To: Hannah

In response to Hannah's comment posted on March 30, 2008 responding to my post from March 7, 2008:

You're right--in Scripture, God does not state clearly that He is male or female. Essentially, God is neither. He is spirit. However, it is unfair to the integrity of the whole of Scripture to analyze three names of God and, since those names are void of distinct gender, declare that God is thus defined as either male or female according to one's individual preference.

First, there is the Bible itself, wherein through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, those who penned God's Holy Word, used masculinity to refer to God. Essentially, believing in infallibility of Scripture means trusting God is who He says He is, and if He chooses to refer to Himself using a masculine article, He is doing that for a reason. Nowhere in the Bible is the pronoun "she" ascribed.

I also must raise the testimony of Jesus when speaking directly to God. Jesus himself calls God repeatedly his Father (Matthew 6:9 and 10:32; Luke 23; John 3:35, 6:44, 10:30, 14:6, 14:23, 20:21), a title none can argue as feminine.

In regard to your question about an abused woman relating to a male-ascribed God, I agree with the difficulty and pain she would face. I personally know several women who have difficulty related to God as Father because of the abuse or neglect they suffered at the hands of their earthly fathers. Is it been difficult? Absolutely. Does this mean God can be molded to fit what makes them comfortable? Absolutely not.

A woman abused by a male in her life cannot expect her husband to be other than who he is. The fact that he is male makes her uncomfortable on account of the wrong someone else did to her. He cannot, however, change the essence of who he is to make her more comfortable. It is the same way with God. Essentially, one must trust that the work of the Holy Spirit can heal a wounded heart, and see God for who He truly is.

God does not long that we are shrouded in confusion and perplexity about His nature and His character. He has revealed Himself to us in the Bible, and, a strict interpretation of the text reveals Him as "Him" not as "Her" or "She."

If on the testimony of Jesus alone, God is "Our Father, who art in Heaven...."