Question:
If God made man in His own image and made woman from man, then what was the initial sex of man? What is the natural gender of God?
Answer:“So God created man in His own image…male and female created He them” (Genesis 1:27). Both males and females have been created in God’s image. This is not a physical likeness since God does not have a physical body. Men and women have something no other living creature has, namely, a spirit that has the capability of knowing and communicating with God. It is in this sense, particularly, that man has been created in God’s own image. God created Adam as a male human being. By making Eve from Adam, the woman was in most respects the same as man. However, God imparted some important differences to the woman by giving her a second X chromosome in place of a Y chromosome; thus, she was not a clone or exact duplicate of the man, but “a help meet [or suitable] for him” (Genesis 2:18).
God as a Spirit being cannot physically be either male or female, but when “the Word [that is, the Son of God] was made flesh, and dwelt among us” (John 1:14), He came physically as a man, not a woman. Also, the original Hebrew and Greek manuscripts are clear in their designation of God as “He” and “Him” rather than “She” and “Her,” and as “Father” rather than “Mother.” God clearly manifests male characteristics, such as “The LORD is a man [or male] of war” (Exodus 15:3). But He also reveals characteristics that are traditionally identified more with females than males, such as the qualities of meekness, gentleness, and compassion (Lamentations 3:22; Matthew 11:28-30; Mark 1:41; Luke 13:34; John 11:35). Thus, He understands and can help women every bit as much as men.