ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on one section of the Church Dogmatics, section 18 'The Life of the Children of God', found in volume 1/2. The practical matter of Christian life is worked out from its basis in the being and act of the eternal God who is present in the saving action of the Son and Spirit. The chapter draws attention to the role of Jesus' ascended being in shaping, sometimes at a distance, but genuinely, the fundamental presuppositions Karl Barth works with. Love for God is the reality of eternity, of redeemed human existence. The resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ have taken place. The resurrection and ascension of Jesus provide one pole of the tension within which the current age exists, and in particular which characterizes the being of Christians as 'in two times and worlds'. In his singular treatment of Jesus' commandment, Barth, perhaps counter-intuitively, sees the neighbour as one who offers the Christian a service.
