Thank you for your letter which I received today. It was a joy to hear something from Arendal.

Regarding your letter to Pastor Kristiansen, I think it will go over his head. Divine truths must be received in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, and not as persuasive words of human wisdom. God has given them to us in demonstration of the Spirit and of power. You know how we have rejoiced in the Spirit over every truth we have received, and it hasn’t been a rapid process. We have only received a little at a time. If Pastor Kristiansen were to receive what you write, he would receive it as human wisdom. It would not be a revelation of the Spirit. But when his human faculties receive and retain truths that haven’t been made living for him in the Spirit, then his wisdom will become unchangingly human instead of unchangingly divine. Read in 1 Corinthians 2. “However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory.” Over everything glorious there is a covering. Only the word of the cross is able to tear this covering to shreds. So it is the word of the cross, God’s power, that is to open the way through this covering (the veil) that hides God’s wisdom. The fact that Kristiansen is a pastor and that he is an educated man means absolutely nothing. The covering opens just as quickly for an uneducated person who loves and embraces the word of the cross as for an educated person who does the same. God’s wisdom is not a fruit of human exertion, and God does not give it in return for human exertion. God’s wisdom is a fruit of obedience and faith, and it is retained by obedience and faith. It is a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Greeks. In short, if we try to plant the wisdom of God in a natural mind, it will become human wisdom in him, which will be useless to him spiritually.

Consequently, Pastor Kristiansen must be taught to embrace the word of the cross in truth and to let reality make things real in his heart so there can be a real result. Only then can we come to real wisdom. Until this happens, the covering will lie over God’s wisdom for Pastor Kristiansen just as it does for other mortal beings, because God is no respecter of persons.

I’m sending back the copy of your letter to Pastor Kristiansen.

Greet Br. Anthony and those who are with him. I hope you have received my first letter addressed to Missionæren.

Warm greetings. A brother is sitting here waiting for me, so I’m a bit busy now.

Your brother,