ABSTRACT
This conclusion presents some closing thoughts on the key concepts covered in the preceding chapters of this book. The book examines how Karl Barth interprets the doctrine of the virgin birth as a fitting sign at the origin of Christ's human life. It expresses the dialectical 'Yes' and 'No' of God's grace toward and judgment upon humanity, the form of which is repeated subsequently in the life of every Christian, beginning first with Mary. The sign of the virgin birth bore an epistemological function that alerted believers to the meaning of Christ's person and work, rather than an ontological function that constituted the identity and work of Christ. The work of the Holy Spirit in history, both in uniting human beings to the person of the divine Son and in bringing other human beings into communion with God, is an outworking of the eternal role of the Holy Spirit who is the bond of love between the Father and the Son.
