cnystrom said:The reason that God is male even though God is spirit is because Biblically speaking being male means more than simply having a penis. Men and women are designed to tell the gospel story of Christ and the Church or stated more generically the story of God and man. When we marry we are role playing these roles. Men assume the Christ role and women assume the Church role. In reality God is the man and we (the Church) are the women. Therefore God is never portrayed as female because he never takes the female role. The reality is Christ and the church. Our (temporary) sexes are a reflection of this spiritual reality. We are all reflections of God's image because we are all human beings of equal God given worth and value despite whatever role or position we find ourselves in in this life.
FollowingHim said:Bels, this is a reality that God has designed for us.
cnystrom said:Our (temporary) sexes are a reflection of this spiritual reality.
Good point. My understanding is it comes from Matthew 22:29-30 which says we'll be like angels (neuter). My personal belief (not Bible-supported) is that we'll retain our male-ness and female-ness in the way we remember things (on Earth) but the part of us which was heavily influenced by that (old) role will shrink in relative importance to the new role our new body has in its new heavenly surroundings. For example our old role was important and useful and God-honoring but doesn't define us any more. Something like a butterfly who doesn't dwell much on how good it felt to crawl as a caterpillar?Crossgeared Viking said:...where do you get the idea that our sex is temporary, especially since it is such a reflection? Humans were gendered before the Fall. What reason would their be to make the genderless after the Return...
This verse does not mean that the difference between male and female has been eliminated, so we are all the same, but that despite our differences we are of equal value to Christ. it says there is neither slave nor free, but that didn't mean all slaves were to consider themselves free - on the contrary they are told elsewhere to submit to their human masters. Rather their free brethren were not to look down on them as they were slaves, but to consider them equal brothers in Christ - just with a different earthly vocation. There is neither Jew nor Greek didn't mean all racial differences suddenly disappeared - rather all were of equal worth. Same goes for men and women. The difference between men and women remains, including the fact that both have different roles in the church and family as taught elsewhere, but neither is to look down on the other as both are of equal worth.JustAGuy said: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." Galatians 3:25+
ah, but I do!JustAGuy said:FollowingHim & Steve: I know you don't (and shouldn't) necessarily care per se, but I agree with you both.
LOL, me too, but try not to show it. :mrgreen: This post will self destruct in 3, 2, 1...steve said:I am pathetically eager to be agreed with!
dkg6free said:Bell, arent all languages gendered ?