What is a Christian? With this question, J.I. Packer opened his chapter on adoption in his masterpiece, Knowing God. In answer to that, he says, “The richest answer I know is that a Christian is one who has God as Father” (J.I. Packer, Knowing God; IVP 1993, 200).

Packer might have given the right answer, for we were by nature children of wrath (Eph. 2:3) but are by grace children of God (Eph. 2:8, 16, 18). Packer continues, “Our understanding of Christianity cannot be better than our grasp of adoption … the revelation to the believer that God is his Father is in a sense the climax of the Bible” (Packer, Knowing God, 202). But what does it mean that God is our Father? According to Packer, the relation of our Lord Jesus as Incarnate Son to the Father serves a backdrop for ours. This implies four things: authority (the Father commands and disposes); affection (mutual affection between the Father and the Son); fellowship (the Father is with the Son); and honor (God the Father will exalt the Son). This was true for Jesus by nature, but it all extends to us by adoption (Packer, Knowing God, 205). However, it seems to me that there is another component that Packer overlooks… namely dependence. The Incarnate Son was dependent on the Father for his life and ministry (see John 5:19). That is true of us as well. With this in mind, here are four ways in which we depend on God as sons (adapted from Packer, Knowing God, 210-212). 

1. Christian Conduct: The sermon on the mount is the archetype of the Christian life. Here, we find instructions on how to live as Christians. However, a deeper look at it seems to reveal that what appears to be at the basis of this sermon is adoption. In Matthew 5:44-45, the Lord tells us, “Love your enemies … that you might be sons of your Father in heaven.” And again, in 5:48, “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” In other words, the commands for Christians are rooted in our relation to God, which means that we depend on the Father for our Christian conduct.
2. Christian Prayer: Christians are people of prayer. We pray for sicknesses, for salvation, for guidance, for adoration. We pray for almost anything under heaven, but all our prayers are directed to heaven. In the Lord’s prayer, Jesus models our prayer life. The prayer begins with an affirmation of adoption: “Our Father” (Matt 6:9). This means that “the Father is always accessible to his children and is never too preoccupied to listen to what they have to say. This is the basis of Christian prayer” (Packer, Knowing God, 212). Even in our prayers to the Father we depend on Him as children.
3. Christian Life:  Christians are not disembodied spirits. Our walk of faith takes place in the real world. For this reason, we enquire from the Lord for food, money, jobs, clothes, and houses. The Lord Jesus knew that this constant need of necessities can create in us a heart of anxiety. Therefore, he said, “Do not worry … your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things” (Matt 6:31, 32). Brothers and sisters, every good thing comes from our Father (James 1:17). We depend on Him for our Christian lives.
4. Christian Guidance: It is not sufficient to know the will of God, it is also necessary to know how to apply it. We Christians have the immense privilege of receiving personal guidance from the Father. Paul seems to make this argument in Romans 8 when he contrasts the mind set on the flesh and the mind controlled by the Spirit. In verse 14 he says, “For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons and daughters of God” (Rom 8:14). Brothers and sisters, we depend on God our Father for guidance. 

In conclusion, we depend on God as children for conduct, prayer, life, and guidance. Therefore, dear saint, rely upon your heavenly Father today, and live, pray, receive, and follow for His glory and your good.