Grace and Gratitude (2)

“And if the essence of God as the God of man is His grace, then the essence of men as His people, that which is proper and demanded of them in covenant with God, is simply their thanks…. The grace of God calls for this modest but active return…. That he should be thankful is the righteousness which is demanded of him before God. And if he is not thankful, that is his unrighteousness.”

— Karl Barth, Church Dogmatics IV.1 (T&T International 2004) pp. 42-43