What is a Christian? This question was asked to J.I. Packer. He stated, “The richest answer I know is that a Christian is one who has God as Father… Our understanding of Christianity cannot be better than our grasp of adoption… The truth of our adoption gives us the deepest insights the New Testament affords into the greatness of God’s love.” [1] In preparing for this sermon, I read a story about Abraham Lincoln. The story tells how he went to New Orleans and purchased a slave girl. Upon buying her, he immediately told her she was free to leave. He purchased her for the sole purpose of setting her free. This story is not true, but it can help us get in the right frame of mind as we get ready to study our text today. Imagine if that was a true story, but not only does he set the slave free; he decides to adopt her as his very own daughter with all the rights and privileges of someone born naturally into the family. That, dear friends is what our heavenly Father has done for us through His only Son Jesus Christ.
[1]Packer, J. I. Knowing God, (Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 1973), 181-182.
