As He Became Christ, So We Become Christians

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And here is the PDF of Barth’s Church Dogmatics: II.2.

Cd 2

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Show Notes

Summary

In this conversation, the hosts discuss the concept of election and predestination from Karl Barth's Church Dogmatics. They explore how Bart rejects the idea of an arbitrary and predetermined list of who goes to heaven and who goes to hell. Instead, Bart emphasizes that election is rooted in the person of Jesus Christ, who chose to come to earth as both fully God and fully human. The hosts also discuss the implications of election, including the idea that Jesus' election is specifically his election to suffer, and that his suffering is the basic act of divine election. They emphasize that election is a personal and relational concept, and that being in Christ means being fully known and loved by him. The conversation also touches on the topics of universalism and the participatory dimension of election.

Takeaways

• Election is not an arbitrary and predetermined list, but is rooted in the person of Jesus Christ.

• Jesus' election is specifically his election to suffer, and his suffering is the basic act of divine election.

• Being in Christ means being fully known and loved by him.

• Election is a personal and relational concept, and emphasizes the constant and unconditional love of God.

• The concept of universalism should not be confused with the personal and relational nature of election.

Sound Bites

• "God's love is always freeing and so people should never live under the myth that they are in any way stopped by God's absolute love for them."

• "Election has all of that throbbing aliveness to it. It's the voice of Jesus who's saying, 'Come to me, all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.'"

• "The nature of universalism is to say that people have to respond in a particular way, which is what your people are saying. Well, then they have to go to heaven or something like that. The nature of universalism ism -ness of it makes it a system. It removes it from a personal dynamic."