Righteousness of God

In the Romerbrief , Barth pre-channels Wright on Romans 1:17: “In the Gospel is revealed the great, universal secret of the righteousness of God which presses upon every man of every rank. In Christ the consistency of God with Himself – so grievously questioned throughout the whole world, among both Jews and Greeks – is brought to light and honoured. What men on this side resurrection name ‘God’ is most characteristically not God. Their ‘God’ does not redeem his creation, but allows free course to the unrighteousness of men; does not declare himself to be God, but is the complete affirmation of the course of the world and of men as it is. This is intolerable, for, in spite of the highest honours we offer him for his adornment, he is, in fact, ‘No-God.’ The cry of revolt against such a god is nearer the truth than is the sophistry with which men attempt to justify him. Only because they have nothing better, only because they lack the courage of despair, do the generality of men on this side resurrection avoid falling into blatant atheism. But in Christ God speaks as He is, and punishes the ‘No-God’ of all these falsehoods. He affirms Himself by denying us as we are and the world as it is. In Christ God offers Himself to be known as God beyond our trespass, beyond time and things and men, to be known as the Redeemer of prisoners, and consequently, as the meaning of all that is – in fact, as the Creator. He acknowledges Himself to be God by creating and maintaining the distance by which we are separated from Him; He displays His mercy by inaugurating His KRISIS and bringing us under judgment. He guarantees our salvation by willing to be God and to be known as God- in Christ; He justifies us by justifying Himself.”

This from a selection from The Modern Theologians Reader , a recently released anthology of selections from a wide range of modern theologians and a suitable primary text companion to The Modern Theologians: An Introduction to Christian Theology Since 1918 (The Great Theologians) .