I observed that the lay preachers, who had labored among the first immigrants, did not have a clear conception of the truth of the gospel. This gave rise to heated controversies between them and the Norwegian Synod involving a number of doctrines.
The first controversy centered about the doctrine of Absolution. Eielsen and his followers took offense at the practice of the Norwegian pastors of announcing the forgiveness of sin to the individual with the laying on of hands. They thought it presumptuous for human beings to undertake to judge the hearts of the individuals, as it is generally acknowledged that only the true believer can have forgiveness of sin. They contended, that absolution is to be pronounced only on the condition that the one receiving it is really a believer. They wanted a conditioned absolution. And they took offense at the practice of laying on of hands, because this gave the impression that the pastor presumed to possess authority which belongs to God alone.
The pastors of the Norwegian Synod were certainly in perfect agreement with the view that only true believers can enjoy the forgiveness of sin, as well as all other salutary gifts, and that no human being can search the heart, to determine who are true believers. But they did not claim that the pastor acts as judge when he pronounces absolution. In absolution, the confessor does not pass judgment as to the faith of those who come before him. He only preaches the gospel to the individual, just as he proclaims the forgiveness of sins to all who hear him when he preaches the gospel from the pulpit. There are no conditions attached to the promises of the gospel. The gospel proclaims the salvation which is prepared through Jesus Christ for all sinners. When our Savior spoke from the cross these wonderful words. ``It is finished,'' the sins of the whole world were atoned for, whether the individual sinner believes it or not. When a poor sinner, therefore, in Absolution asks to be absolved, I have the right, even as it is my duty, to assure him, by virtue of the gospel, that the Lord grants him the forgiveness which through Jesus Christ has already been prepared. If I were to say: ``If thou believest, thy sins are forgiven,'' I would only confuse the anxious sinner and suggest that his faith is to perfect the salvation which is already complete in itself. No, it is my duty, unconditionally, to assure the one who makes confession, that God has forgiven all his sins. If through unbelief he rejects the gift thus granted him, he is not in position to enjoy the forgiveness. This, however, does not make my words untrue, when I assure him that God actually grants him the forgiveness of sin. And it only serves to bring this truth closer to him, when my assurance is accompanied by the laying on of hands.