Divine perspectives of God

The Lord our God is one. Yet He is able to present Himself to us, in ways that we can all relate to.

If I were to even hint at a feminine side to God, I would be lynched by some, adored by others and despised by men. I speak from experience for I once suggested to a guy that men could learn something from women about taking directions or getting help: a discussion that appalled the poor fellow. Actually, I think genders could learn a lot from each other and I am certainly not ashamed to say that I have learnt a lot from women about raising my hand to ask for help when I am unsure of something – it saves a lot of dumb pain.

Gender identities are sensitive. Some fringe elements insist that God is female and the politically correct lobby would like to give Him a neutral identity, as though it is up to us to decide such things for Him. Such debates so tragically miss the point about the real issues at stake. It compares with trite debates about circumcision or where to worship God or whether the earth was made in seven calendar days.

I don’t believe there is gender in heaven, for Jesus implied that there is neither male nor female, nor even marriage, in glory (Matthew 22:30). Paul picked up on the same point when he said that in Christ there is neither male nor female, bond nor free and the term "sons of God" refers to all of God's children, not to males only.

Perhaps God is neither male nor female and we get all muddled because we are trying to portray divine concepts in human terms. I do, however, submit to the bible's portrayal of God, as male. I am not sure whether that is an interpretive or intentional thing, but either way I am not about to attempt any proof to the contrary.

What I do want to say is that generalisations of Male and Female predispositions, characterize key attributes of God.

There is a "more" male-like straightforward, factual, logical, matter-of-fact, unemotional, decisive side to God. Men relate better to that and women generally see it as a sign of His strength and authority.

But there is also a "more" women-like subtlety to God that is veiled in mystery. The mystique of women will keep the average man amused for a lifetime, but the mystique of God will keep us all intrigued for eternity. Other characteristics portrayed better by females are His tenderness, finesse, gentleness, loving-kindness, patience and aestheticism.

The bipolar nature of God (I have no doubt He has many dimensions, but there is a tendency in scripture to link two at a time), reveals the internal contrasts, hues and shades of His divine personality.

Thus, “Justice”, a no-nonsense, absolute concept, is coupled in scripture with “Mercy”, revealing a balanced capacity for forgiveness, kindness and profound mercy. In fact, this particular contradiction is a cornerstone of the cross, for the cross God resolved two competing values: He dealt uncompromisingly with sin and thereby imposed His justice, whilst using the same instrument of truth to reconcile us to Himself. That is enough to make me cry my heart out.

As for Justice and Mercy, so “Truth” is coupled with “Grace”. Truth is even more absolute than justice, for it is the foundation of justice. Truth is not a shade or a hue, it is a defined value, without any ambiguity. But Grace is ambiguous, one of the greatest of all contradictions.

Truth demands justice, but grace finds a way to provide mercy, strength and comfort in the face of justice. Grace is as much of God as is truth, but Grace is an ambiguous counter-point of unmerited favor: a principle that imposed an unfair judgment on Jesus so that we may be unfairly acquitted and reconciled to God in such a way that truth is never compromised.

Anger and Mercy are also coupled, for the Psalmist says “He is slow to anger and swift to show mercy”, revealing a tension between those two poles that is constantly self-adjusting to human behavior in order to temper the response of heaven. It means that God, so pure and complete in His own integrity, is self-regulating, able to execute justice whilst retraining Himself by other competing internal forces.

I have no doubt that these are amongst the things that have caused men and angels to worship Him, for He is beautiful beyond description, too marvelous for words, too wonderful for comprehension, like nothing ever seen or heard.

David spoke of the “Rod” and “Staff” that comforted Him. It is a contradiction for a shepherd to hold a rod and staff, but God is able to balance the need for correction and discipline against the equal need for nurturing and encouragement. That makes Him so special and accounts for a more recent shift in my own response to Him. I have always called the Father, “Father”, in a formal, deferent way. But now I have learnt to call Him "Abba", as Paul endorsed in Romans 8. That is a Semitic term for “Dad” or “Daddy”, but it conveys greater feeling and respect than the western term does – it suggests intimate respect.

So, God is not female (maybe He isn’t male either, but I cannot confirm that view from available scripture). But He is certainly capable of transcending the fine balance and peculiar differences of both genders, to ensure that we can all relate to His strength and compassion. I so thank God for that, for if the anger, justice and truth of this Great God had been unbridled, none of us would have survived His all-seeing gaze.

(c) Peter Eleazar at www.bethelstone.com