The Faith of the Church. Karl Barth

so, if the second article is central and capital and, in a word, primary, we might wonder why the Creeds of the early Church have the order: Father, Son and Holy Spirit; creation, redemption, sanctification. Two interpretations ought to be rejected at once: The point is not the order of experiences. One does not begin by understanding creation, then redemption, then sanctification. For one understands creation solely in Jesus Christ. Creation understood first by itself would never lead to redemption or to sanctification. No, if one wants to speak on the basis of experience, one should begin with the third article, that of the Holy Spirit who enlightens our hearts so that we understand both redemption and creation. Neither is the point the order of factual importance. For then we should begin with the second article. No, the point is rather the order of God’s essence, that is, of God’s Trinity. To these statements, we may well add that the order has nothing immutable about it. (Cf. 2 Cor. 13:13 where the order is: Jesus Christ, God the Father and Holy Spirit.) The important thing is that false consequences are not drawn from this order.

      REMARK II. On the Calvinistic Interpretation of the Second Article. In this connection we shall distinguish three points: