(See letter of 1909/10/13)

Into the Light!

There has been an ongoing discussion in Missionæren about Romans 7 for a long time now. If only people would spend a little more time thinking about it on their own, independently, and allow the Spirit of God to shine light on this topic, I think they would achieve better results than just through superficial reflection. Paul was certainly not superficial when he wrote the letter to the Romans, because he was driven by the Holy Spirit. It is essential that it is understood and solved through the same Spirit.

However, it seems to me that now practically everyone has had to admit that the preaching that has put the slave in Romans 7 and the liberated one in Romans 8 is completely untenable. The fact that it really is untenable has been made even more evident by the fact that those who have written about it and preached it far and wide won’t even lift a finger now in its defense. They have been smart enough to quietly allow their entire doctrine to fall apart without saying a word—despite days and years of having strenuously and laboriously promoted it. That doctrine, which only a few years ago was presented with such bold and jubilant speeches, is now lamented with low whispers and murmurings behind closed doors. This reminds me of Elihu’s words: “They are dismayed and answer no more; words escape them.” Job. 32:15.

If these men who say they have gone through Romans 7 and into Romans 8 had actually passed through Romans 7, you might well expect a thorough explanation from them about the chapter they had completed; but the fact is that you get about as much information from them as you would if you were talking to a wall.

Let’s stop all this whitewashing and be realistic, because the Lord will cause a deluge of rain to fall upon this whitewashed wall, and then we will be left with the stark reality. We need truth even if it cuts us to the quick. We have had more than enough religious soul-stirring and fairy tales.

I doubt you will find a sea chart that doesn’t show sunken rocks and reefs, and likewise Romans 7 is not without its challenges; but if a person looks at it with a true heart and takes it at face value, God will give enlightenment.

The most difficult thing to accept seems to be that a person who has been liberated still does things they hate.

If we use the practical experiences of life as examples, it may well be that we can solve the riddle.

For example, imagine if someone who considers himself to be in Romans 8 gets up during a testimony meeting and preaches for so long that by the time he is halfway through, most people are already on the verge of collapse—exhausted from hearing so much unendingly stupefying and spiritless preaching all in one sitting. Let us now imagine that another brother stands up and gives this first brother a severe reprimand because, by his extreme folly, he has subjected the entire assembly to excruciating torment for so long. After receiving the severe reprimand, the first brother gets up and says: “Yes, brother, you’re right; I have been foolish. I was unaware; but God has given you grace to shed light on it for me, so now I hate my own folly, and I won’t do it anymore.”

Think what a sigh of relief will be heard in the congregation. This man really hates his own long-winded prattle.

Strangely enough, he has now returned to Romans 7, because he did what he hated, acknowledged it, and now he and the entire congregation are rejoicing over his return to the chapter that was only reserved for slaves.

It is new light over unconscious selfish deeds that produces hatred, if a person really does love the light.

Let’s say a sister carries on with inappropriate shrieking at the meetings, thinking that such behavior is necessary in order to be considered spiritual—and of course she is in Romans 8. But then, after a meeting, a brother explains to her that this behavior has absolutely nothing to do with the Spirit, and that it is purely her own invention. She is taken aback, allows herself to be corrected, repents, and from then on hates such unseemly conduct; and the congregation is spared the torment of her piercing shrieks.

This is the “hate” described in Romans 7 that people are so deathly afraid of. Remarkably enough, this hatred was able to bring liberation; it freed the congregation in the examples above from long, spiritless sermons and piercing shrieks, and that truly is no small feat.

No, everything is certainly not as it should be; so there are plenty of things to hate if only people would open their eyes. The Spirit had much to say to the seven churches in Asia Minor, and I think the Spirit would have something to say to the church today, if only people would listen. But now it is fashionable for the preacher to be the only one who listens to the Spirit on behalf of the congregation. The result is that the congregation becomes so taken up with the preacher, and the preacher is so taken up with the congregation, that he, too, forgets to listen to the Spirit. You can see, therefore—if you want to see—that it all ends up in striving for material gain. The preacher must praise and pay tribute to the brothers who look after him, and in return they praise the preacher. Everything is in such good order; there’s never anything that you can put your finger on.

“How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God?” John 5:44.

If someone had previously put a radical stop to this doctrine of skipping over into Romans 8, we might now have been able to rejoice over more souls who had been liberated to the point that they could acknowledge the “hate” in Romans 7 as being fully justified and appropriate for an awakened soul who is freed from sin. This is the only way that individuals and the entire congregation can be cleansed.

As things are now, people hide all kinds of foxes, because they are afraid of bringing something out into the light, hating it, and then refraining from doing it in the future.

People are taught that it is only the slave who does what he hates—and, of course, no one wants to be a slave; they would rather harbor and cover up even the worst things. As a result, they are allowed to continue with all kinds of folly, and therefore in almost every “liberated” assembly, you can see and hear about the most hair-raising stupidity being regarded as normal and acceptable.

Whoever loves the light comes to the light, and there he learns to hate himself.

Horten, October 9, 1909