Friday, December 14, 2018
God Himself and God alone is Master and Lord.
This cannot be stated strongly enough, exclusively enough, negatively enough against all synergism or even monism.
It must not be so stated, however, that what is simple and definite is forgotten or obscured.
It is he, man, who is central in this event.
It is not an event in the loneliness of God, but an event between God and man.
Man is not there only in a supplementary capacity.
In his own place, his own sharply defined manner, he participates in the event as one of the principals; not as a cipher or as a phantom, but as the real man that he is.
The Word became flesh.
He participates in it as a real man can, where God Himself, God alone is the Subject, Lord and Master.
It is not that he is not in it.
But even more refined and precise statements we make regarding the sovereignty of God in this event can only describe how real man participates in it and to what extent he can do so.
from Karl Barth, “The Miracle of Christmas”, Church Dogmatics I.2, page 186
