Often when someone reads that God is referred to as “He” in the Bible, they think that implies that God has a sex prioritization or and sex hierarchy.

Or the fact that God is a “He” also makes Him more like a male human than like a female human (or a male human more like Him than a female human)…

But I think that is either a misunderstanding, mistake, or in some cases, abuse.

What does it mean that I am male? It means that I have an X chromosome and a Y chromosome. It also probably means that I have certain sex organs and plumbing. It probably means that I choose between boxers and briefs.

So, obviously (I pray it is obvious) that God being a “He” doesn’t necessarily mean the same things as it does for us. Either there is something about His essence that links to something that all males (not just humans in general) or something else are going on. 

That seems to be the case, but that is also quite a mystery, as revealed in Gen 1:27: So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. Something about being created in God’s own image is linked to us being created, male and female. Exactly what that means is open to speculation. However, what is clear from the text is that man and woman are BOTH created in God’s image.

Women are not a lesser version of God’s image, so God being a “He” doesn’t imply that men are somehow closer to God’s image. 

In fact, the main focus of this little article is to draw attention to the maternal traits of God. 

With that, I do not think that masculinity or femininity are biblically founded concepts. The idea of Male and female clearly are, but gender traits are culturally based.  The idea of man and woman–that is genetic and biblical. Think “manliness” or “lady-like”; these ideas are cultural. More on that in another article.  

I have long said that though there are many biblical roles that can only be held by men (father, son, brother, husband, for example) and there are roles that can only be held by women (wife, mother, sister, daughter, etc.), there are very few directions for men or women outside of roles like this. Both men and women, for instance, are called to be loving, gracious, just, etc. Also, both Men and women are also called to take the role of parents… for our children and other people’s children.

There are clearly passages that indicate paternal traits of God – He is referred to as “Father” and “He”. These are certainly examples that we are used to – but what about God’s maternal traits?

How would that be possible for women if God’s traits were only masculine? In part two, we will examine those traits.