Self-Centeredness

There is an illustration of this in the realm of astronomy. For thousands of years before Copernicus, people thought that the moon, the sun, the planets, and the stars revolved around the earth. This was the Ptolemaic system. It was a good system, much better than most of the people of our day imagine. It could foretell the hours of sunrise and sunset. It could chart the alteration of the heavens. But it was wrong. Moreover, because the sun is the center of our solar system and not the earth, as Ptolemy imagined, it was inevitable that the Ptolemaic system would have defects. First, it was not always accurate, particularly in charting the position of the planets. Under the strain of providing corrections for these movements, the system eventually broke down. Second, it did not allow for progress. New discoveries always went against it. Moreover, it was only under the system of Copernicus that Newton’s theories of gravity could be developed, and it is only under this system that the flight of spaceships beyond the earth is possible.

Do you see the application? You live within a spiritual solar system that is as fixed as the one that fills our heavens. Christ is the center of the system; but many people today, perhaps even you, imagine that they are the center of the system. As far as people can see the system works quite well. They serve themselves and generally get what they desire. If they work hard enough for a home, they will get it, particularly if circumstances are with them. If they work hard enough at their job and have ability, they can count on a certain measure of success.

But this human-centered system has defects, just as the Ptolemaic system of astronomy had. In the first place, it is not quite accurate. It predicts a certain measure of success, but it does not account for failure or for the inevitable letdown when the person actually gets the thing for which he has been working. Similarly, the system of the natural man does not allow for progress. Human beings are limited, and any system that makes humans the center of life is limited also.

It is not this way for Christians, for those who see things the way God wants everyone to see them. Before God, men and women are abased and Christ exalted. Christ is the center of the system, the center of the spiritual universe. The Bible tells us that in this system there is infinite progress, for it is based on reality and on the nature of an infinite God. Do you know where you stand before God? Will you accept Christ’s place within this system?

Boice, J. M. (2000). Philippians : An expositional commentary (16). Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Books.