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Jesus' Gender


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Let's try a controversial subject for once...

Is it important in the way that God set up the "economy of salvation" as He did, that Jesus was a male? In other words, given everything else listed in the Bible, could Jesus have been born a female and accomplished what he did? Or, had Jesus been a female, would it have required a reworking of many, many areas in the Bible that would significantly change the core content of the Bible?

On edit: Although you are more than welcome to simply state your opinion, it would be very helpful if you could provide some kind of a scriptural foundation upon which you base that opinion (this is the "doctrinal" forum, after all!)

Edited by markomalley
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the new birth would seem to include a mother and father

And oddly enough, excluding the notion of one in Christ being "neither male nor female"...which makes me wonder how much (if at all) this may have shaped ideas in early Christianity concerning celibacy and becoming "eunuchs" worthy of the Kingdom of God...or even docetic notions (yes, we appear as such and such in the flesh but we're really not as we seem...).

Seems I recall a few years ago seeing a book listed to the effect, "Was Jesus a Woman" but the exact title & author escapes me at the moment.

Danny

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Not being all that familiar with the concept of "The Economy Of Salvation", nor as inclined to research, at least recently, as most of you I cant give you chapter and verse but my gut intuition is that no it doesnt matter.

It may have been set to fit within the cultural framework of the times that Jesus was male, but I doubt it had to be that way, some things may have had to change--- but the core content --I dont think so.

Practically, I would think the world that we know today would be shaped much differently if christianity had progressed along more matriarchal type lines, and built its churches cultures and societies with more respect toward the feminie side of spirituality, which i assume it would have had Jesus been female.

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Not being all that familiar with the concept of "The Economy Of Salvation", nor as inclined to research, at least recently, as most of you I cant give you chapter and verse but my gut intuition is that no it doesnt matter.

It may have been set to fit within the cultural framework of the times that Jesus was male, but I doubt it had to be that way, some things may have had to change--- but the core content --I dont think so.

Practically, I would think the world that we know today would be shaped much differently if christianity had progressed along more matriarchal type lines, and built its churches cultures and societies with more respect toward the feminie side of spirituality, which i assume it would have had Jesus been female.

You haven't killed the tread at all.

I just personally see things in terms of temporal parallels matching up with eternal realities.

For example, one can see, after a fashion, a precursor to this illustrated in the creation account, when God formed woman out of man (cf Gen 2:21-22). The temporal passover, started when the Hebrews were in captivity in Egypt, was a first-born male lamb, not a female lamb (cf Ex 12:5). But the thing that got me the most was the analogy between a husband and wife and between Christ and His Church, shown in Eph 5 and as discussed in Rev 18, 20, 21, and 22. That analogy is simply incredible in my mind and, as described metaphorically, in such great detail in the Song of Songs.

The relationship and love song that constantly goes between Christ and his Church (and I, btw, am not talking about the Latin Church or any other particular church, but the "Universal Church"), is awesome, if you look at it in that way. And I see the authentic masculinity of Jesus as being critical to that relationship. And that relationship as being critical to an genuine understanding of how God relates to His Creation.

That might be somewhat controversial to some Wierwille followers...if I recall correctly, they somewhat rejected the "Bride of Christ" relationship as being not part of this "dispensation" (although I'm foggy on that and somebody can feel free to correct me). This is definitely controversial to a lot of liberal Christian groups, who consistently try to make the Bible, and God's reference to us, more 'gender neutral.' But I see it, rather than being a matter of oppresion, as some wish to make it, a matter of an intense love story. As such, I see that as being one of the core, central aspects of Christianity.

But again, I'm interested in hearing alternate views on the subject.

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