Karl Barth (1886-1968) was arguably the most influential
theological thinker of the twentieth century. In "The Absurdity of
Unbelief," Jeffrey D. Johnson wrote that, according to Barth, faith in
Christ is somehow independent of His words and teachings:
- It is not faith in a document [the Bible] but faith in a living person that saves. It is the moment that we believe through the power of the Holy Spirit that the life, death, and resurrection of Christ effectually means something to us. Thus, according to Barth, knowledge of God comes by experiencing a personal relationship with Christ Jesus through faith.
Yes, salvation has to begin with the work of the Spirit.
However, this is not a work that takes place independent of the Word of God, as
Paul had written:
·
“How then shall they call on him in whom they
have not believed? and how shall they believe in him whom they have not heard?
and how shall they hear without a preacher?” (Romans 10:14 ASV)
Emerging from theological liberalism and skepticism about the
complete inspiration of the Bible, Barth wrongly attempted to separate God from
His Word, as many today do.
Instead, if we have faith in God, we have faith in Him
according to what He has revealed in His Word:
·
“Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he
it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will
love him and manifest myself to him...If anyone loves me, he will keep my word,
and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with
him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you
hear is not mine but the Father's who sent me.” (John 14:21, 23-24 ESV)
Likewise, to rebel against God is to rebel against His Word,
as the Prophet Samuel charged the disobedient King Saul:
·
“For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and
stubbornness is as idolatry and teraphim. Because thou hast rejected the word
of Jehovah, he hath also rejected thee from being king.” (1 Samuel 15:23 ASV)
Consequently, to honor God is to honor His Word, the Truth
of God:
·
“I will worship toward thy holy temple, And give
thanks unto thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: For thou hast
magnified thy word above all thy name.” (Psalms 138:2)
This, of course, doesn't mean that His Word is greater than
God. Instead, it means that, for our sake, He has elevated His Word to the
place of prominence. Therefore, it is through His revealed truth that we
believe, obey, and even worship Him. Without His Word, we do not know what to
believe or how to act. We don't know when we go wrong or rebel. We are on our
own, adrift of any connection to God. It is like being technically married but
without a clue how to please our spouse.
Consequently, if we love God and want to please Him, we will
keep His Word.
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