Is God Really A Man?

In a recent interview with CBS’ Ed O’Keefe, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, Texas state Rep. James Talarico, discussed remarks he made in the 2021 legislative debate. In the debate Rep. Talarico stated that God is non-binary. Republicans have been using this statement as a way to discredit him in the coming elections. James is a member of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and is working toward a Master of Divinity degree at the denomination's Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary. Rep. According to The Christian Post, Talarico, “...said he had been “intentionally provocative” but stood by the underlying idea. “What it means is that God can't be defined by human categories,” he explained. “The Apostle Paul in his letter to the Galatians says that in Christ there is neither male nor female.” The Post also reported that Talarico, “...clarified his earlier comments on biological sex during a debate over trans-identified male athletes competing against women when he claimed, "Modern science acknowledges six biological variations based on chromosomes to argue that sex is a nuanced spectrum, not a strict binary."

Where do we even begin with all of this? We first have his belief that God is non-binary. Then there is his claim that there are six biological variations when speaking about genders. First let us talk about the science claim he is making. The assertion that there are “six biological variations based on chromosomes to argue that sex is a nuanced spectrum” is both misleading and false. There are now and only ever have been two genders. Biology has always stated this as a fact and it has never waivered. What Talarico is talking about when referring to six variations is anomalies of sexual development, not multiple genders. There has always been the XX (female) chromosome and the XY (male) chromosome for identifying and distinguishing the genders. In very rare cases someone may have abnormal numbers of chromosomes giving them just X or XYY for instance. But these are not different genders. These are just rare cases of people who have an abnormality. Making a claim, like Talarico did, that there are additional genders is grossly misleading. These rare cases just mean that their chromosome count is different, not that they are a different gender. No credible scientific source would look at defining a gender in this fashion.

As far as the claim that God is non-binary, this too is also a confusing unbiblical way of looking at God. God himself is male. We know that He is male because He told us so. This is how he refers to Himself when speaking to us in the bible: “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”(Genesis 1:27) He also refers to Himself in male roles such as father instead of a mother (see Luke 11:2) or as king as opposed to a queen (see Psalm 24:10). So it wasn’t a bunch of white misogynistic males that decided to make God a man. God was the one that told us He was!

Now, yes, God is a spirit. He is not a human. So he would not have any human body parts to identify His gender. But God is not a male because of His physical makeup. He is male because He has masculine characteristics and responsibilities. This is the point He is relaying to us when referring to Himself in male pronouns. He is not a physical man, but He is masculine. Men in general are called to lead, protect, provide and sacrifice. This is part of what it means to be masculine. And how do we know this? Because this is what we see with God who is also masculine. He too leads us, protects us, provides for us and sacrifices for us. So God is male because He is masculine by nature, not because he has certain male features. He does this to communicate to us his masculine character. Not that He wears pants instead of a dress.

As far as the passage that Talarico was referencing to support his argument, he completely misinterpreted it. The specific verse he was citing was Galatians 3:28, which says, “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.” A little bit different than how he said it. But he also completely missed that point. This verse has nothing to do with genders. This has to do with us being equal in the kingdom of God because of the work of Christ. If someone is in Christ, then he or she is in God’s kingdom. And it doesn't matter if one person is a wealthy business man and the other is a poor beggar, they are equals in the kingdom of God. Or it doesn’t matter if one is male and the other is female. We are all one in the kingdom of God because we are all one in Christ. This verse has absolutely nothing to do with God’s gender or genders at all. He completely twists the bible to support an ungodly lifestyle. It is interesting to note how Rep. Talarico’s party is all about people having the “right” to claim whatever gender they want to be. But for some reason He won't let God do the same.