Our Masculine God

This past Lord's Day, while speaking to a first-time visitor, I mentioned that God was a Spirit.

"Interesting" he quipped. "Why does everyone speak of God as a man, then?" Unfortunately, the conversation moved on too quickly to be able to give a good answer.

Not long after, a friend of mine sent me a reel on Instagram of a female "pastor" making a mockery of the Lord's prayer and the teachings of Jesus. The link to that clip is here: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DIJaV-NuyDq/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

In this short clip, Ms. Fuller says we may feel free to call God "Our mother in heaven" or even "coach, mentor, or Sunday school teacher" if the term, "Father" might be a reminder of painful familial relationships.

What are we to make of this? Are our thoughts or opinions more important than God's revelation of himself? If God makes us feel uncomfortable, do we have liberty to force him to flex and bow to our needs rather than submitting ourselves to God's revelation of himself?

God IS a Spirit

It bears repeating that God is a Spirit. God sees, but he does not see as man sees. Man's faculties for seeing are quite different (and inferior) to God's faculties for seeing.

We believe God has spoken, but he does not speak as men speak. Men's faculties for speaking are different (and far more limited) from God's faculties for speaking. But he reveals to us that he is a God who speaks! 2 Samuel 23:1-2 records,

Now these be the last words of David.

David the son of Jesse said,

and the man who was raised up on high,

the anointed of the God of Jacob, and the sweet psalmist of Israel, said,

"The Spirit of the LORD spake by me,

and his word was in my tongue."

Although God speaks, we must understand that it is in a manner entirely different from how you and I speak. In fact, since man is made in the image of God, perhaps a better way to understand this would be that our speech is a reflection/a shadow/an image of how God speaks.

And so it is with sexuality. God is neither male nor female (in the strict sense of the Father). When Jesus took on a body, he was certainly a male. But when God speaks of man (humanity) he speaks in terms of the duality of man - male and female.

Genesis 1:27, So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

God made man male and female

God speaks of "man" as "male and female." You cannot have humanity without male and female. As created beings, we are either male or female and we are wise to find contentment and even joy in the bodies God gave us.

But, if God is a Spirit (as Jesus teaches us in John 4:24), then he is not embodied as us creatures are embodied. Why then would we refer to him as a Father?

Because I said so...

I think the best reason to refer to God as Father would be because he told us to refer to him as Father. We call God a "he" because he has revealed himself as a "he" and we do not want to be disobedient subjects or rebellious children.

Even in Genesis 1:27, we read that God created man in "his" own image. In the New Testament, there are gender neutral ways of saying God, but God always reveals himself as "θεός" (theos), that is, a masculine term.

It's kind of odd that the left-wing wackos who demand us to call every person by their own pronouns really struggle to call God by his. When your faith is centered on that which is therapeutic, that which is humanistic, and that which glorifies the self, there is no room for the glory of God.

But none of this answers the, "why?" Why does God reveal himself as "he, him, Father, King, husband, man of war, etc..."? And why would it matter to him?

I'm arguing that the way we speak of God matters more to us than it does to him. God will do as he pleases and no man can hinder him. However, he reveals things to us for our benefit.

Rejecting a Perfect Role Model?

Just as our seeing and speaking is a shadow of what it means when God sees or speaks. So, husbands, fathers, and kings are meant to be a reflection of God as husband, Father, or King. God is not imitating men when he sees - we imitate him when we see. God does imitate men when he speaks. He invented speech.

Our faculties are far inferior to God's

Our faculties, in all things, are far less than God's. Therefore, created men fall short of perfection in their roles as fathers and leaders. But we look to God who is the perfection of masculinity. In other words, men have a role model for every role that they need to fill as men.

Men need to provide for their family - protect, lead, teach, and nurture them. Untethered masculinity is a dangerous thing. And, in a leadership void, men will look for someone to guide them.

In our day, the image of a strong, caring, loving Father in heaven has been pushed out of society. Our young men have turned to lesser and base idols. If they reject the weak examples of fathers on Fox sitcoms, what options do they have outside of evil men like Andrew Tate or others in the red-pilled manosphere? I hold that men can look to God as their great example of masculinity.

Men need God's strength to live and serve well

God is not a man. But he is masculine. He is the epitome of strength. He guides, protects, and cares. He seeks a bride, bears children by her, and provides for the needs of his family with a strong arm!

Perhaps you have been hurt by a father. My children have! No dad is perfect. Reject the lies of society. There is a Father in heaven who will only do you good. Of course, you could rely on your coach, mentor, or Sunday school teacher, if you want God to pop in for an hour or two a week.

But if you want someone to whom you can pray, "Our Father who art in heaven," day or night, you need to rest in the masculine God of the Bible.

Warm Regards,

Matthias Knopp