching." In the cultural context of the time, to sit at the feet of a rabbi was to assume the position of a disciple, a role traditionally reserved for men. By allowing Mary to sit at His feet, Jesus was affirming her right to be a disciple and receive spiritual instruction directly from Him, just as any man would. ↩
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