The use of words can hide the truth from us while we use the same words that have been used in history. With a subtle shift of change in meaning here and there the concepts and meanings of the truths the words used to refer to are changed. Dropping a word or two can also change the entire meaning of a phrase or doctrine. The contention of the book which the quote below was taken is that the central thought of Luther was a thorough God-centeredness in all things. But the term “God-centered” can mean different things. One man can speak highly and often of God and simply mean that God is focused on doing good things to men. Another can speak much of the glory of God and think of God’s love for Himself and His holiness as doing all for the glory of His name. There is a massive difference in what one word can mean depending on whether one is man-centered or God-centered. As in the quote below, to speak of God as being the highest good can mean many things depending on whether one is looking at if from a man-centered or a God-centered perspective. It should also be noted that this perspective is not just an intellectual one, but is one that involves the desires and affections of the entire soul. It is a far different thing to love man and speak highly of God than it is to love God and speak of Him as the center of all things.
“There is no single aspect of religion which may not bear the marks of egocentricity or theocentricity, according as the one or the other of these constitutes the fundamental character of the religious relationship…Again, God Himself may be conceived as the summum bonum. As generally interpreted, this means that, although I must not seek God for the sake of anything beyond Himself, yet I may and should seek Him as my ‘Highest Good’, as that which alone can give full and permanent satisfaction to my deepest needs. In sharp contrast with this, there stands the witness of the New Testament that there is none good but God, whose ways are to be acknowledged as righteous even when from my point of view they least seem to be so, and whose holy will is to be sought and obeyed as good even though it in no way ministers to my wishes.” (Let God Be God! An Interpretation of the Theology of Martin Luther)
Reformed theology is really at the brink of being irrelevant in the modern day because it has moved its focus from the God-centeredness of God to the man-centeredness of God. This may sound strange and bring forth snorts of disdain from some, but Reformed theology is not what it used to be. There used to be giants in the land when men like Jonathan Edwards and David Brainerd “roamed” the land with their teachings. The reason that they were giants is that they thought of God as being God-centered and they were full of a God-centered God rather than a man-centered God. To be truly God-centered or theocentric requires us to be centered upon a God that is God-centered as well. If that is not the case, then our God-centeredness is really on a God that is centered upon us and so in the end it just means that we are focused on God because He is focused on us. That is just another way for the pride of man to remain focused on man and adhere to some form of orthodoxy as well.
The issue then remains the same. It is proud man wanting to cast the sovereign and God-centered God out of his mind in order to make room for a friendlier and easier to control conception of God. But if those that claim to have the biblical God and biblical Christianity present a god that is not God-centered, that seemingly slight move has changed the God of Christianity to a god who is nothing more than an idol made in the image of man. We will then have an idol masquerading as the biblical God within orthodoxy and that is even more deceptive. But pride in the heart will blind people to this and they will become comfortable with the idol in the name of orthodoxy. It sounds orthodox to believe in justification by faith, but some realize this as a problem and move on to justification by faith alone. However, there are those that hold to the words of justification and yet God is not at the center of it all. If even the word “by” in the phrase “justification by faith alone” is changed, the whole meaning of the Gospel can be changed from what the biblical meaning is to what amounts to a works salvation scheme. The pride of the heart is so tenacious and so blinding that it will use biblical and theologically orthodox words to hide itself behind.
What does it mean to seek God as my highest good? If I only seek Him for the good received, then my chief love is myself and God is nothing more than a way to get things for self. That is again a vicious and wicked pride that attempts to use God in such a way. Well, some say, it is only when I seek God as my highest good that He is honored. God is not honored to be sought as secondary to the idol of self. That is nothing more than using language to fulfill the desires of self while trying to hide the idolatry with orthodox language. That is what the proud heart does. The heart that has not died to self is still ruled by pride. It is a heart that is full of self because it is full of pride. It is a heart that hides behind orthodoxy while it tries to use God to seek self. Pride is so nauseating.
God Loves... Himself 
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