Testimony by Elias Aslaksen

Ecclesiastes 7:28-29. We will not be harmed by taking our time to look at these two verses if we are of the truth; on the contrary, God gave Solomon the task of finding one man among a thousand, but he could not find a woman among a thousand.

He went to work according to measure, weight, and number. He tested everything, every work under the sun. He tested everyone he met; he examined everyone he saw, and from among a thousand men he found no more than one. He examined a thousand women and did not find a single one. Jesus Christ is God’s only begotten Son, full of grace and truth. He is looking for wholehearted men and women who have a wholehearted desire for godliness, faith, righteousness—to be conformed to Christ. This is the very reason why we are gathered—to be rid of sin in the flesh and be conformed to Christ, to receive a desire for Him alone, to receive a desire to be like God.

God is not only gracious, He is not only good, He is also righteous. Therefore we must also become righteous, become like Him in all things. This is a divine calling. This calling is for the poor, for the truth-loving, for the God-fearing who hate their life unto death—it is not for anyone else. Let us have at look at Psalm 119. It is so fitting to read it. I read it on the train, and I discovered a common thread that goes through this psalm. I shall read this common thread first. Let us have a look at the first verse. There it is written: blameless; verse 2: whole; verse 3: not; verse 4: faithfully; verse 5: firm; verse 6: all; verse 8: keep; verse 9: cleanse; verse 10: whole; verse 11: not; verse 13: all, etc. What is the spirit in this? It is “wholehearted!” There is nothing like being wholehearted. What is it that Christ is looking for? He is looking for a man who lives wholly for God, or a woman who lives wholly for God. That simply means to be crucified with Christ. What are the others puttering around with? A little bit of Christianity. It is enough to make you cry. There is a hole in the bottom; the water is draining out. For example, there is a point on which they will not obey God; they will not believe God. They can get forgiveness as long as they live, they break God’s commandments here and there, but they are not “blameless,” “all,” “not,” “faithful,” “firm,” etc. This is not being wholehearted. It is being divided. There is a hole in the bottom, the water is draining out. Perhaps they are living for themselves. The one who overcomes knows about it; the one who succumbs knows about it. You have to give yourself unreservedly to God; it must be unconditional surrender. You may be the best material that is to be found, but if you are not wholehearted, you will not advance. It can be ever so good, but if there is a tiny hole, a difficulty (it may be ever so small), it is nevertheless large enough for the water to drain out if you are unwilling to take up the cross against this difficulty. What does it take for the bucket to hold water? You have to be crucified!

“You have commanded us to keep Your precepts faithfully.” Ps. 119:4. It is the spirit in this word that counts, not just the letter. You can protest as much as you want; the water will drain out just as much.

You are not blameless when you have transgressed. You are not blameless if you are not faithful. You have to be righteous in all things so that you are not aware of any wrong you have committed—you have not transgressed—whether it be in word, with food, clothing, at home, away, toward your subordinates or your superiors—not in anything at all! Then you are blameless. Is it possible to live like that? Yes, when you live crucified. People say they are going to do their best when it comes to a difficult point. That is bondage, for I cannot do anything of myself. That can lead me to the acknowledgment that I cannot do it by myself. It can lead the person concerned to death. All my attempts are in vain. What you cannot do in your own strength is obtained only through faith in Christ. Then you will be victorious in all situations. It is written: “Casting all your cares on Him for He cares for you.” Then you are not anxious. It is given to us at the same moment. This is for the wholehearted, the blameless, who have all things in Him.

Those who do everything in faith are of the bride. Those who do something in their own strength have cut themselves off from God. That is unbelief. Without faith it is impossible to please God. Faith is the full assurance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Such faith produces a complete surrender, and therefore the person gains the victory. Whether we have faith or not becomes evident on the day of trial. Then we see what safety is here on earth, being at rest, at rest in Him. Then we see if God is with us. Then it will become evident whether we are wholly with Him. There was a married couple who embraced the truth. They were happy; they rejoiced right up to the point when the wife was to obey her husband. The day of trial proved that she was not wholehearted. Was there a hole in the bottom? It goes well until the day when the debt has to be paid. That is the end—no further. The heart was not wholly for God. It goes until the person comes to a certain point, then the water leaks out. There was a hole in the bottom. What God sought and what she sought were not the same thing. She loved the truth, but not unreservedly. Her mind was not blameless, all, not, faithful, etc. It was so uncomfortable that the husband should give such an order. It would have gone exceptionally well if he had not done that. A tub can be full of holes here and there. All the holes are at the bottom. This life is so very precise that it does not allow for tolerance of a single tiny hole. The person who is precise is not indifferent. We must learn to discern. In Deuteronomy 22:9-11 we read that there must not be two different kinds of seed, etc., and that they were not to plow with an ox and a donkey together. We shall not mix things together. The crucifixion has to be genuine, obedience has to be complete. I have to forsake old habits entirely; for example, I have to forsake my own honor totally. Paul says, “But God forbid that I should glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” Gal. 6:14. Faithful, all, entire, not, keep,—that is the spirit in what is written about wool and linen, ox and donkey. Wool and linen do not matter. We are striving to be transformed into the image of Christ, and that is blameless, entire, faithful, firm, etc. God’s Word, which will last when everything else passes away, must be flesh in us. In 1 Corinthians 10:1-5 it is written about those with whom God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. Everything is written to us as an example, as an exhortation. As far as many people are concerned, there is a covering over God’s Word. When they turn to the Lord, that is, with all their heart, the covering is taken away. People feel insulted and are offended precisely because they have not wholeheartedly turned to the Lord. The price is great—you have to forsake everything—but then there is also a corresponding reward. The Word divides between soul and spirit; it even pierces through joints and marrow, judging the thoughts and intents of the heart. A little leaven leavens the entire dough. The dough is “all,” and “faithful.” It is of the utmost importance to be blameless, loving God wholeheartedly so that one does not want to have anything to do with sin—for example with evil habits and inclinations. See Leviticus 19:19. “You shall keep My statutes. You shall not let your livestock breed with another kind. You shall not sow your field with mixed seed,” etc. There must be total separation. God’s word is living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit.

There must not be a little bit of flesh and a little bit of spirit. That which is born of the Spirit is spirit. There must not be a little bit of walking like mere men and a little bit of living a godly life. We shall not be . . . mere men . . . we shall be gods. We shall be spiritual and not live according to the flesh. “But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you.” Rom. 8:9. The mistake is that so many people have a divided heart. If you meet someone who lives wholeheartedly for the Lord, it is as if you met one among a thousand. They are the few. Let us take a look at the ones we meet, who confess that they are believers. Both my eyes and ears are wide open. I find those who falter between two opinions—they have a divided heart. They have to speak to their spouse first before they decide to be obedient. They have reservations. When I hear the truth, there is no question of doing anything else but to obey it. The truth above everything! As I received Him as Lord, so I must walk in Him. I do not want to postpone anything as important as being obedient to Him. It is “all,” “not,” “entire,” “faithful,” “keep” more of Him, Christ. Jesus said that no one could be His disciple unless he forsakes all his possessions. Are we not living a life of faith? Isaiah says: Who has believed the report we have heard? Who is wholehearted except for those who are obedient to the faith? They are the ones who entered the land of Canaan, not the others. “So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.” Heb. 3:19. Who gave himself entirely? Who sacrificed everything? Who have we heard was wholehearted? Those who believe, who have wholeheartedly surrendered to God. They are obedient. A race has been set before us, a race that we must finish. Paul writes, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” 2 Tim. 4:7.

Why does a person not believe? He is seeking honor, perhaps temporal advantages. “How can you believe, who seek honor from one another?” We are not as the many who pervert God’s word to our own advantage. Paul was one man among a thousand, and so was Timothy. Sylvanus was one man among a thousand. Didn’t Titus walk in the same spirit? Did he not walk like “all, entire, not, faithful,” etc.? It is the spirit in these things that is important, not just the letter. The hole we spoke about leads us away from God. Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to stink and to ferment. If there are dead flies, the ointment goes bad. A little bit, etc., and you will understand the spirit in it. A little folly destroys a man. A little hole in the tub was enough— dead flies, a little folly; the small foxes spoil the vineyard. It doesn’t mention adult foxes. One neither drinks nor swears— no adult foxes. But small foxes go in and out all day long. A believing brother fell in adultery; it was a great shame. Then he traveled to America. He was not wholly for the Lord. He despised the tiny hole. One becomes like someone who destroys. Nothing will become of him. You have to be crucified in all situations, in all difficulties. “Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening?” Jas. 3:11. Not keeping and breaking. A sister who was inordinately fond of finery was very despondent. She had been saved and happy and had put off that sin, but when she came together with other believers, she noticed that they were not the kind that bothered with being plain, and then she thought that it doesn’t matter that much. However, then she lost her joy in the Lord, her rest, and she ended up in unbelief and darkness. We must not call such things trifles, because they are large enough to lead a person away from a victorious life. People say, “It doesn’t really matter if I wear something that is beautiful, as long as my heart is not in it.” Yet it can lead you away from God.

It is not faithful, all, etc. We should always be anointed with fresh oil. How many of us can testify to that? It is a question of all, not, faithful, etc. Just one little dead fly can cause the ointment to stink. Are we doing it from the heart, or is there a little spirit and a little flesh? It is vital that we partake of the sanctification of the spirit. Love not the world! Love the Lord with all of your heart. Can we not do with our money what we want? Far from it! Doesn’t that mean that we do both God’s will as well as our self-will? Do not depart a hair’s breadth from God’s Word—then we are in God’s will. I have not had money for twenty years that I could use according to my own will. The person who possesses much in this world is blessed with much, but it is better to have little with contentment if you cannot be a steward over everything according to God’s will. It is best to have somewhat less of earthly goods and manage them well, because then God’s blessing is over you. Being in His will is the best thing of all. Do not harden your heart when you hear His voice! All those who understand God’s kingdom say, “Lord,” but how many are there who do God the Father’s will? The high places are left standing. This is not a trivial matter. The cleansing is not complete. God does not want even the remnants; it is a question of “all.” We must hate the garment that is defiled by the flesh. 1 Kings 15:11-14; verse 14: “But the high places were not removed. Nevertheless Asa’s heart was loyal to the Lord all his days.” He was loyal to the Lord. He was thorough; he removed his own dear mother, but the high places were not removed. That was a hole in the bottom. He was sufficiently weak, sufficiently unfaithful to let the high places remain standing. There are many who, in their weakness, coddle their own dear mother. Their understanding will not let them do God’s will when it affects their mother. Nothing less than a whole is required in order to do God’s will as it is written in God’s Word. Just the fact that he let the high places stand was a small hole. 2 Kings 12:2. “Jehoash did what was right in the sight of the Lord all the days in which Jehoiada the priest instructed him.” But once Jehoiada was gone, the hole in his tub became obvious. He was weak. He thought it best to do God’s will as long as Jehoiada lived, as long as he instructed him. However, once Jehoiada was gone, he did not believe anymore; he had relied on someone else.

You may be ridiculed for this and that, but you must remain standing in what you know is right. Everyone will be praised according to what he is. 2 Chron. 20:32-37. “Nevertheless the high places were not taken away, for as yet the people had not directed their hearts to the God of their fathers.” That was tolerance. You are supposed to be content with the way things are. You are supposed to say: “Everything is just fine.” Others like the idea of the high places remaining. If only they stop their idolatry, then things are going well. We must also recognize the others! However, this is from Satan; it is a dead fly. It is division instead of oneness. First you exercise tolerance, and then you make a pact with the ungodly, for Jehoshaphat allied himself with Ahaziah the king of Israel who lived an ungodly life. First there is tolerance and then there is alliance. “Because you have allied yourself with Ahaziah, the Lord has destroyed your works.” This was the word of the Lord to him. First he approved of what was evil, then he allied himself with an ungodly man, and then came the destruction. You can agree on the main points, but the minor points are not so important; nevertheless, you have to take them into account to make up the whole.