“It does not become God’s Word because we accord it faith but in the fact that it becomes revelation to us. But the fact taht it becomes revelation to us beyond all our faith, that is God’s Word even in spite of our lack of faith, is something we can accept and confess as true to us and for us only in faith, in faith as opposed to unbelief, in the faith in which we look away from our faith and unbelief to the act of God, but in faith and not in unbelief, and therefore precisely not in abstraction from the act of God in virtue of which the Bible must become again and again His Word to us.” (Barth)

The Word is active. It is active even if we don’t have faith. Believe the Bible or don’t believe the Bible. Doubt it. Embrace it. In any case we can image as human being, the Word of God is active and alive (Heb. 4:12).

While this may sound like a “well, DUH!” to us as evangelicals today, this is a shot across the liberal bow in Europe during the time of Barth. It should also stand as a shot across the bow of some so-called “emergent” theology today. We have an anchor. And for that I am so grateful!

I think I’m starting to get some of this!