Many times, people have asked whether God is male or female. However, the Bible is clear that God is Spirit and is neither male nor female. Jesus Himself said in John 4:24, "God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth."
When we look at how God has communicated through Scripture, we discover that the pronouns used are consistently male. The original languages of the Bible (Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek) refer to God as "He" rather than "She." Further, God is called "Father" approximately 170 times in Scripture. Based on the Bible's practice, Christians have appropriately used male pronouns to refer to God.
However, we also find passages in Scripture that reveal God's sensitivities from a female perspective. For example, in Matthew 23:37, Jesus declared, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!" (see also Luke 13:34). The simile evokes the actions of a hen, clearly a motherly illustration, yet it was expressed by Jesus, the male Son of God.
God can perfectly identify with the needs and emotions of all people, male and female. This is because of what Genesis 1:27 says: "God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them." Both male and female have been made in God's image; He understands both.
The question of whether God is male or female often arises from a concern over whether Christianity equally values both men and women. The Bible is clear that God does value both equally. Paul wrote in Galatians 3:27–29, "For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise."
God is Spirit, not male or female. The Bible clearly refers to God as male in its original languages, and Jesus referred to God as Father. Christians follow the biblical pattern. Doing so affirms what God has said and His role as our heavenly Father.
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