Why Our Father, not Our Mother, in Heaven?
Summary of “God’s Attributes,” a Sermon by David Pao
When In the Bible, God has been represented as father more than 400 times. The term symbolizes head of a family, who provides livelihood, protection, stability, legal rights and inheritance. The term brings up relationship between two parties, one above of, and getting respect and honor from, the other (Psalm 89:26; John 15:10).
As a side note, during the time of the New Testament, Roman emperors called themselves the father of the land. Representing God as father prevented Christians from associating the Roman emperors as one (Ephesians 3:14-15).
Note that the Bible also depicts our God having mother’s attributes, such as compassion for her child and not forgetting the baby at her breast (Isaiah 66:13, 49:15; Deuteronomy 32:18).
One reason is that male attributes can lack features such as nurturing, caring, and gentleness. Hence, it’s not surprising that humans having been searching for a female deity. The most obvious subject in Christianity is Christ’s mother, Mary, a character with attributes not found in a fatherly figure.
But both fatherly and motherly characteristics can’t fully describe our God’s attributes. Limiting God to a certain sex can lead to discrimination because it implies certain sex is more like God and so is inherently superior. Such limitation can lead to suppressing the other sex.
Both male and female are made in God’s image, each having different attributes, both equally adopted to be God’s children. So, spreading the gospel leads to more equality of the sexes, raising female position in the society (Romans 8:15).
It’s easier for us to understand God if we give God a human label. But don’t identify God entirely by a human metaphor, such as father, mother, lion of Judah, lamb, king, prophet, and priest. Each metaphor or imagery can only illustrate certain attributes of God.
That may be the reason why in the New Testament, believers didn’t address God as father in their prayers. Instead, they used terms such as Lord Almighty, Lord God, Holy Almighty, and Holy One (Acts 1, 4, 7).
Anyway, addressing God as father doesn’t imply God being male. It’s just a metaphor to highlight certain attributes of God to help us understand God. No human metaphor or imagery can wholly represent God. From eternity to eternity, God is beyond what we can imagine.
Summary of “God’s attributes,” a sermon by David Pao
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgjvKK6Sly0
As a side note, during the time of the New Testament, Roman emperors called themselves the father of the land. Representing God as father prevented Christians from associating the Roman emperors as one (Ephesians 3:14-15).
Note that the Bible also depicts our God having mother’s attributes, such as compassion for her child and not forgetting the baby at her breast (Isaiah 66:13, 49:15; Deuteronomy 32:18).
One reason is that male attributes can lack features such as nurturing, caring, and gentleness. Hence, it’s not surprising that humans having been searching for a female deity. The most obvious subject in Christianity is Christ’s mother, Mary, a character with attributes not found in a fatherly figure.
But both fatherly and motherly characteristics can’t fully describe our God’s attributes. Limiting God to a certain sex can lead to discrimination because it implies certain sex is more like God and so is inherently superior. Such limitation can lead to suppressing the other sex.
Both male and female are made in God’s image, each having different attributes, both equally adopted to be God’s children. So, spreading the gospel leads to more equality of the sexes, raising female position in the society (Romans 8:15).
It’s easier for us to understand God if we give God a human label. But don’t identify God entirely by a human metaphor, such as father, mother, lion of Judah, lamb, king, prophet, and priest. Each metaphor or imagery can only illustrate certain attributes of God.
That may be the reason why in the New Testament, believers didn’t address God as father in their prayers. Instead, they used terms such as Lord Almighty, Lord God, Holy Almighty, and Holy One (Acts 1, 4, 7).
Anyway, addressing God as father doesn’t imply God being male. It’s just a metaphor to highlight certain attributes of God to help us understand God. No human metaphor or imagery can wholly represent God. From eternity to eternity, God is beyond what we can imagine.
Summary of “God’s attributes,” a sermon by David Pao
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgjvKK6Sly0