I was very happy to receive your letter today. After reading and rereading it a number of times, I get the impression that you yearn for more insight and revelation in the knowledge of God. You sense that there is more to attain in Christ Jesus. The apostles belonged to God before Pentecost, but they didn’t have the fullness of God’s Spirit within them then like they did afterwards. Now you have come to the point, as you yourself say, where you see yourself as really stupid. If that’s how you feel, then the problem is caused by your lack of wisdom. James writes to such people: “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” Jesus didn’t feel that way, since He says that the Queen of Sheba marveled at the wisdom of Solomon, and “indeed a greater than Solomon is here.” Elihu didn’t have that feeling either, because he says to Job in 36:4, “Truly my words are not false; one who is perfect in knowledge is with you.” It is a blessing, though, that you see you lack wisdom, because most people are wise in their ignorance. See Rev. 3:17: “Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked . . . .” So it is good to know that we lack wisdom, because only those who know they lack something can truly pray for it. The Word of God is living. You know, too, that God gives willingly, without reproach. This is a wonderful way out of the stupidity you mentioned.

I found peace with God on May 17, 1898. I was very happy, but I didn’t realize that I lacked the Holy Spirit which had been promised. It had not yet fallen upon me. See Acts 8:15-17. This did not happen until two-and-a-half years later. Then, by the Spirit, the Scriptures came alive for me for the first time, and I became like the two on the road to Emmaus: my heart burned within me as God’s Spirit opened up the Scriptures for me.

Eph. 1, from verse 15, shows that this is scriptural. Some had received faith (verse 15), yet Paul continued to pray for them in verses 16 and 17: “That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him.” You can recognize yourself here, dear Aksel. If you had received this Spirit, it would be impossible for you to say, “I feel stupid,” because he who has the anointing from Him knows all things. It would be interesting to talk these things over together, because I believe you have an upright mind toward Christ.6

The question is whether you see yourself as totally inadequate, whether you have laid everything on His altar and are waiting for His fire, whether you are the clay and He the Potter so that He can mold you as He pleases. You can’t manage to live like a Christian; it would only be hypocrisy to try. You can never be pure, devout, and good. You are as black as soot and rotten to the core. All your best works are like filthy rags. Can you endorse all this? Swallow these pills, and let them work the sentence of death in you. Put your hand on your mouth, and never try to answer back. The law came in order that every mouth might be stopped and all the world might become guilty before God’s judgment seat. Don’t you believe that your mouth is also included here, or will you try to climb in some other way? This is the door: “I am the door,” Jesus says. If we are dead with Him, we believe that we shall also live with Him. There is only one life, and that life is Christ. Christ in you, the hope of glory. His life must live in us, and our life must die. We are not meant to live our lives in this world hanging our heads and pretending to be Christ-like. No, that life has to die. He must increase; I must decrease. In Him all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden. And no man has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, Jesus Christ, who is in heaven. A clear understanding of these things brings an unspeakably great joy.

“Though you strive and slave away,
Yet unchanged you stay;
Cross over the Jordan today.”

If you have passed through the Red Sea and have been delivered from Egypt and the Egyptians, don’t go around in circles in the wilderness for forty years. Rather, set your course at once for the promised land, because great clusters of grapes grow there. I don’t doubt that your sins are forgiven; but when it comes to life beyond that, you fall short. The children of Israel failed to enter the land because of unbelief, and it is just the same today. Most Christians stick close to Mt. Sinai, studying the tablets of the law. But the commandment produces wrath, so we ought to stay far away from such people. Those who are in the land are different. They march around the walls of Jericho shouting hallelujah, so that the walls crumble and the great giants vanish into thin air. They carry their lights in vessels of clay. They smash the pitchers to pieces, and the enemy takes to his heels, as he was destined to do.

There are many synagogues at the foot of Mt. Sinai, and from days of old there have always been people in each of them who read the Law of Moses. But Moses’ eye does not grow dim nor does his arm grow weak as long as one jot or tittle of the law remains unfulfilled. There the important thing is to push oneself hard in order to get results. Those who are in the land approach things differently, because their strength lies in quietness and confidence. The more they believe, the more they enter into rest. They rest from their works which, ironically enough, are the same works for which the Law of Moses required blood. This is remarkable indeed. Yet this is how the Scripture must be fulfilled which says that the law has become our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ. But once we have come to Christ, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. Now we understand that the law was only given so that sin might be made evident. God’s ways are amazing. He does things so “backwards” it seems—or rather, we ourselves are backwards and cannot be dealt with in a straightforward manner.

You also wrote about 2 Pet. 1, from verse 5. Yes, this takes a thorough education. Add to your faith virtue, Peter writes, and to virtue knowledge. We mustn’t show too much virtue; we need to use knowledge. But once we have received knowledge, we shouldn’t take too many liberties in that direction either, but be self-controlled; then, in self-control, we shouldn’t be impatient, but patient. Then again, in patience we must add godliness, so that we lean in that direction rather than complaining. But in our godliness we need brotherly love, because we are obliged to love those who are receiving the same education. And to brotherly love we must add love to all men. Through these things we draw nearer, step by step, to Him who sends rain on the just and the unjust.

You wrote about older and younger Christians. I have the impression that you regard a 24-year-old as a young Christian and a 70-year-old as an old one. But that’s not how it is.

Read Wisdom of Solomon 4:8-9 [Apocrypha]. “For old age is not honored for length of time, nor measured by number of years; but understanding is gray hair for men, and a blameless life is ripe old age.”

Timothy was young in terms of age. 1 Tim. 4:12. “Let no one despise your youth . . . .” In spite of his youth, he was supposed to preach and teach. Verses 11 and 13. “Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.”

A worker (physical laborer) could be 80 years old, but you, a dentist, have surpassed him. You have a better position than he has, in human terms. It’s exactly the same in the Spirit. A man could easily be a 100-year-old so-called Christian and still know nothing of God, because in all that time he hasn’t been interested in spiritual things. He could have been disobedient the entire 100 years. On the other hand, an 18-year-old boy could have been obedient, giving his all, thus finding favor in God’s eyes and receiving wisdom and insight from God. This 18-year-old is the elder, and the 100-year-old, the younger.

Paul instructed Titus, as his own true son in the faith, to ordain elders in every place. Tit. 1:4-5. He urged him to speak, exhort, and rebuke with all authority and not let anyone despise him. Tit. 2:15.

Joseph was the second youngest of twelve brothers, yet he was the eldest in terms of wisdom. The prodigal son was the youngest, but eldest in wisdom, etc.

This has been a long letter, dear Aksel. May God give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him. Disregard everything that’s human and all those old wives’ tales inherited from our forefathers. See yourself standing before God alone, as one who has to start from the beginning and learn everything from Him. Paul rejected all his learning and counted it as rubbish so that he might obtain the knowledge of God.

Write soon; it is such a joy to hear from you. Let Father read this letter. Please greet him and everyone at home. I rejoice that Ludwig and Berglioth are also starting to listen.

Yours in Christ,