Missionsvennen

Pontoppidan's definition of God's call

 

 

Pastor Hans Jakob Grøgaard Krog:

Pastor Muus’ development of the conversion process cannot be applied to the conversions that we hear about in the Scriptures or in the history of the Christian church, e.g. not to Paul’s conversion.

We are talking here about Pontoppidan’s definition of God’s call. But then we have to let Pontoppidan explain himself. Now how does Pontoppidan understand the words, “gives power to assume?” Pontoppidan depicts just two kinds of state in which man can find himself in this life: The state of sin and the state of grace. Next he teaches that Man is in the state of sin until he is born again; see questions 487 and 488. Pontoppidan believes that man only enters the state of grace at regeneration, question 395. And what does he teach about man’s condition in the state of sin? Does man then have the power, desire, will and freedom to do what God wants, to decide for the Good? No, his will is incapable of good and inclined to all evil. Until regeneration occurs, man is in Satan’s Power. Can the unregenerate man have a power by which he can decide for himself before God? After all, he is still under Satan’s power, and Satan will not allow him to repent and believe. The call must give man ability so that he can accept grace. We do not deny that the Call of every man has full power with it to repentance. But this does not mean that everyone gets power, is partaker of the power to receive grace. The same Word that calls a person is what gives them power to believe. But Pontoppidan says that Man does not get this power until the moment of rebirth.

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Hans Jakob Grøgaard Krog was born in Flekkefjord, Norway. After having obtained his master’s degree, he took up the study of theology but discontinued this, however, and became a teacher in Christiania and later in Trondhjem. Rev. J.A. Ottesen had often written in Norwegian papers concerning the scarcity of clergymen among Norwegians in America, and this led Krog to take up the study of theology anew. In 1872 he emigrated to America and was ordained into the ministry in 1874. His first call took him to Minneapolis, but a year later found him in Menominee, Wis., where he remained until 1890, when the Church Council elected him to a professorship at Luther College, where he remained for six years. He taught Norwegian, Religion, Latin, and French, besides taking, together with his wife, a very active part in the church work in and about Decorah. Rev. Krog was intensely interested in mission work, especially in the seamen’s mission. In 1902 he resigned his pastorate, which he had held at Ossian since 1896, in order to devote all his time to the mission work. In this capacity he labored unselfishly to the last. In the death of Rev. Krog the cause of Christian education has lost one of its warmest friends and supporters and one whose labors and influence have promoted and strengthened the highest and best elements in the field of education.

Hans Jakob Grøgaard Krog

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