A new name, address, and reason to live

The gospel of Jesus is not an invitation to do better or try harder; it is a death certificate that unfolds into a new birth certificate, providing us with a renewed identity! The image of God that was marred in the Fall is revived in Jesus. We have been killed in Jesus' death, buried in Jesus' tomb, and raised in Jesus' resurrection. When we turn from our sin to trust in Jesus, our old self no longer defines who we are and what we do. Our old slave masters have been exposed and deposed.¹ We have enrolled in the ultimate witness protection program and have been issued a new name, "beloved," a new address, "in Christ Jesus," and a new reason to live, "a holy calling."²

Love Into Light: The Gospel, the Homosexual, and the Church, Peter Hubbard, Ambassador International, 2013, pp. 26-27.

1. Rom. 6:15-23
2. Eph. 5:1; Col. 3:1-4; 2 Tim. 1:9.