Thank you so much for the very good letter that I received. It was a remarkable letter, and it tells me that you have entered into the fellowship of His sufferings. Phil. 3. You say you have never seen your root (the root of sin) to be so black, and that it is your awareness of how abominable this root of sin is that enables you to love others more highly than yourself. Yes, this is life in Christ in its deepest meaning; it brings conviction of judgment. “Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out.” The Spirit convicts us of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. Judgment rests upon the body of sin, which is to be destroyed and cast out. This is a matter of the heart and not the head, and it will always be so. Those who are unbelievers are convicted of sin because they do not believe in Him. When we have come to Him and learned to know Him and the power of His resurrection, then the Spirit convinces us of righteousness. When we enter into the fellowship of His sufferings, the Spirit convicts us of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged; and naturally, at the same time, we are convinced of righteousness.

It was a real pleasure to read your last letter, because I know that through this blessing, or revelation, God will grant you an understanding of the mysteries of Christ to a far deeper degree than before. As the Spirit within you begins to consume the root of sin (the body of sin), you will be made capable of greater patience and greater insight and will be better able to lead and guide, so that you can be a pillar in the temple of God. When God has caused us to be rooted, then these roots shoot right through the body of sin. This is our access through His flesh. Some time after I received the Spirit of God, I was led into the fellowship of Christ’s sufferings, and ever since then I have not been understood. Nevertheless, praise God, His Son has gone the same way and He understands us. There is a suffering in not being understood. The children don’t understand the fathers. To be one of the fathers—one of the elders—entails not being understood. The Spirit of the Lord makes us wise, not the number of years we have lived. However, over the course of many years the Spirit of the Lord can mold us.

As you can understand and see from this letter, God has also given me these truths and revelations. But from the moment Jesus set His face toward Jerusalem, everyone forsook Him. It is the same these days. From the moment we set our face toward Jerusalem (i.e., incline our heart to suffer with Him), we will be alone. Hallelujah! Among those who have been baptized with the Spirit, there is a need for men who have set their faces toward Jerusalem; for such men know the course and know the way—the way through the veil, which is His flesh. I never tire of speaking about these glorious truths. If we suffer with Him, we will also be glorified with Him. We will not be so quick to condemn others when, in the light of the Spirit, we see ourselves as being so wretched. Herein lies our weakness and our strength. Yes, it is praiseworthy, dear brother, that you have pressed into the kingdom of heaven to the point of suffering with Him. In this we have fellowship in the Spirit to a far deeper degree than we have ever had before. The first earth was destroyed by water. The earth that now exists has been reserved for fire. From this we can conclude that baptism (the antitype of Noah’s flood) has buried our flesh, but without purifying us from the filthiness of the flesh. The body of sin has perished by water (it no longer controls us); while the earth that now exists—the filthiness of the flesh (the body of sin, where it’s no longer in control)—will perish through fire. We are baptized with the Holy Spirit and fire. When the fire consumes the body of sin, this causes suffering—the fellowship of Christ’s sufferings. The Spirit convicts us of judgment, that this is the way to the Father—by fire, to come all the way through the body of sin.

Selma wanted me to greet you; she left yesterday at 11:45 a.m. She went to Fredrikstad, and from there she will go to Jeløen near Moss to visit a friend. She will visit us again on her way back, in about 3 weeks—God willing, and if everything goes according to plan.

Br. Ellefsen is very happy that you are coming to visit us, so is Kristoffersen. Br. Berg will likely come to Kristiansand on the 27th on the afternoon boat from Brevik. He has orders to report in Marviken at 6:00 a.m. on June 28. He is looking forward to talking with you. However, perhaps you won’t be home then. If that is the case, you can talk together here, since he is due to arrive around July 1 and won’t leave again until July 15. Ellefsen has his exams now; he will be finished this Thursday.

Brothers Berg and Ellefsen, Pauline, and Selma have read your letter.

Greet Helga and thank her for her notes. Selma told us how you and Helga have become so reflective recently, and how you always have something to talk and think about. That was a real joy for me to hear.

Greet everyone at home, and heartfelt greetings to you from your brother in the Lord,