God Is Not a Pronoun: Why We Need to Stay Rooted in Truth

 

God Is Not a Pronoun: Why We Need to Stay Rooted in Truth

This week, Steve and I were stopped by two gentlemen who were eager to share what they believed was a vital truth. According to them, in order to be saved, we must believe that God is both male and female. But what they actually meant was this: that there are two separate divine beings—a Heavenly Father and a Heavenly Mother—both ruling from heaven, and that faith in both is required for salvation.

They used verses from Genesis—“Let us make man in our image”—and a few from Revelation to support their point. They also referenced Galatians 4:26: “the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother,” claiming it was a prophecy about a divine female figure.

We both listened respectfully. Then we both responded firmly.

We told them that what they were teaching was not only unbiblical, but also misleading, and that this kind of distortion does more harm than good.

This wasn’t the first time I’ve had a conversation like this. It actually reminded me of something that happened back in 2019. I had asked to use a church’s sanctuary to film a music video. They said no—not because of availability, but because my song included the phrase “Abba Father.” They told me that referring to God as “Father” meant I was assuming He was male. And they didn’t want to support that.

I remember feeling shocked. Not angry. Just surprised. And sad.

Because moments like these reveal something deeper: we’re living in a time where God’s identity is being redefined, even among those who claim to believe in Him. But here’s the truth I keep coming back to:

God is Spirit. He’s not male or female.

But He has chosen to reveal Himself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—not because He’s confined to a gender, but because He wants to be known. He wants us to relate to Him.

Yes, Scripture includes metaphors of God as a nurturing mother (Isaiah 66, Hosea 13, Matthew 23), but they are imagery to describe His care. They are never used as titles. Never once does Scripture call Him “Mother God.” He is a Father who draws near, defends, disciplines, and delights in His children.

I know the word father can carry a lot of pain for some. I’ve met women who couldn’t imagine calling God “Father” because of what their earthly one did to them. And if that’s you, I’m so sorry. That’s real pain. But I promise—God is not a reflection of your earthly father. He is the perfection of what a father should be.

When we fixate on pronouns, we miss the point.

The gospel is not about parsing God’s gender. It’s about Jesus, who died and rose again to restore us to the Father. We’re saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8–9), not by reciting the right vocabulary or redefining God’s identity to match our comfort.

We don’t need to reframe Scripture to make it easier to swallow. We need to lean into it, let it search us, and trust that God knows how to reveal Himself in the best way possible.

And honestly, trying to rewrite God’s character to fit a cultural agenda doesn’t lead to more freedom. It leads to confusion.

So if you’re wrestling with the idea of God as Father, bring that to Him. He’s not afraid of your questions. He’s not limited by language. But He is unchanging. And the more we submit to His Word rather than try to edit it, the more we’ll discover who He really is.