In His Image - Part Two

Photo by Milada Vigerova on Unsplash

This is part two of a two part series, please read part one before you read today's post!

I apologize that this a week late, I was super busy last week and the post just slipped through the cracks!

Continuing where we left off last, it is important -even crucial- to understand that though we share some of the qualities of God we do not possess these qualities in the same way or to the same degree that God does. Just as a mirror that reflects our face is merely a flat image and not a whole other person so too are we representative of God but lacking in the depth and fullness of what He is like. We can be intelligent but not like God is intelligent, we can be creative but not like He is, we can love but not nearly as much as He does, we can be strong but our strength is as nothing against His.

To take this a step further, the fact that God made us male and female doesn't have any reflective meaning on the nature of God as He lacks any sexuality. Wait! I hear you cry. Doesn't the Bible speak of God as Father? Doesn't it refer to God as He/Him/etc.? Well, you're right but to look at this as meaning that God is in any way male would be to miss an important aspect of Christian theology.

Without getting into the details, since we don't really have the time, God is far beyond what we are. He is not human nor are we God or even gods. This presents a problem. How do we speak about something that is so far removed from our experience, our ability to understand, or our ability to describe? The answer lies in analogical language.

God may be different from us but we can talk about Him using terms that we understand even if they don't fully describe what He is like. For example to say that a human person is wise and to say that God is wise mean roughly the same thing but you would be incorrect if you took that to mean that God and the person are wise in the same way. The human word 'wise' has enough meaning that it begins to describe God, it gives us a hint of what He is like, but it does not encompass the entirety of God.

Photo by Cristian Newman on Unsplash

So when the Bible speaks of God as our Father it is because this is a human term that goes a long way in describing the relationship that God has with man. He did not birth us so He is not our mother, he created us. The title of Father and the use of male pronouns do not indicate an inherent sexuality within the person of God but rather serve as an analogy that helps us to better understand Him as he relates to His creation.

God made us male and female for a reason. Our very physical and genetic make-up were given to us for the purpose of showing off His plan and His purpose. The reason for our genders goes beyond merely a means of reproduction, they are distinguishing categories that mark us not only for our sexual roles but for our societal ones as well. I won't be going into the details here but to summarize, God has roles for both men and women and He made us in such a way as to fulfill those roles. Men and women are simply built differently and that for a reason. These roles were never meant to indicate the relative value of men and women mind you, God sees us all as equals in worth (Galatians 3:28).

So, to move back towards my initial point, God did not make us of two genders because He is really He/She and has within Himself/Herself/Themselves all of the various components of all genders but because He made us to fulfill the purpose for which we were made, for which all of creation was made. After that act of creation He then refers to Himself in male pronouns and male titles so as to convey that purpose and to accurately (if not comprehensively) describe His relation to us in a way we can begin to understand.

What do you think? Is there anything you'd like to hear more about in regard to God, sexuality, gender, etc.? Is there anything you'd like a greater degree of explanation on? Please let me know down in the comments!