Baptismal Orientation

On Identity and Interpreting Psalm 42

One of the sacred duties of the pastor is to teach the church, corporately, what baptism means, so that the church can live the baptized life. In my ecclesial context, this role has taken on particular significance since my denomination has waffled on the importance and role of baptism.

I don’t want to wade into (pun intended) denominational debates. Rather, I’m going to make three biblical claims about baptism that I think anyone who calls themselves a Christian ought to accept. Then I’ll tell you a quick story about why it matters.

1. Baptism means Jesus’ death and resurrection is our death and resurrection. Read Romans 6:1-11. This is what Paul means when he says “to live is Christ” (Phil 1:21).

2. Baptism means that Christ’s baptism is our baptism. In Christ, the heavens open when we are in the water, the Spirit descends on us like a dove, and the Father says, “you are my beloved child with whom I am well pleased.”

3. Baptism means we are new creation. The water is the chaos of the deep in Genesis 1. Just as the original creation emerged from the deep by God’s command, so we emerge from deep by God’s command—this time in newness of life.

The other day a dear friend of mine asked me what Psalm 42:7 means:

Deep calls to deep

at the thunder of your torrents;

all your waves and your billows

have gone over me. (NRSV)

Here is how I responded (with a little more elaboration):

The Deep is the Father calling to the Deep, who is the Son. The Holy Spirit is the Calling. The language of “deep” should remind us of the deep over which the Spirit hovered in Genesis 1. God as Trinity is the Great Conversation who has been speaking since before creation itself.

“The deep” refers to our baptism, since to enter the water is at once to enter the deep of the Jordan river, the deep of Spirit-hovered waters, and the deep of the grave. That’s why the verse says, “all your waves…have gone over me.”

Since our baptisms unite us with Christ, the Deep (the Father) is now calling to us (the Deep)—again, only in Christ—and the Spirit is the Calling in the form of a dove. God’s calling is that which can uniquely call us forth from the watery and deathly deep as new creation. And we are now forever in God’s conversation, God’s life.

We live in a day where western culture is uniquely preoccupied with “identity.” My desire is for every Christian to begin and end an account of their identity by talking about their baptism. But they can only do that if the church is proclaiming the biblical, theological, and existential import of getting dunked in the name of God.