The Feminine Side of God

By Warren Mueller –

Is there a feminine aspect to God?  Most references to God in the Bible generally use masculine terms such as Father.   However, Genesis 1:27 says “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”  What does this mean?  First of all, we must attempt to remove the idea of human sexuality from the terms masculine and feminine as they might apply to God.  Jesus said that there are no sexual relations in heaven but that people will be like the angels (Matthew 22:29).  Although Jesus is masculine in His humanity, we must realize that God is described as a consuming fire and a spirit being (Hebrews 12:29; John 4:24).  Thus, God is more complex than our concepts of masculine and feminine.  Also, the Bible clearly teaches that God is Triune or three persons in one being.  There is no credible support to suggest that there is a female being that is God.

I believe that there are qualities and roles shown by God in the Bible that can be best described as feminine.  The Greek word for wisdom frequently used in the Bible is sophia.  This term is used to describe the wisdom that comes from God and has feminine connotations.  It is by the power of the Holy Spirit that sinners are born-again and become children of God (Titus 3:5; John 3:3-6).  Not only does the Holy Spirit do the birthing change of sinners to saints, but He also nutures them by living within believers (1 Corinthian 3:16).  Thus, the Holy Spirit is the most intimate and personal being of the Trinity in that He dwells within believers and is their Counselor (John 14:16).  Among humans, this nurturing behavior is something that is most strongly associated with mothers.  Believers can grieve the Holy Spirit by rejecting his counsel and being disobedient which seems similar to what mothers experience with wayward children (Ephesians 4:30).

In Christian households, husbands are thought of as the head but wives are the heart for they are typically at the center of relationships between husband and children. This is why in many families, the ultimate insults are those directed towards the wife. I believe this is the basis for the statement made by Jesus that insults against Him could be forgiven but blasphemy against the Holy Spirit would never be forgiven (Matthew 12:31-32).  Finally, the creation story itself can teach us about how feminine traits are embedded within masculine.  Eve was taken out of Adam and it is God’s plan for woman to complement and complete man in marriage (Genesis 2:22-24).  Similarly, the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and Son saving sinners and builds up the family of God.

It is my prayer that this will help you to better understand that God is more than a Father figure or Jesus incarnate.  It is from the awesome complexity of God that He created humans, male and female, to reflect a small part of his infinite being.

Warren Mueller is a Christian author of books and articles based on what the Bible teaches as well as fictional books with Biblical themes.   Among his books are Truth Seeker: Straight Talk From The Bible and The Past And Future King which are both published by American Book Publishing.  The former is a concise guide to what the Bible says on over 30 theological and practical living subjects with questions useful for small groups or Sunday School.  The latter is a Lord Of  The Rings style tale and the first of a trilogy.  You can learn more about Warren and his writings by going to his web site at www.warrenmueller.com