Some thoughts on God and rationality

Yes, we have all sinned.  The question Barth is raising here does this passage of Romans 1 – 2 allow a place for salvation other than through Jesus Christ?  Obviously, the answer to this in the long run is going to be no! He goes on in the CD and looks at the speech St Paul made about the unknown God found in Acts.  Barth rightly says that not many turned to follow Christ.  At the seat of reason and scientific rationality in the ancient world… They basically laughed at the Gospel message.  It is sad but true that the modern world with all its rationalities does not have a place for God… and at times any God.  I find it really encouraging that Barth quotes from the Psalms and reminds us that it is God who is Creator which is the first part of the Churches Confession; We believe in One God the Father Creator of Heaven and Earth…

In that sense I have to say I have more in common with people who have a faith in some God because they don’t deny this starting point… The created order is a fact it is here with us and we are also created by God.  We start from humility and then we can move on.

Barth CD 2 1 The Doctrine of God page 104 (scanned)

In Rom. 32“. we read : “ For there is no difference : for all have sinned and

come short of the glory of God ; being justified freely by his grace through the

redemption that is in Christ Jesus." This verse sums up what has already been

unfolded on the one hand (all have sinned), and what is afterwards to be unfolded

on the other hand (being justified freely). In Rom. 118—320 Paul had spoken of the

revelation of the wrath of God upon all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men,

the heathen as well as the Jew, the Jew as well as the heathen. In Rom. 32"-

he will speak in exactly the same way of the revelation of the righteousness of

God which by means of the 750119 ’Inaofi Xpwrofi comes for all who believe.

We ask: Is there a place between this twofold (but in the wisdom and will of

God obviously undivided) determination of man by the wrath and righteousness

of God, where it is possible for man in the cosmos as such, and grounded in

himself, to stand in an independent relationship to God, i.e,, in a relationship

untouched by the wrath and righteousness of God, and therefore—in contradiction

to I Cor. 2, where the very opposite is written—to become the bearer of an

independent witness to God ? In face of this context of Rom. 1—3, is there even

a remote possibility that the passages 1191- and 2‘”- can still point in this direction?

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