THERE IS ANOTHER mysticism which rejects all mysticism—it is the “Word mysticism.” Barthianism, afraid of the subjectivism of mysticism, finds the center of authority in the word. But that “word” is not to be identified with the Bible—the written Word. It is the Word of God’s self-revelation, using the Bible, but not being identified with it. God speaks to us the saving word, but that “word” is the Word become word. It is not the Word become flesh. It is spoken to us from God, but because it is spoken it is the Word become word. It is the mysticism of paradoxical phrases. They mystify one with wordy phrases—the more incomprehensible, the more true!
The firsthandedness of our being in Christ and Christ in us is the only safe starting point. You begin with God’s authentic self-revelation, which begins with Jesus, the Incarnate. The Incarnation is the key to the whole of the Christian faith. There the Word became flesh. God revealed Himself in understandable terms—human terms. There God spoke, but He spoke not in a verbal revelation, but in a vital revelation. The Word did not become a philosophy of life, a morality, or rules of life; the Word became flesh; the Idea became fact. The revelation was realism. “Behold a great wind blew through the Scriptures, and it stood up, and the book was a Man!”
We don’t begin with God, and we don’t begin with man; we begin with the God-Man, and in Him we find both God and man. In Him we find the Holy Spirit. In Him we find all.
O Son of the Father, we see the Father in Thee, and perfectly only in Thee. Outside Thee our views of the Father are broken lights of Him—in Thee we see light and only light. We thank Thee that the true light is now shining. Help us to walk in it. Amen.
AFFIRMATION FOR THE DAY: When I begin with Jesus, the Incarnate, the lowly One, I end with “Jesus is Lord”—the absolute One.
