God

1. Is there a mother god?

Outside of Christianity, female deities are quite common. Almost every pagan religion has a goddess of some kind. Some people attempt to shoehorn the concept of a mother god into Christianity, as well, despite the fact that the Bible in no way supports the idea of a female counterpart to God the Father.

Some point to Asherah as an example of a mother god that was accepted by the ancient Israelites. Not only was Asherah a goddess, they say, but she was the consort of Yahweh. Such a view is a simplistic recasting of Baal-worship, based on an assumption that the Israelites built their Yahweh-focused religion from the raw materials of Baal-worship. In Canaanite mythology, Asherah was the consort of Baal, but the Mosaic Law unequivocally forbade the worship of Asherah (Deuteronomy 16:21). Israel's forays into Asherah-worship were viewed as rebellion and judged as sin (see 1 Kings 15:13; 2 Chronicles 15:13).

Some look to Sophia as a mother god because Wisdom is personified as a woman in Proverbs 8. In verses 27–31, Wisdom speaks in a way that seems to indicate she is companion to the God of creation. However, the book of Proverbs is poetic and highly symbolic. Wisdom is clearly a personification, not an actual person. "Sophia" is not an actual person, much less a female companion or counterpart to God the Father.

Similarly, the World Mission Society Church of God, by conflating Galatians 4:26 with some concepts about the New Jerusalem, teach that God has a bride, the heavenly mother. In the New Testament, the church as a redeemed group is called the bride of Christ, but we are not a mother god.

Some view Mary as the Queen of Heaven and almost deify her. However, those who do so do not get their views from the Bible. Mary herself puts to rest any notion that she is a mother god, recognizing in Luke 1:47 that God is her Savior. Mary was a mortal human being, a sinner in need of salvation just like every other human being.

In addition to the above attempts to find a "mother goddess" in Scripture are many pagan religions that are rife with female deities. Jeremiah 7:18 and 44:17–25 mention worship of the "Queen of Heaven," a pagan deity. Jeremiah was not endorsing pagan theology; rather, he condemned the observance of rituals associated with the Queen of Heaven, referring to her by her common title.

Another goddess that is gaining in popularity as people become more environmentally conscious is Gaia (or Gaea), the goddess of the earth. Gaia is simply a remnant of Greek mythology who in some cases has been conflated with the evolutionary concept of Mother Earth. In Greek mythology Gaia may have been considered an actual person, but the more modern evolutionary concept views her as a personification of the substance from which we and the universe all sprang.

Some who promote the idea of a mother god allege a contradiction in Scripture: in some places the Bible says there is only one God, yet in other places it speaks about other gods. Paul puts it in perspective in 1 Corinthians 8:4–6, "We know that 'An idol is nothing at all in the world' and that 'There is no God but one.' For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many 'gods' and many 'lords'), yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live." God is the One True God, but there are many other "gods," that is, many other things that people worship. Many of these so-called gods are female deities.

Regardless of the gender assigned to any deity, God has made it clear that He is the only True God, Creator of Heaven and Earth. "There is none besides me. I am the LORD, and there is no other" (Isaiah 45:6). There is no mother god.

2. What is the name of God?

The name of God, as revealed in the Hebrew Scriptures, is YHWH (the closest English equivalents to the Hebrew letters). Ancient Hebrew did not have vowels, so the exact pronunciation of YHWH is uncertain. The vast majority of Hebrew and Christian scholars believe the name to be Yahweh, pronounced /ˈyä-wā/, with Yahuwah, pronounced /yi-ˈhō-və/, being the second most popular possibility.

There are movements that strongly emphasize using God's name (and, of course, only the name of God that they believe to be correct). However, there are no biblical prohibitions against using God's name, nor are there commands that we must do so. Anyone who says that God must be addressed only by His name, YHWH, is speaking without biblical warrant.

Throughout both the Old and New Testaments, God inspired the human authors of Scripture to refer to Him using generic terms for "God" and "Lord." Beyond YHWH, God chose to reveal Himself using many other names and titles. So, clearly, using God's name is not required.

YHWH is as close to a personal name as God has revealed to us. The Divine Name was revealed to Moses and was unknown before his time: "I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob as God Almighty, but by my name the LORD [YHWH] I did not make myself fully known to them" (Exodus 6:3). The name YHWH seems to refer to God's self-existence, being linked to "I AM THAT I AM" in Exodus 3:14. God told Moses that "this is my name forever, the name you shall call me from generation to generation" (Exodus 3:15; cf. Exodus 15:3). All other "names" for God, such as El-Shaddai, are probably titles, rather than personal names, strictly speaking—although it is quite proper to address God by His titles. References to "the name of our God" (in Psalm 44:20, for example), are oblique references to God's personal name, YHWH.

3. What do LORD, GOD, Lord, God, etc., stand for in the Bible? Why are they used in place of God's name?

It can be very confusing to understand how the different titles used for God are used in the Bible. Part of the problem is that different Bible translations use the terms somewhat differently. The primary reason for the use of LORD in place of God's Hebrew name is to follow the tradition of the Israelites in not pronouncing or spelling out God's name. So, when God's Hebrew name "YHWH" is used in the Old Testament, English translations usually use "LORD" in all caps or small caps. Also, since ancient Hebrew did not use vowels in its written form, it is not entirely clear how God's name should be spelled or pronounced. It could be Yahweh, or Jehovah, or Yehowah, or something else.

As stated above, when "LORD" in all caps or small caps occurs in the Old Testament, it is a replacement for an occurrence of God's Hebrew name "YHWH," also known as the Tetragrammaton. This is fairly consistent throughout all the different English translations of the Bible. When "Lord" occurs in the Old Testament, referring to God, it is usually a rendering of "Adonai," a name/title of God that emphasizes His lordship. LORD/YHWH and Lord/Adonai are by far the two most consistent renderings throughout all the different English Bible translations.

In the Old Testament, when "God" is used, it is usually a rendering of the general Hebrew word for God, "Elohim." When "LORD GOD" or "Lord GOD" occurs, it is usually a rendering of a dual name for God "Adonai YHWH." The Hebrew term "YHWH Sabaoth" is usually rendered "Lord of Hosts." The Hebrew term "YHWH Shaddai" is usually rendered "LORD Almighty." The Old Testament uses many different names and titles to refer to God, to emphasize certain aspects of His person and attributes. This can result in confusion in translation, but in the original Hebrew, it was done entirely in an effort to glorify and magnify God's name.

The usage of "Lord" and "God" in the New Testament is much less complicated. Almost universally, "God" is a translation of "theos," the general Greek word for deity. Also almost universally, "Lord" is a translation of "kurios," the general Greek word for a master. The key point in all of this is that whether we use His actual Hebrew name, or refer to Him as God, or Lord, or Lord God, we are to always show reverence to Him and His name.