Our Sin is Behind Us Because Christ is Before Us

Here is the recording from the second session of our series on the Barmen Declaration. Apologies for those who had connectivity issues on Monday night. Hopefully, it will work out this coming week!

You can join us (fingers-crossed) live with this link.

Here are the slides for the session:

Barth Barmen 2

1.57MB ∙ PDF file

Download

Download

Show Notes

Summary

The conversation explores Thesis 2 of the Barman Declaration, which focuses on Jesus Christ as our wisdom. The hosts discuss the historical context of the declaration and the political situation in Germany at the time. They highlight Barth's response to the rise of fascism and his critique of preaching on themes. The affirmation of Thesis 2 emphasizes that Jesus Christ is the comforting pronouncement of forgiveness and the vigorous announcement of God's claim on our whole life.

The conversation also touches on the challenges of living out one's faith in a divided and polarized society. In this part of the conversation, the speakers discuss the importance of truth-telling and the dangers of mixing church and state. They explore the idea that the gospel is not just about forgiveness of sins, but also about joyful deliverance and following Christ. They emphasize the need for Christians to live out their faith in all aspects of life and not to be swayed by political ideologies. The conversation concludes with a prayer for the strength to confess Christ and live in freedom.

Takeaways

• Thesis 2 of the Barman Declaration focuses on Jesus Christ as our wisdom and emphasizes the unity of his person and work.

• Barth's response to the political situation in Germany was contextual and responsive, and he critiqued preaching on themes that did not serve the word of God.

• Living out one's faith requires acknowledging Jesus Christ as the center and circumference of all of life, with no realm excluded from his dominion.

• The conversation highlights the challenges of living as whole persons in a world with divided loyalties of church and state.

• The affirmation of Thesis 2 reminds us that Jesus Christ is both the comforting pronouncement of forgiveness and the claim upon our whole life. The importance of truth-telling and the dangers of spreading lies

• The need to separate church and state and avoid mixing political ideologies with faith

• The gospel is not just about forgiveness of sins, but also about joyful deliverance and following Christ

• The call for Christians to live out their faith in all aspects of life and not to be swayed by political pressures

• The power of confession and the freedom it brings

Sound Bites

• "Jesus Christ is God's comforting pronouncement of the forgiveness of all our sins."

• "Jesus Christ is also God's vigorous announcement of his claim upon our whole life."

• "Jesus Christ has been made wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption for us by God."

• "That bifurcation of my faith is one thing, but I can publicly break the commandment to not tell the truth."

• "I don't know that they're saying, well, the rules of bearing false witness don't apply here."

• "It's that kind of practice that Barth says, you know, leads to something worse than corruption."