If Men and Women Are Made in God’s Image, Does That Mean God Is Both?

How do we respond to people who say that since God created both man and woman in His image that means God is both, aka trans?

This is an important question, and it begins with a very good observation.

Genesis 1 says: “So God created mankind in his own image,   in the image of God he created them;   male and female he created them.”

That means both men and women are made in the image of God.

Men do not bear God’s image more than women. Women do not bear God’s image less than men. From the very beginning, Scripture gives dignity, worth, and calling to both male and female.

That is a beautiful and important truth.

But when the Bible says we are made in God’s image, it does not mean we physically look like God.

God does not have a nose, two ears, hair, or a beard. He does not look like an older man sitting on a cloud. That may be how people sometimes imagine Him in paintings or cartoons, but that is not what Genesis means by the image of God.

The image of God is not about God having human biology. It is not saying God has our anatomy, chromosomes, or physical body. It is saying human beings are uniquely made to know God, reflect His character, and represent Him in the world.

So Genesis 1 does not mean God is biologically both male and female.

We should be very clear here: God is spirit.

Jesus says this directly in John 4:24: “God is spirit.” That means God does not have a physical body the way human beings do. God does not have human biology. God does not have chromosomes, anatomy, or a biological sex.

God is not a creature. God is the Creator.

Of course, as Christians, we believe that the Son of God truly became human in Jesus Christ. Jesus had a real human body, and Jesus was male. But that is different from saying the eternal God, in His divine nature, is biologically male. In the incarnation, the Son of God took on human nature.

And yes, this is one of those places where Trinitarian theology can stretch our brains a bit. We are talking about the one God who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and also about the Son becoming truly human in Jesus. So if that feels like a lot, that’s because it is.

But the basic point is simple: Jesus being male in His humanity does not mean God, in His eternal divine nature, is biologically male.

So when Genesis says male and female are made in God’s image, it is not saying God has both male and female biology. It is saying both male and female human beings fully bear His image.

At the same time, we should pay attention to the language Scripture gives us for God.

The Bible most often speaks of God using masculine titles and language. Jesus teaches us to pray, “Our Father.” Jesus is the Son. God is called King and Lord. We should not treat that language as meaningless or disposable. It is the language God has given us.

But Father language does not mean God has a male body. It tells us something true about who God is and how He relates to us: His authority, His care, His provision, His covenant love, and His relationship with His people.

The Bible also uses motherly images at times to describe God’s care and compassion. God is compared to a mother comforting her child, a woman in labour, and a mother bird gathering her young.

Those images do not mean God is biologically female any more than Father language means God is biologically male.

But they do show us something important.

Women are not an afterthought in creation. Women do not bear God’s image in some lesser way. The qualities we may often associate with motherhood, compassion, nurture, tenderness, and protection are not foreign to God.

Women, just as much as men, reflect the dignity, goodness, and character of the God who made them.

So when someone says, “If men and women are both made in God’s image, does that mean God is both? Or that God is trans?” we would want to slow down.

Genesis 1 is not making a statement about God’s gender identity. It is making a statement about human dignity.

God is spirit. God is Creator. And both male and female human beings are made in His image.

Genesis 1 is not telling us that God is biologically both male and female. It is telling us that both male and female human beings fully bear the image of God.