Nick’s Walk

He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him —2 Corinthians 5:21 Christ died as a sacrifice for sin. Yet the modern church shies away from discussions of sin or His death.  When death is discussed, it necessity is avoided. The modern view of the death of Jesus is that He died for our sins out of sympathy for us. Yet the New Testament view is that He took our sin on Himself not because of sympathy, but because of His identification with us. He was “made. . . to be sin. . . .” Our sins are removed because of the death of Jesus, and the only explanation for His death is His obedience to His Father, not His sympathy for us. We are acceptable to God not because we have obeyed, nor because we have promised to give up things, but because of the death of Christ, and for no other reason. We say that Jesus Christ came to reveal the fatherhood and the lovingkindness of God, but the New Testament says that He came to take “away the sin of the world!” (John […]

If when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life —Romans 5:10 I am saved by Faith. I am not saved by believing— I simply realize I am saved by believing. Believing is less than faith. Even the demons believe in Jesus and tremble. Faith has as a principal element: trust. And it is not repentance that saves me— repentance is only the sign that I realize what God has done through Christ Jesus. The danger here is putting the emphasis on the effect, instead of on the cause. Once I put my trust in Him; I turn (repent) from everything  else, an effect and not a cause. Perhaps the greatest misconception is that it is my obedience, consecration, and dedication that make me right with God? It is never that! I am made right with God because, prior to all of that, Christ died. When I turn to God and by belief accept what God reveals, the miraculous atonement by the Cross of Christ instantly places me into a right relationship with God. And as a result of the supernatural […]

Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations . . . —Matthew 28:19   In order to “make disciples” we have to “be disciples.” In fact, there is no other requirement for missionary service: we must BE His and His alone.  Jesus Christ did not say, “Go and save souls” (the salvation of souls is the supernatural work of God), but He said, “Go . . . make disciples of all the nations . . . .” Yet you cannot make disciples unless you are a disciple yourself.  The challenge to the missionary does not come from the fact that people are difficult to bring to salvation, that backsliders are difficult to reclaim, or that there is a barrier of callous indifference. No, the challenge comes from the perspective of the missionary’s own personal relationship with Jesus Christ—  do I know my risen Lord? Do I know the power of His indwelling Spirit? Am I wise enough in God’s sight, but foolish enough according to the wisdom of the world, to trust in what Jesus Christ has said? Or am I abandoning the great supernatural position of limitless confidence in Christ Jesus, which is really God’s only call […]

Jesus said to them again, ’. . . As the Father has sent Me, I also send you’ —John 20:21 Jesus sends us as He was sent. How was He sent? He was sent by the Father’s command. Although He was sent to those with great need, that was not the focus, the focus was the command. So it is with us. We must be careful not to focus on the needs.  The needs are so enormous, and the conditions so difficult, that every power of the mind falters and fails. We tend to forget that the one great reason underneath all missionary work is not primarily the elevation of the people, their education, nor their needs, but is first and foremost the command of Jesus Christ— “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations . . .” (Matthew 28:19). Entire segments of “Christianity” have gone astray, focused on the great needs of a hurting world. Such a focus is not only misdirected but subject to eventual frustration. We can’t  fix the problems of the world. We can’t provide justice where there is none. We can’t feed every starving soul or parent every orphan child. We can, and […]

I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some —1 Corinthians 9:22 A Christian worker has to learn how to be God’s man or woman of great worth and excellence in the midst of a multitude of meager and worthless things. All of God’s people are ordinary people who have been made extraordinary by the purpose He has given them. “I chose you . . .” (John 15:16). Keep these words as a wonderful reminder in your theology. God is at work bending, breaking, molding, and doing exactly as He chooses. And why is He doing it? He is doing it for only one purpose— that He may be able to say, “This is My man, and this is My woman.” Let Him have His way. Nick Sigur

Thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ . . . —2 Corinthians 2:14 Our triumphs are IN CHRIST. All other apparent triumphs are not. The proper perspective of a servant of God must not simply be as near to the highest as he can get, but it must be the highest. Be careful that you vigorously maintain God’s perspective, and remember that it must be done every day, little by little. Don’t think on a finite level. No outside power can touch the proper perspective. The proper perspective to maintain is that we are here for only one purpose— to be captives marching in the procession of Christ’s triumphs. We are not on display in God’s showcase— we are here to exhibit only one thing— the “captivity [of our lives] to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5).  It is a shameful thing for a Christian to talk about getting the victory. We should belong so completely to the Victor that it is always His victory, and “we are more than conquerors through Him . . .” (Romans 8:37). “We are to God the fragrance of Christ . . .” (2 Corinthians 2:15). We […]

If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new —2 Corinthians 5:17 Have you consider what “old things” should pass away when we become a new creation? One set of things we should leave behind are our prejudices. As the Spirit fills us, we should become aware that, in our old life, we operated with certain prejudices. We believe ourselves “better” than others; sometimes just in certain ways, and other times we felt ourselves superior in every way.  Our Lord never tolerates our prejudices.  It is part of our moral education to see our prejudices put to death by His providence, and to watch how He does it. When we are born again, the Holy Spirit begins to work His new creation in us, and there will come a time when there is nothing remaining of the old life. Our old gloomy outlook disappears, as does our old attitude toward things, and “all things are of God” (2 Corinthians 5:18). How are we going to get a life that has no lust, no self-interest, and is not sensitive to the ridicule of others? How will we have […]

The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit . . . —Romans 8:16 We are in danger of getting into a bargaining spirit with God when we come to Him— we want the witness of the Spirit before we have done what God tells us to do. Why doesn’t God reveal Himself to you? He cannot. It is not that He will not, but He cannot, because you are in the way as long as you won’t abandon yourself to Him in total surrender. Yet once you do, immediately God witnesses to Himself— He cannot witness to you, but He instantly witnesses to His own nature in you. If you received the witness of the Spirit before the reality and truth that comes from obedience, it would simply result in sentimental emotion. But when you act on the basis of redemption, and stop the disrespectfulness of debating with God, He immediately gives His witness. As soon as you abandon your own reasoning and arguing, God witnesses to what He has done, and you are amazed at your total disrespect in having kept Him waiting. If you are debating as to whether or not God can deliver from sin, then […]