I plan to do occasional posts under the title “Theology Matters” and share with youth leaders, parents, and grandparents issues that need to be clarified as we raise up a generation with a Biblical Worldview.
Recently I have been hearing more frequent references to God as a “she”. It’s not a new or novel concept but given the rise of LGBTQ+ activism, it may be a lot more common. Previously you only really heard that coming from very liberal pastors and not in very public or prominent places. Feminism brought this idea into play a few decades back and at that time only some liberal folks in the old mainline denominations embraced the notion. In recent months I have seen more than a few trans persons refer to God as feminine in social media and on television programs.
It is true to say that God is neither male nor female but is actually both and more. God transcends gender as the creator. That might sound a little confusing but it comes from a simple reading of Genesis 1:27. “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. (ESV) In that verse we see that both male and female reflect God’s image.
Yet God revealed himself in a place and time to a people that he chose for such revelation. He reveals himself as a father and calls his people his children. Matthew records Jesus speaking of God as “your heavenly father” multiple times (Mt 5:48, 6:14, 6:26, and 6:32). John records Jesus saying (1:12) – “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God”. There are many places we find examples of how God chose to reveal himself in this familial way. This imagery is rich and important.
Some might argue that because it was a patriarchal society or culture we can contextualize the scriptures and therefore refer to God as father or mother. However, that loses rich theological truths that I believe are vital to understand. They are worth teaching our kids and grandkids. I won’t explore the vast number of relevant passages to this but rather want to mention two truths that I think younger generations will miss if they hear God referred to as a “she/her”.
First, kids need to hear and understand that the creator of the universe reveals himself to us as a loving father. This has incredible theological significance. The notion of a father being a protector and provider are just two of many attributes we see in scripture of what a father should be and what God is for us. We live in a world of fear and uncertainty. Kids need to know there is a heavenly father who created them, loves them, wants the best for them, will look out for them, etc. Even when our earthly fathers fail us, God the father does not. We see the ultimate love of the father in sending his son to the cross to atone for our sins. So the significance of God revealing himself as a father is a gospel matter.
We should also recognize that a father bestows his blessing on his children and they receive an inheritance from him. Likewise we should seek the blessing of God and expect that as God’s children we will receive an inheritance. There is much rich theology on these two aspects of fatherhood that is worth exploring with kids.
Second, only God can define God. We don’t have the freedom to craft God in our own image. Nor can we set the scriptures into a modern context to change the way God revealed himself. We were created in His image. Therefore the only biblical way to refer to God is with masculine pronouns. It is outside a biblical worldview to do otherwise. When we hear a pastor refer to God as she or her, we need to understand that they are not worshipping God as revealed in scripture. We receive God as revealed to us.
Likewise, God as our creator defines us. He created us in a particular way to glorify him. We don’t have the freedom as believers to reject how God made us. We do want to recognize that sin and brokenness in this world means that some are not comfortable with how God created them. There is so much to explore here but I’m going to keep this short and let you explore all that. The key is balancing a loving God who created us in particular ways with the realities of the broken world we live in.
It is a beautiful thing that God reveals himself as our heavenly father. We should embrace and rejoice in it!
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