We are limited, partly to ensure interdependency. But God is unlimited, embracing all our strengths.
The idea of conceptualizing God through genders, leads to some intriguing ideas.
Firstly let me say that this is not just an idea – I really do believe the genders portray the different poles of God’s mind, but unlike our human limitations, which are biased in one direction or the other, God’s mind reflects equal strengths for both poles and a divine balance between them. It is hard for us to be both Just and Merciful or to simultaneously wield the Rod and Staff. It is almost impossible for us to balance anger and mercy, whilst grace is ambiguous for many most custodians of truth.
Thus we have organized life into specializations. Many learned theologians have specialized in matters relating to truth, but aspects of grace often fall on the shoulders of less intellectual, shepherds. We also have specialist judges who can handle justice, but it takes a specialized advocate to plead for mercy.
In the midst of these complex abstractions is a balance between male and female. As a man I find it difficult to be associated with more feminine traits like romance, gentleness, tenderness and emotionalism. Hey I am generalizing to make the point, so please forgive any prejudice shown here. I, like most men, am quite conscious of my male identity and find it hard to even get physically or emotionally close to other guys. So my “specialization” is well developed – I am a guy, designed for male roles and male pursuits and I just don’t do “female” that well.
But God can transcend both genders in ways that we cannot begin to understand. To Him it is not a gender thing at all. We are gender-centric, because God has designed us to be mutually inter-dependent. We were designed to complement each other and balance roles, but God does not need any of that for He is self-regulating. Thus when He is angry, His own sense of grace restrains His hand and moderates His response without having a wife at His side to calm Him down. It is marvelous that God took this to its logical conclusion when He caused grace and truth to kiss in the common ground of the cross.
Well, if these things are so, is it possible that God has a capacity to love as a mother loves her children? He suggests it is so, saying “as a hen gathers her chicks so have I longed to gather you to myself” (a hen is female, by the way).
Men do not have the same capacity for love. I love my family dearly, but I belong to a gender that has a very high propensity for leaving – most single families are female led, suggesting that what is relatively easy for men to do, is very tough on women – love for their offspring is not merely a romantic idea or concept, it cuts to the very core of their beings. I suggest that in this way, God reveals something of His love for us.
(c) Peter Eleazar at www.bethelstone.com
The idea of conceptualizing God through genders, leads to some intriguing ideas.
Firstly let me say that this is not just an idea – I really do believe the genders portray the different poles of God’s mind, but unlike our human limitations, which are biased in one direction or the other, God’s mind reflects equal strengths for both poles and a divine balance between them. It is hard for us to be both Just and Merciful or to simultaneously wield the Rod and Staff. It is almost impossible for us to balance anger and mercy, whilst grace is ambiguous for many most custodians of truth.
Thus we have organized life into specializations. Many learned theologians have specialized in matters relating to truth, but aspects of grace often fall on the shoulders of less intellectual, shepherds. We also have specialist judges who can handle justice, but it takes a specialized advocate to plead for mercy.
In the midst of these complex abstractions is a balance between male and female. As a man I find it difficult to be associated with more feminine traits like romance, gentleness, tenderness and emotionalism. Hey I am generalizing to make the point, so please forgive any prejudice shown here. I, like most men, am quite conscious of my male identity and find it hard to even get physically or emotionally close to other guys. So my “specialization” is well developed – I am a guy, designed for male roles and male pursuits and I just don’t do “female” that well.
But God can transcend both genders in ways that we cannot begin to understand. To Him it is not a gender thing at all. We are gender-centric, because God has designed us to be mutually inter-dependent. We were designed to complement each other and balance roles, but God does not need any of that for He is self-regulating. Thus when He is angry, His own sense of grace restrains His hand and moderates His response without having a wife at His side to calm Him down. It is marvelous that God took this to its logical conclusion when He caused grace and truth to kiss in the common ground of the cross.
Well, if these things are so, is it possible that God has a capacity to love as a mother loves her children? He suggests it is so, saying “as a hen gathers her chicks so have I longed to gather you to myself” (a hen is female, by the way).
Men do not have the same capacity for love. I love my family dearly, but I belong to a gender that has a very high propensity for leaving – most single families are female led, suggesting that what is relatively easy for men to do, is very tough on women – love for their offspring is not merely a romantic idea or concept, it cuts to the very core of their beings. I suggest that in this way, God reveals something of His love for us.
(c) Peter Eleazar at www.bethelstone.com
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