“I was like a steam boiler at the point of bursting, or as you read in Job 32, from verse 19. Now I am free, because I have spoken the truth in Christ Jesus, and no one can refute what I have written. This is my boast and my inheritance in Christ. I will not seek my own honor but His, because those who seek His honor are true, and there is no guile in them.”

Johan Oscar Smith, July 25, 1905

This book is the second volume of the complete writings of Johan Oscar Smith in their original, unabridged form. Through his personal letters and articles written to Skjulte Skatter, we are able to follow him during the time from when he and his brother Aksel started the paper, Skjulte Skatter, up until 1917, before Aksel became gravely ill. In this period, Smith also wrote many letters to his close coworkers, such as Elias Aslaksen and Theodor Ellefsen. For the interested reader, this collection of letters and articles will provide profound insight into those things Johan Oscar Smith regarded as being essential for those who desire to live a wholehearted Christian life.

Kåre J. Smith, July 2019

“David did not become a great man by getting rid of Saul. Instead, he showed his greatness by honoring Saul even when Saul sinned, because he was the Lord’s anointed.

It’s written that we are to convince, rebuke, and exhort. There is order in the kingdom of God. One must not first rebuke and then convince. Moreover, it is easy to be a taskmaster when it comes to other people’s children; but when a person becomes a father themself, they are not so quick to strike, even though others insist that now is the time to use the whip.”

Johan Oscar Smith,
Valkyrjen, Odda, April 25, 1915

“Br. Kvalheim is suggesting that we make about 500 collection boxes. If each person puts in 1 kroner every 3 months, this would add up to 2,000 kroner per year, for the furtherance of the work. He wrote to Aksel about this, and Aksel thought it was a good idea. And it is a good idea. Just look at how others work for their false causes; for example, Millennial Dawn. Please write if you have any thoughts about this.”

Johan Oscar Smith,
Valkyrjen, Ålesund, October 13, 1915

“There is one flesh of men; we can conclude from this that there are not two kinds of flesh. If Christ did not have lust (sin) in His flesh, then it is a lie that He suffered in His flesh. Then it is a lie that He suffered, being tempted. Then it is a lie that He was tempted in all points as we are, because all our temptations are dependent on having sin in the flesh. Then it is a lie that God condemned sin in the flesh of Christ. Then it is a lie that He is able to aid those who are tempted. Then it is a lie that He was made like His brethren in all things, and it is a lie that He gives aid to the seed of Abraham. It is also a lie that we are reconciled in the body of His flesh through death. But if all this is a lie, then all the Scriptures must be a lie.”

Johan Oscar Smith, Viking, Vardø, September 27, 1917