Jesus bound us to Himself that we might experience and enjoy all that he is and all that he has. Jesus has also bound Himself to us so that He might experience all that we are and all that we have. He redeemed our story by placing us into His life and His story so that He could live His life and His story through our life and our life story. The Old Man and its fallen personality was in totality crucified with Christ, and a whole new redeemed self was raised up and joined to Jesus in His resurrection. Jesus did not come to pay for our sins, and yet leave us who we were with a fresh mandate to try to live a life that’s pleasing to God. Jesus did pay for our sins, but He came to save us from the fallen false self that we were. Salvation is truly a new birthing of a different person with a different story, the very story of the life that Jesus lives.
“For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved IN HIS LIFE.” Romans 5:10.
The gospel is not the promise of renovation. The gospel is the promise of regeneration – new creation – transformation. Jesus did not come to make you a better version of who you were. He came to be your life, not your coach. All that is unique about you has been placed into all that is unique about Him so that you, by Him, and your story can be Christlike, not because of an imitation of Christ, but because of a participation in and manifestation of the life of Jesus in all the details of your story that has now become His story. Jesus is the gospel. He is salvation.