Opposition to the Church

Freedom of speech, freedom of religion and the right to think independently are privileges laid down in our Constitu­tion, which we are quite rightly proud of. Nonetheless, these constitutional rights have consistently been trampled upon. The Lutheran clergy in Norway is also guilty of gross infringe­ment in this area.

Hans Nielsen Hauge (1771–1824) was a well-known figure in Norway. His life and work here was a great blessing for the country. He was God-fearing and hard-working, and he ex­horted people to live a simple life in obedience to God’s Word. Through him many people were converted and received hope and faith for their lives. You would have thought that the reli­gious leaders of that time would have been thankful for such a work. We all know what happened, though. Hauge met strong resistance from both priests and the law, and he was arrested and imprisoned. His health was ruined while he was impris­oned in Akershus fortress. This story should be familiar to most Norwegian readers.

The fact that the Norwegian State Church later recognized Hans Nielsen Hauge as a reformer and renewer of Christian life in Norway is also widely known. What an irony. Jesus con­fronted the spiritual authorities of His day over this same is­sue. He rebuked them, saying:

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, and say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.’ There­fore you are witnesses against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers’ guilt. Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell? Therefore, indeed, I send you prophets, wise men, and scribes: some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city, that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. Assur­edly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this genera­tion.” Matt. 23:29-36.

Over 100 years ago, Johan O. Smith also felt a longing in his heart for a wholehearted conversion. As a 27-year-old na­val officer from Horten, he felt the emptiness of the life he was then living. There, on board the Navy ship, he bowed his heart before God. On that day a whole new life began, slowly but surely leading to the development of what today is a thriv­ing church, both in our country and in much of the world. The understanding he received then has been preserved as a foun­dation stone in the teaching of the church—namely, that the Word of God must be lived and performed, exactly as Jesus Himself taught.

“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.” Matt. 7:24-27.

Smith’s godliness caused difficulties for the religious lead­ers of his time. He met opposition almost everywhere. But he was faithful to God’s Word, and that gave him a power and authority that far exceeded the other leaders of the time. Jeal­ousy and indignation increased, and soon evil rumors about the detested Smith’s Friends were spreading around the country. Respected theologians wrote books about us without ever attempting to understand what we really believed. In­stead of supporting the truth, they spread lies and untruths. They have persecuted and backbitten us for over a century. Why?

From a historical standpoint, we don’t need to defend our­selves. Most people today realize that we are right, and the others are wrong. Johan O. Smith’s preaching and godliness developed into a worldwide network of believers who love their God and their fellow men. But it is amazing that people who desire to live a God-fearing life should be harassed by those who consider themselves stewards of the life and teach­ings of Christ. The reason, of course, is that the leaders of the State Church in Norway have so little spiritual power that they have fallen far short of their duty of keeping the command­ment without spot and blameless. Instead of standing firm as a light in the darkness of the times, they have continually bowed and yielded to pressure from the world. The Christian­ity they proclaim is worldly in every sense and has lost all credibility.

On several occasions, the church’s priests have refused to bury our friends in “consecrated earth.” Godly people, even children, have been shown out of “the house of the Lord” and have had to stand out in the rain and bad weather because of the priest’s attitude. And this is the church we have been pay­ing taxes to for years! Their leaders are so self-centered and puffed up that they even view the Catholic Church as a sect. Or perhaps the Church of Norway is the only one to whom our Lord has given His stamp of approval? I think not! In reality, the State Church’s declaration of faith is a declaration of un­belief by which the forgiveness of sins has become permis­sion to sin! They are so far removed from God’s Word that their “Christianity” is correctly described by the Scriptures as “Antichrist”—the spiritual direction that opposes the church of Christ and all true godly life.

“Jesus said to them, ‘If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me. Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word. You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.” John 8:42-44.

The amazing thing is that when people get to know us, they often say: “Is this how you really are?” They are surprised. Their preconceptions were wrong. They had been listening to lies! Who has told them these lies? Primarily the so-called re­ligious authorities and leaders!