God the Son: God as Reconciler

Throughout human history, people have sought to understand who God is and what our relationship is with the Creator.

Many times this wondering has led to an understanding of a God who is distant and vengeful. In some ancient religions, humans are even understood as slaves to the gods.

One of the truly distinctive teachings of Christianity is the concept that Jesus is the Reconciler. The one who reconciles humanity and God. In describing this act of reconciliation that follows the first act of creation, Barth writes, “He accomplishes, as it were, a second divine act… a second act which for all its newness and inconceivability is related to the first. God reconciles us to Himself, comes to us, speaks with us…” [413]

How amazing to know that the God who created all that is comes to us and speaks with us in order to reconcile a fallen humanity with an amazing Trinity.

God the Father: The Eternal Father

Referring to God, the first person of the Trinity, as “Father” is one of the most common ways God is addressed.

However, Barth’s understanding of “Father” comes from a different place than is commonly practiced. Most times, people seek to understand God from their human experience. Thus, because we know what a human father is, we think that tells us something about who thee “Father” is. Barth never seeks to understand God starting with human experience. Instead, when Barth seeks to understand God, he does so starting with God.

Barth quotes Athanasius, who wrote, “For God is not patterned after human beings, but rather, human beings are named fathers of their own children after God, who is preeminently and alone truly the Father of his own Son.” [393]

For Barth, the word “Father” is not a mere title. It is not a way that we understand who God is from our experience. Instead, God is truly Father.

If God is truly Father, how might that broaden our understanding of God? If Father is more than a title, much more than a metaphor, if God IS Father what does that tell us about who God is?

God the Father: God as Creator

When Karl Barth writes of God the Father as Creator, he does not understand creation as only a singular event in a distant past when stars were set in motion. Rather, creation, and God’s will, are most fully understood in terms of resurrection. Barth writes, “Resurrection is indeed the power of the cross and the gaining of life the power of the losing of life.” [388]

Today marks the first anniversary of the passing of Robert Hudgins, my father-in-law. Today is a sad day as we dearly miss this great man. No one can replace him.

But I am left to wonder if while we experience loss, if what Bobby has experienced is the fullness of God as Creator.

Barth goes on to explain, “He [God the Father] wills the transition of our life through death to eternal life. His kingdom is new birth.”

Today we walk through the darkness of the valley of the shadow of death, not realizing that where that valley leads us is to the fullness of creation, the "new birth".