God the Mother? | Ask Pastor Mack
Q: Greetings! I know my message comes a bit late in the evening but I have just made a decision to try and talk about my experience the other day.
I met two women as I was waiting for a jeepney to ride. They asked if I could share a little time with them and talk about the bible. I was not in a hurry, so I agreed. I was honestly baffled about what they shared. It was about the presence of what they called the "God the Mother". They have shared to me verses from the bible that was proof that there is a "Mother God". Since then, I was troubled about it. I haven't heard about it in the church, about a "God the Mother". So, I was hoping if I could be enlightened about this? Thank you so much for your attention on my message.
PASTOR MACK:
The first thing I want to say is that be careful about these "strange" teachings. God is never revealed or addressed in the Bible as a "Mother." In fact, the pronouns used to refer to God is always "He," "Him," never "she" or "her."
Our Lord Jesus Christ particularly taught his disciples how to pray. “This, then, is how you should pray:“ ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name..." (Matt. 6:9). There are a few places in Scripture where God describes Himself in motherly terms in that He does some of the things that a mother might do, like comfort or feed her children (see Hosea 11:3–4; Deuteronomy 32:18; Isaiah 42:14; 49:15; 66:13).
There are about a dozen more verses where God speaks of gathering His children under His wings, as in Psalm 91:4: “He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.” Covering with feathers, it is said, is something a mother bird normally does. However, in Psalm 91 masculine pronouns are clearly used.
Some cite Deuteronomy 32:11–12 as comparing God’s actions with those of a mother eagle: “Like an eagle that stirs up its nest and hovers over its young, that spreads its wings to catch them, and carries them aloft.” Notice, however, that the text does not refer to a mother eagle, and eagles are one species of bird where the father will also sit on the nest.
Even if it is granted that God does some things that a mother commonly does, He is still Father—just as a human father may do some things that a mother normally does but is still the father, not the mother. God the Father and God the Son are both masculine titles, and the Holy Spirit is consistently referred to with masculine pronouns. God has revealed Himself as male, and He is referred to by male pronouns throughout the Bible.
To call God “Mother” is unbiblical.
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