Is God Both Male and Female?

At this point many have asked, “Is the image of God both male and female?

Part of the issue is the fact that Moses wrote the Book of Genesis in Hebrew and the Biblical Hebrew does not have gender-neutral pronoun constructs. So, the masculine plural form of verbs and pronouns has long been used as the standard form when referring to, or addressing, a mixed crowd.

The phrase “male and female He created them” does not refer to “in His image.” It refers to Adam and Eve. And this should not be construed to mean Adam and Eve were originally some types of androgynous beings, being both male and female.

Most deities in mythology are specifically described as male or female, but Hermaphroditus is the only god that has both sexes.

Human Race Descended From a Pair

The Scriptures clearly teach that the whole human race is descended from a single pair (Genesis 2:7, 22; 3:20; 9:19).  All humans are children of a common parent and have a common inherited nature.  Thus, the idea of man is incomplete if either the male or the female is considered by itself, in isolation of the other. ¹

In our day, many say there is no real difference between men and women. This makes sense if we are the result of mindless evolution, but not if it is true that male and female He created them. To God, the differences between men and women are not accidents. Since He created them, the differences are good and meaningful.

Men are not women, and women are not men. One of the saddest signs of our culture’s depravity is the amount and the degree of gender confusion today. It is also a sad sign of our culture’s depravity that the amount and the degree of gender are so confused in today’s world.  It is vain to wonder if men or women are superior to each other.  A man is absolutely superior at being a man.  A woman is absolutely superior at being a woman.  But when a man tries to be a woman or a woman tries to be a man, you have something inferior.

Although the biblical world was one in which women had very few rights and were regarded as second-class members of the human race, there are indications that from the beginning, in God’s sight, women have equal status.  In Genesis 1:27, there is a special emphasis seemingly to ensure our understanding that both men and women have the image of God.  This same emphasis is found in Genesis 5:1-2.  In verses 1:26, 27, and again in 5:2, both the male and female are treated as a species and are together called “man.” ²

Female Deities

In the Latter-Day Saint movement, Heavenly Mother or the Mother in Heaven is the mother of human spirits and the wife of God the Father. Collectively Heavenly Mother and Father are called Heavenly Parents.^{3, 4}

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teaches that all human beings, male and female, are beloved spirit children of heavenly parents, a Heavenly Father and a Heavenly Mother. This understanding is rooted in scriptural and prophetic teachings about the nature of God, our relationship to Deity, and the godly potential of men and women. The doctrine of a Heavenly Mother is a cherished and distinctive belief among Latter-day Saints.^{5, 6}

The Gender of the Holy Spirit

Wisdom is equated with the Holy Spirit and both are considered to be feminine. Hence one understands how in early Christian tradition Christ is so often considered to be the child of Mother Sophia or the Holy Spirit. In essence, both traditions express the same concept.

Most English translations of the New Testament refer to the Holy Spirit as masculine in several places where the masculine Greek word “Paraclete” occurs, for “Comforter”, most clearly in the Gospel of John, chapters 14 to 16.

However, consider the doctrine of the Holy Spirit. God is Spirit, God is the Father, and God is the Son, all in one. Therefore, the masculine references are merely a matter of convenient translation into English because the Holy Spirit has no gender.

Mother Sophia

Sophia appears in many passages of the Bible as the female personification of wisdom, though her roles and popularity in Judeo-Christian traditions have changed throughout time. She is also celebrated in Kabbalah, a form of Jewish mysticism, as the female expression of God.

Proverbs 8:22-31 is a song of praise in the voice of Sophia/Wisdom of the one who created and shapes the universe. Sophia sings she is there — caught up in the creative activity as the foundations are laid down.

Sophia is a Greek word that means “wisdom” In the Greek translation of the Hebrew scriptures (Old Testament), the name Sophia is given as a translation of Ḥokhmah (also meaning “wisdom”), the name of a figure with feminine features. Sophia appears in the Septuagint (Greek translation of the Bible), replacing “Chochma,” the Hebrew word for wisdom.

In Gnosticism, Sophia is a feminine figure, analogous to the soul, but also simultaneously one of the emanations of the Monad. Gnostics held that she was the syzygy of Jesus (i.e. the Bride of Christ) and was the Holy Spirit of the Trinity.

Sophia is celebrated by the Greek Orthodox Church and was popularized by European royalty during the Middle Ages. Sophia is a favorite among parents for its modern elegance and timeless appeal.

God the Father Does Not Have A Body

God the Father is spirit. That means he does not a physical body. He is invisible. He is present everywhere. Therefore, He does not have a gender.

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In conclusion, consider what the Daily Bread email message sent on 5/19/2023 says,

The Catechism of the Catholic Church, Book 239, states that God is called “Father”, while his love for man may also be depicted as motherhood. However, God ultimately transcends the human concept of sex, and is “neither man nor woman: He is God.”

Genesis 1:27 is clear that human beings are made in the image of God, and yet there are no verses in the Hebrew Bible that say that God’s body has a gender.

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References:

1. Shedd, William G. T., Dogmatic Theology (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, n.d., 3 vols) Vol. 2, pg 4
2. Shedd, William G. T., Dogmatic Theology (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, n.d., 3 vols) Vol. 2, pg 9
3. Noyce, David, “Meet the (heavenly) parents: Leaders of the church are mentioning this divine duo more often.” The Salt Lake Tribune, 14 Nov 2016
4. Fletcher Stack, Peggy “Latter-day Saints are talking more about Heavenly Mother, and that’s where the debates and divisions begin.” The Salt Lake Tribune, 9 May 2021
5. Elaine Anderson Cannon, “Mother in Heaven,” in Encyclopedia of Mormonism, ed. Daniel H. Ludlow, 5 vols. (New York, NY: Macmillan, 1992), Vol 2 pg. 961.
6. David L. Paulsen and Martin Pulido, “‘A Mother There’: A Survey of Historical Teachings about Mother in Heaven,” BYU Studies 50, no. 1 (2011): 70–97.
7. Susa Young Gates, History of the Young Ladies’ Mutual Improvement Association of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, (Salt Lake City: Deseret News, 1911), pg. 15–16.)