Finally, I have braved the thought of trying to pick up Barth again. About every 300 pages I find something I understand… or I think I understand.

I don’t know why I’m trying to pick up Barth again. My life is so crammed full of stuff, this isn’t exactly devotional reading.

But for today, I try to look a bit Barthian, much to the chagrin of certain Lutheran friends of mine who have no time for the man… and you know who you are! 😉

The beauty of what I am reading today in Vol. II.1 (The Doctrine of God) is the realization that God indeed desires to reveal himself to us. We need to push past our misconceptions, and, quite frankly, our own desires to not know God. He longs to reveal himself to us.

Barth has an excursus on creation. In comparing the biblical creation story with the Babylonian creation story, there is a glaring contrast. In the Babylonian story the relation between the gods and humanity is fluid. Man acts, the gods respond. The gods act, man responds.

But in the biblical creation account we find that “God stands out from the very first line as sovereign in relation to everything which is not Himself, as the One who acts not only in and with, but first and foremost towards the world.”

Creation is about God acting first. God made the first move. And in his sight and judgment it was good.

“It is not only created by God but upheld in its created existence and nature by His grace.”

Now, off to the next 300 pages before I can understand something else.

I give thanks today for God who acted toward me first. It is his world, and I’m living in it!