"What is a Christian?" asks J.I. Packer. "the question can be answered in many ways, but the richest answer I know is that a Christian is one who has God as Father."
Why is this the "richest answer?" Because of how it comes about: through Divine adoption (I am not ignoring the work of Christ's redemption, merely taking time to focus on one facet of that whole glorious process).
An adopted child is chosen, and they are chosen when they're still too young to understand what's happening, and certainly far too young to begin to comprehend the intentional, directional love that motivated their adoption. Children aren't adopted on the basis of their abilities or desirableness, but on the basis of the love of the parent, in spite of the child's background or difficulties. It's a rescue - with permanent implications.
"Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever." John 8:35
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