"The entire Christian life has to be understood in terms of adoption. Sonship must be the controlling thought - the normative category, if you like - at every point....this is strikingly confirmed by the fact that all our Lord's teaching on Christian discipleship is cast in these terms. It is clear that, just as Jesus always thought of himself as Son of God in a unique sense, so he always thought of his followers as children of his Heavenly Father, members of the same divine family as himself. Early in his ministry we find him saying, "Whoever does God's will is my brother and sister and mother" (Mark 3:35)....The writer of Hebrews assures us that the Lord Jesus regards all those for whom he has died, and whom he makes into his disciples, as his brothers. As our Maker is our Father, so our Savior is our brother, when we come into the family of God."
J.I. Packer, Knowing God pg.210
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