Dear Sharon and all Adland woman!Could God be a woman?
Q: "Can God be a woman?"
our A: It is probably not accurate to view God as a
woman, though the Bible does show God's feminine side, so to speak. Jesus once
said...
"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone
those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as
a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing."
(Matthew 23:37)
Also, God's wisdom in the Proverbs is personified as a female (e.g., Proverbs
1:20, 8:11, 9:1), yet we are told in the New Testament that Jesus is the Wisdom
of God (1Corinthians 1:24).
But, for the most part, God has chosen to reveal Himself in the Bible as
having a male personage. The Bible is inspired of God (2Timothy 3:16), and in it
God is always referred to as a "Him" or a "He." So God wanted people to
understand Him as a "Him" and a "He."
However, in Genesis chapter 1 we are told that man (mankind; as opposed to "a
man") is created in the image of God, both male and female...
And God created man in His own image, in the image of God He
created him; male and female He created them. (Genesis 1:27)
Therefore, we should not be surprised if God has both a "maleness" and
"femaleness" to Him, so both men and women can relate to God. God could be
considered as motherly (hen) and yet be called the Heavenly Father (which is
what Scripture often calls Him). God is both caring and nurturing, yet powerful
and strong.
Of course, God is so far beyond us, that He is certainly not a man or a
woman. Though we are made in His image, and reflect some of who God is, we as
humans certainly don't represent all that God is. Even if an artist
were to paint a self-portrait, the artist himself is far more than his art.
What is remarkable is that God has condescended to reveal himself to us. God
became a man, in the person of Jesus Christ and desires to draw us into a
relationship with him, which he made possible. To find out more, please see: Knowing God Personally.