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The Call to Discipleship
In this brief essay, drawn from Church Dogmatics, Barth articulates what it means to follow Jesus in faith. He emphasizes that discipleship involves a detachment from the authority of possessions, foregoing the pursuit of personal glory, challenging the fear and use of force, the dissolution of self-evident personal attachments, and a "better righteousness," which goes beyond actions to intentions and practices piety in secret. "The command of Jesus . . . is issued with all the freedom and sovereignty of grace against which there can be no legitimate objections, of which no one is worthy, for which there can be no preparation, which none can elect, and in the face of which there can be no qualification."
96 pages, Paperback
First published September 15, 2003
24 people are currently reading
156 people want to read
About the author
Karl Barth
453 books260 followersProtestant theologian Karl Barth, a Swiss, advocated a return to the principles of the Reformation and the teachings of the Bible; his published works include
Church Dogmatics
from 1932.
Critics hold Karl Barth among the most important Christian thinkers of the 20th century; Pope Pius XII described him as the most important since Saint Thomas Aquinas. Beginning with his experience as a pastor, he rejected his typical predominant liberal, especially German training of 19th century.
Instead, he embarked on a new path, initially called dialectical, due to its stress on the paradoxical nature of divine truth—for instance, God is both grace and judgment), but more accurately called a of the Word. Critics referred to this father of new orthodoxy, a pejorative term that he emphatically rejected. His thought emphasized the sovereignty of God, particularly through his innovative doctrine of election. His enormously influenced throughout Europe and America.
Critics hold Karl Barth among the most important Christian thinkers of the 20th century; Pope Pius XII described him as the most important since Saint Thomas Aquinas. Beginning with his experience as a pastor, he rejected his typical predominant liberal, especially German training of 19th century.
Instead, he embarked on a new path, initially called dialectical, due to its stress on the paradoxical nature of divine truth—for instance, God is both grace and judgment), but more accurately called a of the Word. Critics referred to this father of new orthodoxy, a pejorative term that he emphatically rejected. His thought emphasized the sovereignty of God, particularly through his innovative doctrine of election. His enormously influenced throughout Europe and America.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
May 13, 2025
The Call To Discipleship is not easy. It hurts like Hades. But that's because it is healing you... if you can transcend your personal pain for long enough to LET IT DO ITS WORK.
No, folks, it WON'T let you off easy. Pain isn't healed that way. If you break a leg, you have to stay off it long enough to LET NATURE DO ITS WORK. God, says Spinoza, is Another Word for Nature.
And that's where I started, more than half a century ago. I had an epiphany of Absolute Transcendent Alterity in the open countryside. That was My call.
I chose to heed it.
And for 52 long years I buffeted the worldly wind. Same happened to Barth. In the years of WWI, a country pastor in Austria, he was CALLED. In the throes of inner hurricane force gales he opened his heart to the world in his Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans.
When Hitler rose to power he fought him tooth and nail. The Call means you resist evil in all its forms. His life was literally on the line with European Nazis. But he WROTE NONSTOP - in the Storm of the Pneuma within him.
By the time the War ended, he was burnt out. Travelling to the USA shortly afterward, a sly reporter asked him to sum up his monumental multi-volume work, Systematic Theology, in one sentence.
Know what?
Barth readily complied...
"Jesus Loves Me
This I know -
For the Bible
Tells me so!"
No, the Call is not easy.
But it CAN HEAL YOU - as it did for Barth -
And Help You Work Wonderful Things, just as it helped him join the battle to turn the tide of the War.
No, folks, it WON'T let you off easy. Pain isn't healed that way. If you break a leg, you have to stay off it long enough to LET NATURE DO ITS WORK. God, says Spinoza, is Another Word for Nature.
And that's where I started, more than half a century ago. I had an epiphany of Absolute Transcendent Alterity in the open countryside. That was My call.
I chose to heed it.
And for 52 long years I buffeted the worldly wind. Same happened to Barth. In the years of WWI, a country pastor in Austria, he was CALLED. In the throes of inner hurricane force gales he opened his heart to the world in his Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans.
When Hitler rose to power he fought him tooth and nail. The Call means you resist evil in all its forms. His life was literally on the line with European Nazis. But he WROTE NONSTOP - in the Storm of the Pneuma within him.
By the time the War ended, he was burnt out. Travelling to the USA shortly afterward, a sly reporter asked him to sum up his monumental multi-volume work, Systematic Theology, in one sentence.
Know what?
Barth readily complied...
"Jesus Loves Me
This I know -
For the Bible
Tells me so!"
No, the Call is not easy.
But it CAN HEAL YOU - as it did for Barth -
And Help You Work Wonderful Things, just as it helped him join the battle to turn the tide of the War.
March 8, 2019
Review title: Effect and cause
Barth turns cause and effect upside down in this slim extract from his master work Church Dogmatics, and this passage puts it startlingly directly in our faces as readers and aspiring disciples. This is hard and clear thinking about the faith that Christians profess to hold. As Barth writes later: "The call of Jesus makes history when it is heard and taken seriously" (p. 34) Barth lays down a serious case for taking the call of discipleship seriously. Discipleship, as Barth reads it in the Bible and claims in his theology, is not a noun for a vague concept, but a verb for specific and direct action of the type that can make history.
Slim (70 small-format pages) does not mean simple or easy reading. The sentence structure, as written by Barth and translated by G. W. Bromiley, is sometimes dense as thickets and deep in lyrical meaning which forces the reader to slow down and loop back through sentences to fix them into the mind. And for all its directness, this is not a how-to or self help book of the kind that fill shelves in bookstores today. It is a theological and spiritual call to action based on the authority and grace of Jesus which will both demand and deliver the fulfillment of the command to follow him. These few words of power delivered by Barth are worth more than a shelf-full of books.
Faith is not obedience, but . . . faith is not faith without obedience. They belong together, as do thunder and lightning in a thunderstorm. Levi would not have obeyed if he had not risen and followed Jesus. The fishermen by the lake would not have believed if they had not immediately (euthus) left their nets and followed him. Peter on the lake would not have believed if he had not obeyed Jesus' call to come, and left the boat and gone to him on the water (Matt. 14:29) (p. 17-18)
Barth turns cause and effect upside down in this slim extract from his master work Church Dogmatics, and this passage puts it startlingly directly in our faces as readers and aspiring disciples. This is hard and clear thinking about the faith that Christians profess to hold. As Barth writes later: "The call of Jesus makes history when it is heard and taken seriously" (p. 34) Barth lays down a serious case for taking the call of discipleship seriously. Discipleship, as Barth reads it in the Bible and claims in his theology, is not a noun for a vague concept, but a verb for specific and direct action of the type that can make history.
Slim (70 small-format pages) does not mean simple or easy reading. The sentence structure, as written by Barth and translated by G. W. Bromiley, is sometimes dense as thickets and deep in lyrical meaning which forces the reader to slow down and loop back through sentences to fix them into the mind. And for all its directness, this is not a how-to or self help book of the kind that fill shelves in bookstores today. It is a theological and spiritual call to action based on the authority and grace of Jesus which will both demand and deliver the fulfillment of the command to follow him. These few words of power delivered by Barth are worth more than a shelf-full of books.
August 3, 2015
Can be profitable read by people of all faiths
Typically I have read books in the Facets series because they provide a serious engagement with an author in a limited way rather than reading the whole work. This is not just a sampling of Barth but a coherent and consistent look at the essential facet of discipleship as Barth sees it. As such it is profitably read by all who have made a decision to follow Christ and are ready to be witnesses to the liberation/salvation offered in obedience to God instead of worldly absolutes.
Typically I have read books in the Facets series because they provide a serious engagement with an author in a limited way rather than reading the whole work. This is not just a sampling of Barth but a coherent and consistent look at the essential facet of discipleship as Barth sees it. As such it is profitably read by all who have made a decision to follow Christ and are ready to be witnesses to the liberation/salvation offered in obedience to God instead of worldly absolutes.
May 20, 2009
Barth got my attention. In The Call to Discipleship Karl Barth reflects on and challenges the reader to better understand what it means to answer Jesus when he says, “Follow me.” Barth describes God’s grace as “a grace that commands” and encourages the reader that discipleship involves action. He writes in an attention-grabbing fashion that motivates you to listen. I was inspired by the reading to pay attention and to try to obey in the moment rather than worrying about what may or may not happen in the future.
July 7, 2014
This is just a small selection from Barth's much larger Church Dogmatics. Its fine for what it is, nothing special and I see no reason to have this and not Barth's Church Dogmatics if you are interested in Barth's thought/theology.
May 10, 2018
This is the first work of Barth that I have read and it was a good challenging read. I found myself putting the book down and just thinking about what I had just read. Sometimes wrestling, sometimes saying “Amen,” but always engaged and convicted. I’ll have to revisit this one again and again.
July 28, 2017
Decent book
Could have used more of an overview and more detail. I know this was an "explorers guide", and I definitely felt guided, but felt a little too short, especially for something as long as CD
Could have used more of an overview and more detail. I know this was an "explorers guide", and I definitely felt guided, but felt a little too short, especially for something as long as CD
December 14, 2022
Some great insights here:
Our calling to Jesus is a denial of our self, the god we've made of ourselves.
Our calling is an act of grace, and is only heard when acted upon.
Our calling shows forth to the world our freedom from the world.
Short, great read. Highly recommend.
Our calling to Jesus is a denial of our self, the god we've made of ourselves.
Our calling is an act of grace, and is only heard when acted upon.
Our calling shows forth to the world our freedom from the world.
Short, great read. Highly recommend.
February 13, 2013
Initial Question:
How does Barth describe the life of discipleship? What does it look like and how is it "good news" in his words?
---
The call of Jesus is grace and the walk of discipleship is salvation. It's simple, like Bonhoeffer put it. It's only a matter of yes or no.
...and seeing the call as grace and salvation itself is the propellant for obedience.
---
Barth's language on discipleship was strong and unwavering. Often, discipleship feels skirted and Jesus' words are explained away with a, "Well… that's surely not what he meant because I know Jesus wanted to bring me a better life - so, he doesn't really want me to do EXACTLY what he said."
…and it's the strength and unwavering words of Barth's essay that might make it hard for a lot of us to read (I'm still chewing on some of the implications). But: I think that's necessary.
I believe our western Christianity has become accustomed to pacification; far too frequently heavier questions receive flippant answers (and we grow to like the alleviation from the question's weight).
Barth comes as a relief to this flirtation with but not faithfulness to the grace-filled walk with Jesus.
How does Barth describe the life of discipleship? What does it look like and how is it "good news" in his words?
---
The call of Jesus is grace and the walk of discipleship is salvation. It's simple, like Bonhoeffer put it. It's only a matter of yes or no.
...and seeing the call as grace and salvation itself is the propellant for obedience.
---
Barth's language on discipleship was strong and unwavering. Often, discipleship feels skirted and Jesus' words are explained away with a, "Well… that's surely not what he meant because I know Jesus wanted to bring me a better life - so, he doesn't really want me to do EXACTLY what he said."
…and it's the strength and unwavering words of Barth's essay that might make it hard for a lot of us to read (I'm still chewing on some of the implications). But: I think that's necessary.
I believe our western Christianity has become accustomed to pacification; far too frequently heavier questions receive flippant answers (and we grow to like the alleviation from the question's weight).
Barth comes as a relief to this flirtation with but not faithfulness to the grace-filled walk with Jesus.
January 4, 2011
To obey is to do as told, nothing more, nothing less. To be a disciple of Jesus one must obey his commands, nothing more, nothing less. His command is to love.
May 14, 2012
Written for the intellectual Theologian who appreciates a philosophical yet rooted in scripture stance on the call to discipleship.
February 6, 2013
I wish he had talked about the communal understanding/dimension of discipleship, but other than that I enjoyed it.
March 20, 2016
Seemed an awfully poor translation, and full of typos. Too bad.
May 12, 2011
I liked it
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews