While, I do not subscribe to Barth's theology, his ethical work revolves around a truth needed in the church today; God is the ultimate boss. Barth's view of sovereignty and authority is central to his view of God.
For Luther the law is the instrument of God's judgement and issues in our condemnation. The gospel is the instrument of God's mercy, the word of reconciliation, and leads to our salvation. Luther thought of the law as God's "strange (alien)" work, while the gospel is God's "proper" work.
Barth reversed the traditional Lutheran order: law and gospel. In this respect Barth holds to his Calvinist training. Distinctive to Barth is his understanding of the "word" of God. For him, there can only one Word of God or else as he jokes, God is two-headed. The one Word of God is grace. When grace meets our sin it both judges us and saves us. The Word is a pure gift and a Word that claims us. The gospel is therefore the content of the law, and the law is a form of the gospel. In short, there is grace in law, and law in grace. It is much like Calvin's thought on the issue just framed in Barth's language and existential flavor.
In Barth's view, the gospel is the substance of the law. From this Barth makes three applications towards theological ethics.
(1) theological ethics is not accountable to ethics-in-general. Thus Biblical ethics has an authoritative posture over all philosophical systems of ethics come to his day.
(2) theological ethics doesn't reserve one sphere to itself and assign another to philosophical ethics. In Barth's estimation, All human choices are not between right and wrong, good and evil but between obedience and rebellion. This is the proper and first category of all Christian ethics. Ethics is ultimately about the hermeneutic of obedience and authority of command.
(3) theological ethics must not coordinate itself with general (i.e., natural law) ethics. Unlike Roman Catholic thought Barth did not begin with apologetics as his starting point.
Barth's Understanding of the Law of God
His basic thought goes as follows. God as a sovereign Lord and highest authority makes a commands that we are obligated to command. The points on ethics as command.
A. The Command as the Claim of God
I. The foundation of command: God's self-giving to us is Jesus Christ, especially in the cross.
II. The content of command: our restoration to the divine image.
The foundation and content together entail three prerequisites.
(a) our accepting this as right. God is our authority.
(b) our admitting that we do not belong to ourselves. we are God's possession.
(c) our acknowledging specifically the rightness of God's mercy and righteousness. God's framework for reality and definition of authenticity is the good. His story of us is beautiful and true.
III. The form of command: permission, invitation.
Note: because the gospel is the substance of the law, the command of God imposes obligation without legalism and permission without license. For it is law and grace. Eternal punishment is a result of the Fall, law uncovers our fallen condition.
B. The Command as the Decision of God
In issuing his command God makes the decision of grace. His decision necessitates ours; i.e., we are responsible. Thus, the commands of God are always God's personal address to persons. The Ten Commandments are first commands, and therefore like electrical cables along which God "transmits" specific, personal claim to individuals. They convey his obligation over individuals.
D. The Command as the Judgement of God
The presupposition of the divine judgement: God wills us to belong to himself, and his judging us is his first step in making us his people. The execution of the divine judgement in Jesus Christ: it proves us to be sinners and proves our situation to be hopeless. We are totally in the wrong before God yet also totally justified. The purpose of the divine judgement is our sanctification.
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