I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.  + Galatians 2:20

I travelled back to Michigan this past weekend for my nephew’s baptism, where my wife and I are his godparents. Baptism is probably my most favorite part of being a pastor, for in it, we see something truly amazing.

Baptism gives us a new identity. We are marked as one redeemed by Jesus Christ. We are given the gift of faith and made heirs with Him. We are made new. St. Paul beautifully elaborates on the connection between baptism and the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In Romans 6, he helps us to see that we are united to Christ’s death and resurrection through our baptism.

So baptism doesn’t just give us a new identity like some witness protection program. Baptism gives us Christ as our new identity. That’s why in Galatians 2, Paul points to Christ living in us. We die at baptism and are made alive in Jesus.

Our identity is Jesus Christ.

This should not be a controversial idea in the Christian church. And yet, in recent years, identity has become a huge issue for some. And this has major consequences for many people.

The words that are being used right now to determine if you are “Lutheran enough” for my church body is disheartening. Lives are being changed. People are being pushed away or leaving our church body. My alma mater, Concordia University Ann Arbor, is being “reimagined” or completely torn apart and destroyed. All of this because some peoples think others do not live up to some arbitrary (and not clearly defined) meaning of having a strong “Lutheran” identity.

The national leadership of my church body seems bent on pushing away everything that does not live up to their standards. My prayer is that this administration sees the danger of their ways, confesses their errors, and works to unify our church body around Jesus Christ. He alone is our hope. He alone is our salvation. He alone is our identity.

Photo by Felicia Buitenwerf on Unsplash