I was at LAX recently and was the focus two Christian evangelists (one on the bottom floor and another on the top floor) who when they saw me with my clerical collar made a b-line to get to me! They had tracks to pass out to people and it was -- rather obviously -- clear that I needed one of these tracks! The track was entitled, "Born Again!" and expounded on six signs that one is truly filled with the Holy Spirit. The first evangelist gave me a track with a big smile on his face. Then as I waited with my son in the airport, I read the track and memorized the six points within the track. Here they are in summary:

1. Avoid active deliberate sinning.

2. Seek active righteousness by doing righteous deeds as much as possible.

3. Keep yourself pure by avoiding bad influences that would compromise your sanctification.

4. Trust in the Lord by ensuring that you have a true commitment towards Jesus and not mere head knowledge.

5. Love the brethren as Scripture commands us to love all, but especially fellow-Christians.

6. Resist worldly influences that would otherwise hurt your walk with God (this is similar to point 3 above).

Walking out of the airport, the second evangelist came up to me with a big smile on his face. This time I put my hand up and said, "Wait, let me tell you what the six points are!" I recited the points and the evangelist of course was thrilled (and perhaps didn't quite anticipate this scenario)!

The points in and of themselves aren't bad. For example, Psalm 19:13 states, "Keep you servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then I will be blameless, innocent of great transgression."

Scripture clearly teaches us to avoid active, deliberate sinning!

On the other hand, context is everything, and we are to keep all biblical teaching in the overall context of Scripture. These points on sanctification must be properly presented in the context of the rest of the story. We had better not isolate the points and reduce our sanctification, our being born-again, to merely these points.

Romans 6 won't permit it.

Our new lives are first of all defined not as our work, not what we do, but what God does. How does this new life begin? Did it begin with your resolve? Did it begin with your conviction? Did it begin with your commitment? No, absolutely not. It all began with God connecting you to His Son, Jesus Christ. Our justification AND our sanctification is bound to the work of God: "Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin." (Romans 6:3-6)

It is dangerous to put our sanctification on ourselves. God doesn't do that. The above text from Romans 6 shows just how passive we are in sanctification:

1. [We have] been baptized into his death.

2. We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death.

3. We have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.

4. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing.

Notice in all of these descriptors you aren't doing anything. God is the worker. You are the receiver.

If we forget this fact, then our attempts to be "good Christians" will leave us in guilt and defeat; or we might become delusional and actually think that we really are better than other people thank you very much (and in this way take on Pharisaical pride).

The six points for "born again" are insufficient. These must be empowered, embedded, and created through the work of God through the Word and the Sacraments of Jesus Christ. Context is everything. Your sanctification, your being born-again, has a context. It is in Christ.

Dr. Espinosa

Galatians 3:23 states, "Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed." 

Exactly what did you celebrate this past Christmas? Did you celebrate release from captivity and prison? There is a good chance that that is not how you would put your Christmas celebration. And yet this is a very accurate and biblical way of describing what we should celebrate on Christmas. The wording that Saint Paul uses is fascinating. He speaks about "the faith" that came. Faith is used in two major ways (in the positive) sense in Scripture: 1) faith in the sense of our personal believing, the trust in Christ that is created by God through the Word in our heart; 2) faith in the sense of the objective truth and teaching of God's Word. This latter concept is what the former concept is built on. That is you cannot have a saving personal faith if not for the objective faith that is given to you through the Word of Christ.

This latter sense, "the faith" that is the foundation of what we believe in which Luther spoke of in terms of "here I stand!" is something however that is wrapped in the revelation and person of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. In a sense, this saving faith did not come apart from the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. If no Jesus, there is no saving faith! The faith, the saving faith required the coming of Jesus Christ. Faith here -- with the definite article -- is "the doctrine," or "the fulfillment of the promises of God." And all of these refer back to the coming Seed, that is, to Jesus Himself. What Christ brought with Him was our salvation, the source of our forgiveness and eternal life. It can be said that Jesus is "The Faith" and without Jesus there is no "The Faith"! Furthermore, without Jesus, the other kind of faith (trust in the heart), has nothing to trust in for salvation. Without Jesus, there is no salvation period.

So what prevails if there is no faith and no Jesus? Answer: imprisonment and captivity. If there is no faith, we are left captive to sin, death, and the devil. We would be eternally stuck in these overpowering forces and powers. What is it like to be in prison? If you've never been, it is probably impossible to answer. But we've all seen footage of released prisoners/hostages. They are overjoyed to be free. Sometimes they will get down when they reach their home to kiss the ground! Freedom is something we take for granted, but when it is taken away and we get it back, overwhelming joy is experienced. This -- on a much larger scale -- is what Christmas is about.

When the faith came, when Jesus brought salvation, He brought liberation from the prison of sin, from captivity to the devil. We were set free to be the people of God. This is what Jesus brought on that first Christmas!

The old captivity under the law is specifically addressed in Scripture. Romans 10:4 states, "For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes."

This means among other things that we are called to give up the old "religion" of the law, which is the most popular religion in the world: the idea that we can make ourselves righteous and liberated by what we do. This terrible captivity of the law is so serious that people respond to it with different and desperate approaches to it:

1. Some ignore it as if the law was insignificant and in this way they never confront their spiritual prison.

2. Some mistreat it as if it was the key to their salvation and in this way become either deluted with self-righteousness or become overwhelmed with despair.

3. Some reject it and treat it as if it was no longer relevant and in this way permit themselves to sin without restraint and the prison walls just get tighter.

4. Or they fully recognize it, but they remain miserably in prison, because they fail to see what God has done to release them from prison (this is what Cain did in Genesis, what King Saul did, and what Judas Iscariot did).

Instead of taking these tracks, we are to trust in what God has done with the Law in Christ! In Christ -- when He came -- Jesus 1) fulfilled the Law, kept it all perfectly FOR YOU; and 2) took the Law's condemnation for OUR SIN upon HIMSELF out of His great love for you. Because of Christ's saving work, the faith has come, salvation has come, the prison of the law that shows sin and death has been dealt with and the end result for those who have faith is RELEASE from prison! You are no longer captive to sin. You are forgiven in Christ! The faith has come. You are saved!

Dr. Espinosa

On Christmas Day, our guest preacher was A.J. Espinosa, 2nd year seminarian at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, MO. He preached a fantastic sermon and I've asked him to provide some of the highlights here on our website. Let me turn things over to A.J.! In Christ, Dr. Espinosa

“Happy birthday Jesus.” I’ve seen it on billboards, heard it in children’s messages, and even sung it at party in a church fellowship hall. Even a child can point out what’s strange about this phrase though–if Christmas is Jesus’s birthday, why do we get all the presents, and not Jesus? This question ‘presents’ us with an opportunity for reflection.

A birthday is a celebration of life, a celebration of family. Jesus, however, is God’s Son. He’s God’s Word. John 1:1 tells us that “in the beginning the Word already existed” (GW translation). God’s Word already had life and a family. As God, He already had life in the truest sense, and as God’s Son, he already belonged to a family in the truest sense. Jesus didn’t get life and family on Christmas–we did. John says that Jesus “was the source of life, and that life was the light for humanity” (v4). He goes on to say that Jesus “gave the right to become God’s children to everyone who believed in him” (v12). We get the presents of life and family on Christmas, so Christmas is really our birthday.

On Christmas, we get another present too: God’s glory. Not even Moses got to see God’s glory. He asked, but all he got to see was a sliver of God’s back while hiding inside the crevice of a cliff (Exodus 33:18-23). Although he didn’t get to see God’s glory, he got to hear God make this declaration about Himself: Yahweh is “a compassionate and merciful God, patient, always faithful, and ready to forgive” (Exodus 34:6). This last phrase, “always faithful and ready to forgive,” is a translation of the Hebrew רַב־חֶ֥סֶד וֶאֱמֶֽת (rav-chesed we’emet), which when literally translated word-for-word is “full of grace and truth.” This phrase appears only one other time in the Bible, and that’s in John 1:14. John says, “The Word became human and lived among us. We saw his glory. It was the glory that the glory that the Father shares with his only Son, a glory full of grace and truth.” With this phrase, John declares again that Jesus is Yahweh. Moses would have died if he had seen Yahweh’s face, so he had to settle for Yahweh’s back (Exodus 33:20). God became human, so we got to see God face-to-face. When Moses saw that sliver of God’s back, he gained life to last him 40 days and 40 nights without food or water. We saw God’s face, and He injected His life directly into humanity through Jesus. We saw God’s glory, and we gained life to last us for eternity.

We see God’s glory in the way Jesus has lived. Jesus lived a life of faithfulness and forgiveness. As Yahweh was faithful when Israel was faithless, Jesus was faithful when we were faithless. Jesus obeyed his Father’s will to the point of death, the shameful death of a common criminal on a Roman cross. And the death of this perfectly faithful human being, who was ready to forgive even the people who nailed him to that cross, served as the sacrifice which purifies us from sin once and for all.

This is the glory that Jesus has shown us, and it’s the glory that he continues to create in us. Jesus is creating in you a new, eternal, and glorious life of faithfulness and forgiveness. When God the Creator joined Himself to His creation, our re-creation began. Through the birth of God’s Son, humanity’s re-birth has begun. Through God’s presence with us in Jesus, we get presents: eternal life, re-birth into God’s family, and God’s glory. Jesus gives you his presents/presence, and Jesus has come to wish you a happy birthday. Amen.

In Christ,

A.J. Espinosa

I read an article bemoaning the upcoming divorce of NBA star Kobe Bryant. The article was encouraging people not to overreact, divorce is going around. There must be something in the water. Actually, the writer said, we have "selfish genes," and at the end of the day who can blame the person who divorces? Marriage at the end of the day is at a disadvantage at the get go: it is a proposition of "me vs. we." And "me" usually wins. This article reminded me of the recent report by Pew Forum: only 51% of all American adults are married. Marriage is dying.

What a pity, what a shame. It is for many reasons, but the chief of which is the unknown salve, the unknown power for marriage that is called "love." No, I don't mean to sing blindly about a utopian dream like the Beatles' "All You Need Is Love!" I am speaking of God's love. Yes, there is "love," and then there is "love." God's love is not man's love, but God's love is available to sinful men who call on the Name of the Lord. This love understands that marriage is indeed hard work, but it is more than just that, it is highest arena for applying God's love, God's sacrificial love, God's commitment love, God's love that stands in the face of adversity. This love makes marriage a beautiful mosaic of a great life together...learning the highest love: to sacrifice for the one whom God joined you to and then to be blessed more than we can ever imagine.

For me, next to Jesus Christ, Traci Dawn, is the greatest blessing in the universe.

When I was the pastor at St. John, Covina, I served a family in which I saw this love more than at any other time in my life. They were married, she was paralyzed, he lived out his love and cared for her sacrificially every day. This love was based on a volitional act of service...it was God's love in action. Jesus said before the cross that took His life, "I love you. I do not deny that it will be indescribably excruciating, and that it will cost me my very life, but this I do for you: I will love you in my action, in my life, and it will mean that salvation will come, I will do the will of my Father and He will be glorified, and you -- my child originally created in God's image -- will live your God-given purpose: to be saved and then to share my love through faith in Me!" 1st John 4:19 puts it simply, "We love because He first loved us." 

Marriage is wonderful because in it we practice God's love and it is good, very, very good for the soul.

This love in the life of the Christian, however, is lived out in so many more arena's than just marriage, it is God's love for us in Christ for all people...love them, serve them, glorify the Lord, by crucifying the flesh that wants you to live for self...and then arise in the new creation, live for others...this is what love does...it is faith in action, it is such a faith in Jesus that delivers us from living for ourselves. This love puts life right, because it relies on Christ who loved us with His very life!

Dr. Espinosa

What's in a name? A lot! Because the Name of Christ has been poured out upon those baptized into His life, death, and resurrection. As a result, His salvation is with you wherever you go! Think about the implications, the power of Christ' Name is on you. Consider what the Scriptures say of His Name: "Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:10-11)." Having Christ's Name is having Christ. In the Name of Christ, repent of sin, and you are forgiven. In the Name of Christ, remember what Christ said of His overcoming the world for you even as you experience conflict in the world, and be comforted. In the Name of Christ, resist the devil and he will flee from you. In the Name of Christ, rejoice, you are saved. His Name means "Savior," and this Christmas gift my dear friends lasts for eternity! This is what makes Christmas Christmas: the Name of Christ is yours, poured on you in baptism, kept on your lips, mind, and heart through the Word proclaimed and received in the Sacrament...the Name that is above every name is upon you! Rejoice this Christmas for this gift! Dr. Espinosa

We are tempted to think that if we are struggling (with anything) as Christians then we must not have the right to, or capacity for all that the Scriptures say about joy for the child of God. Satan, the world, and our sinful flesh suggest that joy is just off limits. At this point our deep dark suspicions of ourselves start to take over: "It is one thing to confess that we're sinners, but what if I am so defective that even in my status as "forgiven," joy is just not for me?" Rubbish! Remember that the devil is called "the father of lies." The Scriptural presentation of joy is not the transitory response to exciting things or circumstances. Like the game show announcer who says, "You've won a new car!" And to such news, the happy contestant starts jumping up and down uncontrollably. And while new cars are also gifts from God that might make us quite happy, there is a deeper joy in the life of God's children. It is the joy in the face of persecution and suffering. Christ our Lord said in Matthew 5:12: "Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you." A Christian may be in the middle of that which appears contrary to "rejoice and be glad," but he or she is joyful with the faith-based joy that knows that even in the midst of the storm God who sent His Son to weather the worst storm on the cross for us is with us. With this assurance, St. Paul said, "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed in us (Romans 8:18)." As disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ we take our cue from Him: "who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame (Hebrews 12:2b)." The Lord divested the cross of the power of its shame by looking what it was going to establish beyond it, namely your salvation. This Savior holds you even now no matter what you face...yes, we have more than sufficient reason to know true joy, lasting joy, that is...joy in Christ! Dr. Espinosa

We rejoice in what the Lord is doing these days at Saint Paul's!!!

On December 11th, we received:

Gary Yester through profession of faith.

Stephanie Fittler through transfer.

Danielle Medina through adult confirmation.

Sarina Grant through adult confirmation.

On December 18th, we baptized:

Benjamin Paley Ackley

This Christmas Day, December 25th:

Christina Dawn Espinosa will be confirmed!

And A.J. Espinosa, 2nd year seminarian at Concordia Seminary St. Louis will preach God's Word!

Thanks be to God from Whom all blessings flow!

Dr. Espinosa

In the Greek there is no definite article in front of the three little things listed in 1st Thessalonians 5:16-18, so these three things do not represent the exhaustive will of God, but only a part of it. However, the Bible does not often mention that which is "God's will." This is one of those instances. 1st Thessalonians 5:16-18 says, "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." Once again there is much on the Christian life (our sanctification in Christ) that we simply cannot ignore. There is a way God calls us to live in Christ, enjoying the sanctification that Christ has established by His holy life for us (His passive righteousness for us) and that which Christ continues to live out in and through His people (His active righteousness for us). The first aspect of His will is seemingly treated as that which is simply "unreasonable" in God's Word. How can we "rejoice always"? In fact, doesn't this contradict the fact that elsewhere Jesus actually describes His people as "mourning" (consider for example the Beautitudes in Matthew 5:4)?! This fact, however, is not contradictory, but explanatory. The joy here described is not a "natural joy,'" but a joy that is of faith (or we might say a "supernatural" joy). So what's the difference? The natural joy is contingent on natural circumstances. If you're on a game show and the announcer says, "you've won a new car!" The news may very well cause you to "leap for joy!" This is natural joy. The joy of faith is different. It is a joy that is assured of God's presence no matter what we face! We do in fact face all kinds of natural circumstances that cause sorrow, but these things cannot remove the joy of faith that is ours which holds onto Christ's promise that He will never leave us or forsake us. Paul and Silas were attacked, had their clothes torn off, were beaten with rods, thrown into prison, and had stocks put on their feet! Then the Scriptures record this: "About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God." (Acts 16:25) What inspired this? The work of God, the grace of God in Christ, the real faith-oriented joy of knowing the truth that God was in control and that they would continue to be blessed in Christ...no matter what! The second little thing about God's will is always criticized: "pray without ceasing." "Alright," says the skeptic, "now we know that the Bible is constantly employing unrealistic hyperbole! How in the world can a person pray without ceasing?!" This criticism misses the meaning of the word. Here Paul is not describing formal prayers which require being prostrate or praying liturgical prayers, etc., but is describing a different concept altogether: prosklisis means "a leaning towards," it is the predisposition of faith that realizes one's constant dependence on the Lord, the awareness that He is always there, and that He is leading and guiding you in Christ at every instant of your life. This is prayer without ceasing even as you are led to other types of prayers which are indeed much more overt and focused. The last little thing is to "give thanks in all circumstances." Here, I will point to but one thing in this verse...this constant thanksgiving finds us in a specific sphere of living, the Christian who gives thanks this way is "in Christ." I think of Psalm 91...everything else can be falling apart all around you, but you are "in Christ' and to be in Him is to always have the basis for giving thanks...even in the face of death since "in Christ" even that has been conquered. There is little question that we have much to be thankful for. I am humbled by all of this. Sometimes you hear people making a big "to do" about "the will of God" as some deep, mystical and esoteric thing. It's not that complicated! At the same time, it is a great way to live in faith: 1) Rejoice always; 2) Pray without ceasing; and 3) Give thanks in all circumstances! This is Christ's life and His life is your life. In Christ, Dr. Espinosa

The New Testament word for "peace" (eirene) is equivalent to the Old Testament word for "peace" (shalom). We often miss the full meaning of the word. The word means "wellness, wholeness, unity, and salvation." Even more, the word means being one with God. So if you're right with God, you're healthy, you're whole. You have peace! How far we've strayed from this meaning of peace. Today, "peace" is a socio-political idea epitomized by the 1960's "peace sign." This is an anti-war concept. Ironically, however, if we practice this reductionism of peace, we lose true peace. The "peace sign" is even worse than one might think. In-spite of various interpretations of the sign, it seems clear that it is an inverted cross with the cross arms broken. Speaking of irony, however, to "undo" the cross of Calvary would be to lose all peace! The Word of God teaches in Romans 5 that we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (verse 1) and then goes on to elaborate on this peace won through the reconciliation Christ established through His blood (Romans 5:9-11). Christ's blood has won our peace with God. We are now right with God and to be right with Him is quite simply to have all we need in this life and the next! In this context, we know the truth that Jesus is indeed "the prince of peace" (Isaiah 9:6), we understand the proclamation of the angels at the birth of Christ: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!" (Luke 2:14) We understand why Simeon was so filled with peace upon seeing the baby Jesus that he was fully prepared to die and leave this earth (Luke 2:29-30). And we know why St. Paul describes what you know in Christ: namely, "the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, [that] will guard your hearts and minds...(Philippians 4:7)." This peace, however, is to never be confused with the earthly "peace" movements. In fact, Christ warned that in regard to human dynamics we should not think that He came to bring peace, but division. This is what He teaches in Matthew 10:34: "Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword." People are divided, especially because they are divided about Jesus Christ. Some follow Him, others do not; some love and worship Him, others do not...ultimate allegiances in life cannot be hidden; different values and worldviews inevitably bear out and for this reason there is no peace in the sense of the "peace sign." That peace is artificial and unreal, but thanks be to God that He has given to us the lasting peace, the real peace, the peace that comes through sins forgiven and through knowing God as our Heavenly Father. Let us give thanks as Christmas approaches that peace is not this far-off possibility, but rather an accomplished reality: Christ came and is coming to give us peace with God! This peace is yours! In Christ, Dr. Espinosa

Sometimes people proudly proclaim, "I have no regrets!" This is kind of like the person who proclaims, "I don't care about what other people think!" These assertions seem to almost illicit a kind of admiration, "Wow! That's a strong person who has no regrets and isn't insecure about what others think!" But such admiration would be misplaced. These are not positions to take pride in. In Mark 1:1-8 John the Baptist prepared people for the coming of Christ by urging them to "repent!" Over the years I've taught the meaning of metanoia as changing one's mind (about sin and Christ) and "turning around" (from sin and towards God). These definitions aren't bad, but "repent!" may also be translated in a very simple way (in terms of the narrow sense of the word): "to think after, to regret." Christians should have plenty that they sincerely regret. We Christians should be able to look back on our lives (as far back as we can remember and as recently as today) and see countless things (sins actually) that we regret. To say we have "no regrets" is the height of arrogance; to confess that you have many regrets is to know the humility that the Lord seeks in His people who truly need Him and the forgiveness of sins He gives. The Gospel in Mark 1 is all about demonstrating our great need precisely because we are people filled with regrets. John comes crying in the wilderness. The wilderness reminds us not only of Israel's wanderings, but of our own in our own wildernesses of sin. He calls us to make straight paths, because our sin has caused crooked paths. John came baptizing and we are mindful that our baptism was essential to bury our own sinful self bent on destroying us. And then we see the people coming to John and doing what? Answer: "confessing their sins." All of these images teach us about the healthy thing about regret. At the end of the day these things remind us of our great need for Christ. And for us regretting people Jesus comes. And when the Law does its devastating work filling us with regret, His Gospel informs us that He takes up all of our sin which is responsible for every ounce of our regret. For this reason John said He was unworthy to even stoop down to untie Christ's sandals, but at the same time, John knew...He knew that this Savior, our Savior, THE Savior would baptize us "with the Holy Spirit" guaranteeing God's grace for those plagued with regret. This same Spirit shows us the Gospel: Jesus died for all sin so that we are no longer transfixed on our regrets, but on the One who did not regret giving His life for yours! In Christ, Dr. Espinosa