The Genders in the Godhead

Someone asked me a few questions recently about the lack of female qualities within the Trinity. “Where does the feminine fit in the Godhead?” “If there is a father and a son, how come there is no Mother/Wife/Woman?” “How come women get totally left out of this family?” “What is wrong with our Messiah having a Heavenly Mother if he has a Heavenly Father?” This discourse is an expansion in scope to the answers I supplied at that time.¹

Regular readers of my articles already know I’m neither an adherent to the doctrine of the Trinity,² nor believe the Godhead³ contains the three different characters of that Trinity. But as a created human I do believe in a God, a Son, and a Holy Spirit. So, I will add my personal thoughts about these three parts of the relationship, and the reader can combine them into a Trinitarian idea if they wish. Keep in mind that despite common Christian thought, belief in the Trinity is not required for salvation.

Since most animal life on earth is gender specific — including us humans — it is reasonable to expect that most peoples’ world view gravitates to a necessity of having males and females in order to reproduce. That may be true of biological life forms, but not for spiritual creatures. For instance, spiritual angels, although they are biblically described using masculine pronouns, they have no gender. Although they can sometimes take on the human form, they weren’t created through any sexual process, so different genders aren’t necessary.

Listen to this article: Click the > button to start audio – click again to pause – click the speaker icon to mute. Adjust volume on the right side.

Is God male or female?

In today’s progressive LGBTQ society, many churches are trying their best to change our world view of God to refer to God with female identifying language. They argue that any feminine language about God in the Bible gives them a precedent for calling God as ‘she’ or ‘her’. In my opinion, these church clergy are just grabbing at anything which can be used to support their own twisted sexual agenda.⁴

While some people who defend women’s liberation or gender equality may use feminine language to describe God, the actual Bible uses only male pronouns. And, there is no argument that the Bible was written in a patriarchal culture, so it is reasonable that references relate to God in a masculine sense.⁵

In the Old Testament, the Book of Numbers states that “God is not a human being,” (Numbers 23:19, NRSV).⁶ And in the New Testament Book of John, Jesus states, “God is spirit,” (John 4:24). Even so, God is called a father approximately 170 times in scripture, so as the family leader for his people, he has established that he expects male pronouns to be used when referring to him. And, of course, Jesus honored that request.⁷

But at the same time, there are many references to God from a feminine perspective, implying that all humans are made in his image. So we should all find comfort that our God can identify with the needs and emotions of all people even though he is not a biological creature like us.⁸

The authors of scripture, however, were not unaware of non-masculine personal traits to describe God in many ways. But, even though you may find some Old Testament passages that contain feminine visual symbolism, they in no way suggest God is actually a female. Such passages only communicate truths about God through an imagery that pleases him. After all, the Bible is ‘God-breathed’, the words used to describe God are his own (see 2 Timothy 3:16). Since God has chosen to reveal himself in predominately male terms, who are we to argue with his decision?⁹

Was Jesus male or female?

Most readers are probably now thinking, “That is a stupid question! Of course Jesus was male. He is the son of God — nowhere is Jesus mentioned as a daughter.” But, let’s examine a few thoughts about Jesus, including why he was sent to earth as a human.

In the beginning of human history, God created the man (English); in the original language it says that God created the adam (Hebrew, אָדָם).¹⁰ These are general descriptive terms, not specific to any gender. This first single creature was not male or female, because it contained attributes of both sexes.¹¹ The man (or adam) was a biological animal, but not of any distinct gender.¹² God created this one human creature which would later become humankind collectively. In other words, the original name man (or adam) referred to the species as a whole.

After dividing and transferring some traits and organs of the man/adam into another separate similar body, this creature became a self-replicating pair of beings that could populate the world as the lower animals could. Then there were two genders of the man/adam. The original descriptive name for the first creature stayed with it, and thereafter Adam became his given name and the term man became its gender reference.

Some believe that the designation of woman for the new female creature originally was a Hebrew play on words to affirm the physical congruity (or harmony) of this new person. The gender specific word for an adult male in Hebrew is ish. This is contrasted with ishshah, which is gender specific for an adult woman. This linguistic similarity is also found in other languages too.¹³ Anyway, the woman’s given name became Eve, which is an archaic form of the Hebrew haya, meaning ‘living thing’.¹⁴

Now, let’s get back to the subject of Jesus. He came to earth to die; that was his God-given mission. The Godly plan was to exchange one perfect life for another perfect life. Who on earth was ever perfect before Jesus? The answer is Adam before he sinned. I propose that Jesus — known as the second Adam — paid the exchange price for the original Adam, who caused us to lose eternal life. Jesus was a substitute; he was a perfect man who gave his perfect life in exchange for the life of Adam.

“For since death came through a human being, the resurrection of the dead has also come through a human being; for as all die in Adam, so all will be made alive in Christ,” (1 Corinthians 15:21-22).

Eternal life is only for the sinless and we can’t save ourselves. So, God assigned all of humankind’s sins to Jesus, who bore the punishment we all deserve. Paying for the sins was a legal substitutional atonement or redemption. With this perspective, sin is primarily a violation of God’s law, thus Jesus’ death pays the legal penalty for sins that God’s holiness requires.¹⁵

“He [Jesus] is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world,” (1 John 2:2). Some bible versions say he is “the propitiation for our sins.” That means the same thing — the idea of appeasement and satisfaction toward God. It is a two-part act that involves appeasing God, who is offended, and then being reconciled to him.¹⁶

But, if Adam’s sins are forgiven, how are we assured that Eve’s sins are also forgiven? My suggestion is that Jesus was androgynous,¹⁷ as was Adam when he was in Eden before Eve’s creation. In other words, Adam’s and Jesus’ gender was indeterminate — they both had equal masculine and feminine characteristics and attributes. For those who may be thinking otherwise, androgyny is different from being transgender or intersex, and surely involved atypical chromosome patterns. The idea is that Jesus’ mind, body, and spirit were fully male and fully female, just as Adam’s was before Eve was created.

And for Jesus to do his work effectively in that ancient culture, he had to outwardly display more of the masculine traits. But to the women he encountered, he demonstrated a more feminine display. As such, our Lord came to earth to die for the sins of both Adam and Eve, and return the possibility of everlasting life to all God’s human children, male and female alike.

One feminist writer argues that the whole issue concerning modern women’s representation in and by Christ, is solved by the realization that Jesus is clearly depicted in the Bible not as a male, but as an androgyne. That is, he is pictured as a human being in whom ‘masculine’ and ‘feminine’ characteristics are harmoniously mingled. He is perfect humanity.

Because of sexism in the English language, and there being mostly male Bible translators, the frequent description of Christ is generally as the perfect man. But we need to be reminded that in the context of the whole Bible, Christ is a perfect person. God made both male and female in his own image, and that is precisely why Jesus is androgynous, for in Christ there is both male and female.¹⁸

An androgynous Christ is not a new idea. There is a sixteenth century oil painting called “The Lamentation around the remains of Christ” which shows Jesus with some female characteristics, such as breasts and feminine curves. Even if not an accurate portrayal, it can be suggested as the artist’s metaphor to shift the traditional image of the crucified Savior into a symbol of all suffering humanity, men and women. To view a photo of this art work, follow the link in References & Notes.¹⁹

There are many theories about this idea of Jesus being androgynous, within academic papers, articles, and books published on the subject. One such work suggests Christ being presented as a supreme androgynous role model was meant to inspire social change in masculine cultures.²⁰

Is the Holy Spirit male or female?

There may be some credibility to an idea that being baptized and “born again” implies becoming a new Christian believer, which is spiritually both male and female. Some believe that this newborn change, brought about by the Holy Spirit, brings forth a new spiritually androgynous person, projecting from within both genders’ characteristics and qualities.

This process may help explain why many Christians suggest that the Holy Spirit is the feminine part of the godhead. The combined father-mother-child idea is then expanded into a Godhead concept of God the father, Holy Spirit the mother, and Jesus the child.

The editor of a popular Christian magazine once wrote, “A case can be made that a female Holy Spirit represents an important early teaching of Jesus’ followers. For some early Christians, the baptismal initiation reversed the division of male and female, returning to the gender unity found in Adam.”²¹

And, the founder of an ancient manuscript research center indicated that there has always been a problem addressing the biblical God with the male pronoun ‘he’, despite the consensus that God embraces both the masculine and the feminine. This scholar explained that, as a personal choice, he decided to use “she” for the Holy Spirit.²²

These kinds of thoughts focus new attention to Old Testament scripture, indicating the Holy Spirit — as the source of wisdom — is feminine, such as the personification of wisdom in Proverbs 8:1-9:6. I won’t quote all of that selection, but the first three verses state: “Does not wisdom call, and does not understanding raise her voice? On the heights, beside the way, at the crossroads she takes her stand; beside the gates of the town, at the entrances of the portals she cries out,” (Proverbs 8:1-3, [underlined for emphasis]).²³

The main problem is that in most cases in the Old Testament, ‘Spirit’ is not a stand-alone noun, but is used as a descriptor of the masculine noun ‘God’. It doesn’t mean the ‘Holy Spirit’, but means the ‘Spirit of God’ or the ‘Spirit of the Lord’.²⁴ This is one reason that I do not consider the Holy Spirit a person at all. Besides, trying to force gender into a Trinity demands even more separation in a doctrine which is supposed to unify three persons into one.

Even so, most Christian denominations believe the Holy Spirit is a divine person.²⁵ But while the Bible sometimes references it by using a male pronoun, or by using feminine characteristics, it is not a person; it is an advocating action that God uses to intercede on behalf of someone in need of assistance. It’s something that comes to Christians in the form of help. It is an expression of God’s power which guides, comforts, and gives strength when doing his will. Jesus said, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you,” (Acts 1:8). The Holy Spirit is a gift; it is an instrument bestowed upon us as a manifestation of God’s love.

Conclusion

So in my opinion, God and Jesus and the Holy Spirit have no specific gender. Considering that neither feminine nor masculine genders are slighted for favor in God’s sight, it’s all in the way you view scripture. I pray my view helps in understanding God’s fairness, and that any supposed unfairness in scripture is created by imperfect insight, culture, and society.

We should all want to study scripture to discern truth and build a relationship with our Lord, but the foundation for any introduction to the Christian religion is simply knowing the following truth. The Bible’s only requirements to receiving salvation are: (1) believe that salvation is a free gift of God’s grace, (2) admit you are a sinner, repent, and ask for forgiveness, (3) believe Jesus is God’s son and he died for your sins, and (4) turn away from sinful things and live a transformed life (i.e., have a spiritual rebirth — become born again).

I’ve picked a song related to this discourse; it is titled “Holy Spirit” and performed by American Christian singer, Francesca Battistelli. Selected lyrics are below and a link to her music video is listed in References & Notes.²⁶

 

Holy Spirit, You are welcome here
Come flood this place and fill the atmosphere
Your glory, God, is what our hearts long for
To be overcome by Your presence, Lord
Your presence, Lord

I’ve tasted and seen
Of the sweetest of loves
Where my heart becomes free
And my shame is undone
Your presence, Lord

Copyright © 2026, Ray Hermann
OutlawBibleStudent.org

** The featured top photo for this article used through Creative Commons: acerdotus.com; music art at end is Public Domain.

PHOTOS, ART, & MEDIA — FAIR USE COPYRIGHT DISCLAIMER: Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976 allowance is made for “Fair Use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, teaching, news reporting, scholarship, and research. Non-profit, educational, and/or personal use tilts the legal balance in favor of Fair Use. For more information, see “Legal Stuff” on the top menu bar. If a copyright holder finds their creative work on this web site and did not give permission for its use, it will be immediately removed upon proper notice with the copyright registration numbers. We do not intentionally use copyright material that cannot be used for such purposes.

→ Leave comments at the end, after ‘References & Notes’.
You can see our basic rules for comments by clicking “Legal Stuff” on the top menu bar.

 

References & Notes

1. Note: the questions were asked in a reader’s comment left for another article on this website on 23 February 2026.
   “The Nicene Creed and the Trinity”, (The Outlaw Bible Student, OBS, 21 February 2026), https://outlawbiblestudent.org/the-nicene-creed-and-the-trinity/
2. Trinity (Holy Trinity): the three persons of the single Christian Godhead; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
   Oxford Concise Dictionary, 12th edition, (UK: Oxford University Press, 2011).
3. Godhead: encompasses the divine essence and nature of God, representing the unity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit within the Trinity.
   “The concept of Godhead in Christianity”, (Wisdom Library, 22 January 2026), https://www.wisdomlib.org/christianity/concept/godhead
4. Lacey, Troy, “Does the Bible Imply the Holy Spirit Is Female?” (Answers in Genesis, 3 May 2025), https://answersingenesis.org/god/does-bible-imply-holy-spirit-female/
5. Turpin, Simon, “Is God Male of Female”? (Answers in Genesis, 2 February 2021), https://answersingenesis.org/who-is-god/god-male-female/
6. Unless otherwise indicated, scripture is quoted from The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989). Used with permission.
7. “Is God male or female?” (Compelling Truth, retrieved 6 March 2026), https://www.compellingtruth.org/God-male-or-female.html
8. Ibid.
9. Turpin, Simon, “Is God Male of Female”? (Answers in Genesis) – see above.
10. אָדָם ˒âdâm: Strong’s #H120; ruddy, i.e. a human being (an individual or the species, mankind, etc.)
    Strong, J., The New Strong’s Dictionary of Hebrew and Greek Words. (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1996).
11. Hastings, James (Ed.), A Dictionary of the Bible, Dealing with its Language, Literature, and Contents including the Biblical Theology, vol. 3, p. 225.
12. Ibid., vol. 1, p. 36.
13. Patterson, D., “Woman” in Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary, (Eds.) C. Brand et al., (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2003), pp. 1678-1679.
14. Bott, N., “Eve,” in The Lexham Bible Dictionary, (Eds.) J.D. Barry et al., (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016).
15. Vlach, Michael J., “Penal Substitution in Church History”, (The Master’s Seminary Journal, Fall 2009, p. 203 (available online at https://tms.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/tmsj20i.pdf)
16. “Propitiation”, (Theopedia, Encyclopedia of Biblical Christianity, retrieved 12 March 2026), https://theopedia.com/propitiation
17. androgynous: partly male and partly female or of indeterminate sex.
    Oxford Concise Dictionary, 12th edition, (UK: Oxford University Press, 2011).
18. Mollencott, Virginia, “The Androgyny of Jesus”, (Philosophical Investigations, 26 September 2017), https://peped.org/philosophicalinvestigations/article-androgyny-christ/
19. “The androgyny of Christ”, (Journal of Endocrinological Investigation, 5 September 2020, republished by Springer Endo & Art), https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s40618-020-01413-3.pdf
20. Hopkins, Bobbi Paige, “The Bible as a Medium for Social Engineering: Jesus as the Androgynous Role Model”, (Journal of Research in Gender Studies, 2013, vol. 3, No. 1, pp. 78-87), also available online at: https://addletonacademicpublishers.com/contents-jrgs/207-volume-3-1-2013/1811-the-bible-as-a-medium-for-social-engineering-jesus-as-the-androgynous-role-model
21. Dart, John, “Balancing Out the Trinity: The Genders of the Godhead”, (Christian Century Magazine, 16 February 1983), pp. 147-150.
22. Ibid.
23. Lacey, Troy, “Does the Bible Imply the Holy Spirit Is Female?” (Answers in Genesis) – see above.
24. Ibid.
25. “The Holy Spirit”, (Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 12 March 2026), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Spirit_in_Christianity
26. “Holy Spirit”, Artist: Brancesca Battistelli; Writers: Hanna Watson, et al.; Album: If We’re Honest; (released 2014 by Fervent Records, assumed copyright by francesamusic.com, no other legal or publishing information listed, posted on YouTube 14 August 2015), https://youtu.be/BoZd7ZXh9yY