He will never advise us to do anything that contradicts Scripture. . The revelation of God denies that any religion is true, i.e., that it is in truth the knowledge and worship of God and the reconciliation of man with God” (CD I/2, 325). Understand how people have seen God as “dwelling in” various places 3. An Exercise in Solidarity. . “All other religions are oblique; the founder steps aside and introduces another who speaks; therefore, they themselves belong under the religion—Christianity alone is direct address (I am the truth)” (JP 427, 1:172). Again, we cannot say of the evident religious capacity of man that it is, so to speak, the general form of human knowledge, which acquires its true and proper content in the shape of revelation. It is a feeble but defiant, an arrogant but hopeless, attempt to create something which man could do, but now cannot do, or can do only because and if God Himself created it for him: the knowledge of the truth, the knowledge of God. (CD IV/3/1, 109). As it is God’s Word it bears witness to God’s past revelation, and it is God’s past revelation in the form of attestation” (CD I/1, 111). Barth is content, then, simply to present Jesus Christ as He has revealed himself to us and to explain what Christians believe about Christ. Precisely because God wants Holy Scripture to be the object of faith and an offense to any other point of view, for this reason there are carefully contrived discrepancies (which, after all, in eternity will readily be dissolved into harmonies); therefore it is written in bad Greek, etc. A man might even credit all miracles and for that reason not confess the miracle. For Barth the key to responding to these questions is to ask, “Who is it who puts these questions?” But this question implies and calls for another: But the question which we really ought to put first is whether we should decide, whether we are in any way competent, whether we can imagine that we have some light of our own which constrains and qualifies us, ever to put such questions. Instead, the only appropriate “proof” of God’s existence is an expression of submission: “one proves God’s existence by worship . And patience develops strength of character in us and helps us trust God more each time we use it until finally our hope and faith are strong and steady. Scripture always refers to the power of the Holy Spirit in relationship to witnessing and glorifying God. The Bible tells us, “Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the Devil” (Ephesians 6:11). God is the Creator. Subscribe. I love it that God allows us to talk to him about our questions and struggles. Having affirmed that Jesus’ life is a revelation of God, and that it is such in fulfillment of the Old Testament (CD IV/3/1, 48-71), Barth asks the apologetic question: “Hitherto we have presupposed and maintained that the life of Jesus Christ as such is light, that His being is also name, His reality truth, His history revelation, His act Word or Logos. The answer is simple: You accept what God allows! Jesus warned the Jews in His day, “You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.” (Jn. We read in the scriptures that God has good plans for us (Jeremiah 29:11), that God is our shepherd , and about Him being our rock . The Bible as the Bible, as a collection of books with a literary and textual history, can be studied, analyzed, debated, and even, for some fideists, critiqued. What is the “new earth”? 4:12). (JP 1144, 2:21-22). Let your body relax and allow yourself to become consciously aware of God’s presence with you. That is, God’s Word is an event, the event of God speaking through the human words of Scripture. “It does not become God’s Word because we accord it faith but in the fact that it becomes revelation to us” (CD I/1, 110). Scripture, Understanding No Other Is God Veils Abundance, Spiritual. In other words, God didn’t write in some kind of secret code. Faith in God can neither be rationally certain nor empirically evident; revelation is paradoxical and requires a leap of faith. We can be confident in the midst of any trial that God is in control and has ultimate power over Satan in all things. not by proofs.”5. In Reformed apologetics miracles are believed because God reveals them; in fideism, because in them God reveals himself. Where it seems that I might be able to understand, I will still prefer to believe, for it is more blessed to believe—as long as we human beings live in this world, understanding easily becomes something imagined, a chummy importunity—and where I cannot understand, yes, there it is blessed to believe.” (JP 1117, 2:9). Think about what that means. . Site by. Barth admits frankly that in the end the Christian presentation of the claims of Christ will be circular: The point of our whole exposition is positively: Credo ut intelligam, and polemically: “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.” As we have put it, the declaration of the prophecy of the life of Jesus Christ is valid as and because it is a declaration concerning the life of Jesus Christ. The statement that Jesus Christ is the one Word of God has really nothing whatever to do with the arbitrary exaltation and self-glorification of the Christian in relation to other men, of the Church in relation to other institutions, or of Christianity in relation to other conceptions. Just image what you … The spiritual person has the Spirit of God. When God raised Jesus from the dead, He paved a way for us to come to God as well. . Kierkegaard found evidence of a fideist approach to Scripture in Luther: In the sermon on the Gospel for Easter Monday, in the final passage, Luther makes the distinction: You have the right to argue the Bible, but you do not have the right to argue the Holy Scriptures. 7 For discussions of these and other statements by Barth pertaining to the problem of evil, see Rodin, Evil and Theodicy in the Theology of Karl Barth. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1984. If there is an aspect of the fideist approach that especially troubles evangelicals, it is its view of Scripture. This does not mean that we are engaging in apologetics. The Search OF the Savior: Why Jesus Came, Part 2 (Gal. Aspects or statements of the Bible that do not contribute to that function need not be accepted as true, and certainly should not be defended. But within the sphere of the ideas possible to us, creatio ex nihilo can appear only as an absurdity. We can again extend the series into the infinite. . Continue to commit to Him doing His will, trust in […] “All these more or less radical and destructive movements in the history of theology in the last two centuries are simply variations on one simple theme . That’s not just you will-powering your way to stop being angry at them — that’s a supernatural work of the Spirit making Jesus’ love so real to you that you are filled and overflowing. He paid for us to live in eternity with Him. The Bible. Can it ever enter his head to think that he should justify himself in this matter, adducing proofs to convince himself and others, or to assure himself that he is really right, that what he does is necessary or at least possible? God is not merely interested in giving you the things that you want in life – but God is more interested in you having a genuine and growing relationship with Him. Among evangelicals, it is popular to affirm that Christianity is not a religion but a relationship with Jesus Christ. Through it we encounter the Lord and allow him to speak to us. Invite and wait for Him to come to us in His fullness. First, and somewhat surprisingly, Christianity is superior because it alone tells the truth about man’s tragic standing as a sinner. Or if so, it is only the apologetics which is a necessary function of dogmatics to the extent that this must prepare an exact account of the presupposition, limits, meaning and basis of the statements of the Christian confession, and thus be able to give this account to any who may demand it. He’s sovereign, and its His providence. Creator means one who alone exists, and everything else only as the work of His will and Word. My wife Vicki and I have seen this powerful reality over and over again. When God acts on a problem, and His actions are not to your liking, what do you do? “A real witness is not identical with that to which it witnesses, but it sets it before us” (CD I/2, 463). On the basis of this view of religion, Barth concludes that in a sense no religion is true. Atheists who ask for proof are asking for something that would disprove Christianity. The Christian element—and with this the theological reorientation which had threatened since the Renaissance is completed—has now actually become a predicate of the neutral and universal human element. According to Kierkegaard, it is unthinkable to blame God for anything, and no proof of his goodness is needed. The fideists’ approach differs in this respect: for them God’s revelation is not essentially verbal, but active. “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise – the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. Your relationship to God and your character are the only two things you're going to take with you into eternity. Let us summarize a few of the ways God helps. Second, Kierkegaard points out that Jesus Christ, alone among all the founders of the major world religions, made himself the supreme issue. In relation to the content of the Word spoken in Jesus Christ, we have tried to describe and explain this basis. Yet none of them ever left a trace of the idea that these extrabiblical religions represented alternative revelations (CD IV/3/1, 92-93). Note, then, that Barth can accept a dynamic identity between the Bible and God’s Word. He makes this point explicitly when, following on the above-cited passage, he asserts that the believer in God’s revelation in Christ might conceivably question some of the miracle stories in the Bible: The fact that the statement “God reveals Himself” is the confession of a miracle that has happened certainly does not imply a blind credence in all the miracle stories related in the Bible. It can be upheld by it and concealed in it. To anyone who hears his voice and opens the door he promises, “‘I will enter his house and dine with him, and he with me’” (Revelation 3:20). Absolutely not. Barth articulates this view of miracles in the Church Dogmatics. God placed our sins on His sinless Son on the cross, so that we might be forgiven and become a child of God. 3 Kierkegaard, Concluding Unscientific Postscript, 1:31. “And this is the very proof of Christianity’s being the highest religion, that none other has given such a profound and lofty expression of man’s significance—that he is a sinner. Jesus has authority over the devil. We have learned from the content of our presupposition and assertion, and only from its content, that because it is true it is legitimate and obligatory, and in what sense this is the case. “The Holy Scriptures are the highway signs: Christ is the way” (JP 208, 1:84). On this site you will find supplementary resources for each of the chapters in the book. (CD II/1, 76). Reason allows us to study and grow in knowledge and to make judgments about discipleship in the world. Scripture is the inspired word of God. We have simply ascribed to Him what the Bible calls glory and therefore His prophetic office. But do we trust Him with our lives? Romans 15:4 - "...through patience and comfort of the scriptures we might have hope." It wants to have direct recognizability, wants to have the most absolute harmony throughout Scripture, and then it will believe Christianity, believe that the Bible is the Word of God—that is, it will not believe. Scripture gives us the “conversational material” but it’s up to us to open up our mouths and have that conversation. “The purpose of reading the Word is to get to know the One to Whom the Word points.”, “Scripture gives us the ‘conversational material’…”, Copyright © 2021 Hilltop House of Prayer. “For this reason Christianity cannot answer the question: Why? Events and special features showcased through large beautiful photography. Barth undoubtedly has this double meaning in mind.”1 Here Barth expounds that double meaning: the revelation of God elevates or exalts religion paradoxically at the same time that it abolishes religion; it does this by establishing a new religion that has as its central affirmation that God has judged sinners and their religion and now offers them a new standing of righteousness by grace. The basic fideist distinction between Scripture as witness and Christ as the One to whom Scripture witnesses is found in Kierkegaard. This argument appears to be a recommendation to unbelievers to take the Christian faith seriously enough to try it. We do not believe if we do not live in the neighborhood of Golgotha. We don’t want to surrender because we are afraid we might crash. The Spirit confirms God’s covenant relationship, a prerequisite for acceptable worship. 5:1-2). Learning Objectives 1. Review common obstacles to encountering God 2. While most theologians today (including many Lutherans) eschew this approach to Scripture, it survives in popular and even scholarly reading of Scripture. Romans 10:9 tells us that if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. It’s important that we come to the Bible expecting to learn and grow in our relationship with God. living God speaks to us. Creator means: creator ex nihilo. . It was about five years ago that I began to desire an encounter with God. Genuine encounters with God’s presence set our hearts ablaze with love for the Lord and keep us from growing lukewarm. “He was the Scriptures given life” (JP 342, 1:143). Accept the reality that God allows suffering for good and necessary reasons: to prepare us to comfort others (see II Cor. When we walk in love, we give off His scent. We must always trust that God has a plan and He has a reason for allowing something to happen. Consider what the Bible teaches. 6. 7 (Macon, Ga.: Mercer University Press, 1994), 69. if you are using this for a paper use [email protected] for the author, Happy New Year: Past, Present, and Future Perspectives, 4. Mechthild writes, “Jesus, dearest Lover of mine, let me approach you . Rodin, R. Scott. Our study of the Bible must develop into an active dialogue with the Person of God. Issues in Systematic Theology 3. Join me for surprising ways to encounter God. According to Barth, it is as the Bible engenders faith in God revealing himself that it functions as or is the Word of God. limits. God is closer than the world ever dared to imagine.” Rev. Totter; see chapter 16 for a more detailed exposition of Pascal’s arguments with documentation. For love alone never fails. First, they argue that in a sense the question is inappropriate and shows that people have not really come to terms with what it means for God to be God. The fact that Christianity offends many people in its assessment of the human condition is for Kierkegaard just as important as the fact that many are attracted to it. It constitutes, in fact, the presupposition, the criterion, the necessary framework for an understanding of revelation. Do fideists even attempt to provide meaningful answers to common objections to the Christian faith? The Bible must be known as the Word of God if it is to be known as the Word of God. It is this consciousness which paganism lacks” (JP 452, 1:179). His love gives us the absolute assurance that we are never alone or without help. Thorough study of Barth’s treatment of the problem of evil. And, the purpose of this 6 Day Devotional is to push you towards yours. 5:3-4, LB) Here's the point: God is at work in your life - even when you do not recognize it or understand it. He simply asks that he should admit that it is not he who plans and controls” (CD IV/3/1, 431). For Reformed apologists revelation is essentially verbal: God communicates truth to us in propositional form, and included in this truth is the fact that God has done certain miracles for our redemption. Let’s take God for example. Human religion, the relationship with God which we can and actually do have apart from revelation, is not an unknown but a very well-known quantity both in form and content, and as such it is something which has to be reckoned with, as having a central importance for all theological thinking. I am always so grateful to God that Scripture includes records like this, of people who really struggle with the things they see around them. God. Blessing At the same time, he hastens to add that “the Bible is not distinguished from revelation” in that “it is for us revelation by means of the words of the prophets and apostles written in the Bible.” Thus the Bible is revelation mediately, not immediately. Examples of this in the bible are the dreams experienced by Daniel and Joseph and many more. Furthermore, we should not be surprised by the evil we see all around us. As we walk in righteousness, we are renewed and refreshed, and God allows us to nourish and refresh others we encounter every day, practicing the one anothers of scripture. The fideists’ approach differs in this respect: for them God’s revelation is not essentially verbal, but active. (Genesis 1:26) Unlike animals, which act mainly on instinct, we resemble our Creator in our capacity to display such qualities as love and justice. Making us as Himself was God’s plan from the beginning, as quoted from Genesis 1:27: “So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” Knowing that we are made in the same image as God, this establishes an unbreakable bond we share with the Father and a solid form of intimacy that cannot be replicated with any other god or human. God dignifies us with free will, the power to make decisions of our own rather than having God or fate predetermine what we do. And God saw that the light was good. But this is an axiom which no one can invent. (CD I/2, 330-331). . . Read it out loud, listening for the word or phrase that catches your attention and savor the Word. It can be justified by it, and—we must at once add—sanctified. God Allows Problems in Order to Test Our Hearts God may allow problems so that He may test your heart and your motives. I had heard stories of other people who had had encounters and how it changed their lives, and I knew that I wanted my life and my impact to go to another level. God is love, and when we abide in Him, we will smell like Him. God. The apologetic task, then, becomes to present God’s revelation in Scripture as his self-attesting Word, and belief in the biblical miracles will follow. That it suffers in this way is the Church’s answer to the world on the question of a “theodicy”—the question of the justice of God in the sufferings inflicted on us in the world. 15 The Bible promises: “There are new heavens and a new earth that we are awaiting,” and “in these righteousness is to dwell.” (2 Peter 3:13; Isaiah 65:17) Sometimes when the Bible talks about “the earth,” it’s talking about the people who live on the earth. Read the list below of scriptures mentioning the suffering we all must encounter. [2] In the same way we develop a relationship with our spouse — talking with, asking questions, growing in relational knowledge — that is the same way we grow in relationship with God. His history is a question which gives its own answer, a puzzle which contains its own solution, a secret which is in process of its own disclosure.” (CD IV/3/1, 46-47), Although fideists oppose traditional sorts of arguments designed to prove or defend rationally that Jesus is the risen Christ and Son of God, they do employ indirect arguments in keeping with Kierkegaard’s practice of “indirect communication.” For example, in Kierkegaard’s Philosophical Fragments, Climacus’s “poem” about God becoming a man in order to be our Teacher and Savior is shown not to be Climacus’s invention or the creation of any other human being; it must therefore have come from God himself.9 Those who hear the story of the Incarnation and disbelieve it are always offended at the absurdity of it, a fact that Climacus takes as indirect confirmation of its truth.10 Stephen Evans corroborates this view: “A person who wanted to make up a story would make up something much more plausible.”11. According to Barth, it makes no sense for someone who believes in Christ as the Truth to try and prove or defend that belief. 37:12,13). . You will not regard the Word of God as folly but as the most precious word imaginable. The revelation of God vouches for its uniqueness as it does for itself as such. Barth frankly accepts the circularity of this position: We have to admit to ourselves and to all who ask us about this question that the statement that the Bible is the Word of God is an analytical statement, a statement which is grounded only in its repetition, description and interpretation, and not in its derivation from any major propositions. This implies that “all verification of its occurrence can only follow its self-verification, all interpretation of its form and content its self-interpretation. 4. How do we come to assert that it can, if it has not already done so? We reviewed his argument in some detail in chapter 16; we will simply summarize the main points here. The problem of evil is one of the most famous puzzles in the history of human thought. There is no greater priority than this: to enable the people of our time once more to encounter God, the God who speaks to us and shares his love so that we might have life in abundance (cf. Rather than trying to justify God to the unbelieving world by constructing speculative, rational arguments, the church needs to show in its own response to human suffering that it is a people who know and trust God. Exactly! The authority of Scripture, because it is the Word of God, is self-attesting. Since the history of Jesus’ life is the history of God’s revelation of himself in Jesus, the very history of that revelation in Jesus’ life reveals the meaning of Jesus’ life. (CD I/2, 535). The Bible also promises still more godly communication from the third person of the Trinity , the Holy Spirit: “But when he, the Spirit of … (CD I/2, 289-290). 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