Karl Barth Quotes on God (9 Quotes)

All sin has its being and origin in the fact that man wants to be his own judge. And in wanting to be that, and thinking and acting accordingly, he and his whole world is in conflict with God. It is an unreconciled world, and therefore a suffering world, a world given up to destruction.

Laughter is the closest thing to the grace of God.

Religion is the possibility of the removal of every ground of confidence except confidence in God alone.

Man can certainly keep on lying. . . but he cannot make truth falsehood. He can certainly rebel. . . but he can accomplish nothing which abolishes the choice of God.

Karl Barth, the 20th-century theologian who pounded home the theme of God's sovereignty, saw no contradiction at all in a God who chooses to let prayers affect him. He is not deaf, he listens more than that, he acts. He does not act in the same way whether we pray or not. Prayer exerts an influence upon God's action, even upon his existence. That is what the word 'answer' means. ... The fact that God yields to man's petitions, changing his intentions in response to man's prayer, is not a sign of weakness. He himself, in the glory of his majesty and power, has so willed it.

Whether the angels play only Bach praising God, I am not quite sure. I am sure, however, that en famille they play Mozart.

It may be that when the angels go about their task praising God, they play only Bach. I am sure, however, that when they are together en famille they play Mozart.

No one can be saved - in virtue of what he can do. Everyone can be saved - in virtue of what God can do.

Man can certainly flee from God... but he cannot escape him. He can certainly hate God and be hateful to God, but he cannot change into its opposite the eternal love of God which triumphs even in his hate.