Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
2 Corinthians 5:17
Anyone seriously contemplating a name change should realize he is changing far more than just his name. To some extent he is altering his personality. A name can be a boost or an obstacle. A "Seymour Schlumpf" who has always hated his name and felt defensive about it might feel better if he changes his name to Steve Brown. If your new name helps you feel better, your behavior may also improve. For us, it is an opportunity to repent of the past and sin no more.
Once your name is registered as a child of the state, they have an interest in controlling the body attached to the name. The state uses your name to do business with you. They are your governors and tutors until the time appointed by the Father. You are enslaved to the basic principles of the world and subject to men's codes.4
Once you are reborn in Christ, you are no longer enslaved to men. You are free to use any name you choose. You do not have to continue using your state name. This may confuse state record keepers, but there is nothing illegal about using a name not sanctioned by the state. You may receive a new name as a gift from God.
When we are reborn in Christ, our new name separates us from our old life of bondage. As the Spirit works within us, the old man is mortified and vitality is given to the new man. The old life, the old ways, the old ties, die. We don't want to use a name that identifies an oppressed and weary sinner. We've been set free. We want a new name that identifies the new man redeemed by Jesus Christ.
When you change to a new name, your obligations don't just disappear. You need to systematically prove all things, keeping those things that are Godly and closing out those things that are not.
4 - Galatians 4:2-3