Is God a Mammal?
Some ask: Since humans are made in God’s image (Genesis 1:26-27) and since they are mammals (Ecclesiastes 3:18-19), is God a Mammal?
Humans are mammals. A mammal is any of the various warm-blooded vertebrate animals of the class Mammalia. These are characterized by a covering of hair on the skin and, in the female, milk-producing mammary glands for nourishing the young. Now, according to evolutionary science, human beings are classified under Mammalia.
However, “species” under this class vary greatly. For instance, whales are considered to be mammals. Humans have the capacity of speech and higher mental capacity, whereas apes, although classified under mammals as well, do not have this ability.
It is true that we were created in God’s image (Genesis 1:27), that is our physical appearance and character somehow resembles His, but we are not divine, nor is our classification of ourselves applicable to Him. God is the Almighty infinite Creator of the universe and we are mere finite creatures (Genesis 17:1; Revelation 1:8).
To ask if God is a mammal is to classify the Almighty (Luke 1:37) under something that is infinitely lower than who He is. God is the Divine Spirit (John 4:24) who is immortal (1 Timothy 6:16; 1 Timothy 1:17). Humans are mortal beings ( Job 4:17) or souls (Genesis 2:7) with flesh and bones.
The verses in Ecclesiastes 3:18-19 refer to death, which is the lot of all living creatures on earth, whether man or beast. It do not refer to the nature of the Creator. The physical consequences of death are the same to man and beast. The psalmist says that “man being in honour abideth not: he is like the beasts that perish” (Psalms 49:12). All living creatures are identical in that, with the cessation of breath, they cease to exist (Ecclesiastes 12:7).
Although with sin, death entered the world, through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and His inspired Word, we believe that God will redeem humanity from the power of sin and death. “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:10).
In His service,
BibleAsk Team
