Conservative theologians say that Arminianism and Calvinism are part of an in-house debate, though Pelagianism is non-Christian. So if one is an “Arminian” or “Calvinist” (though there are many differences about what these positions are) it is thought the person is a Christian. It is possible to take the name of Arminian and be a Pelagian or the name Calvinist while one is an Arminian or Pelagian. While I John raises biblical issues about what it means to be a true believer in Christ, the issue of egocentricity and theocentricity is in that book and all other books. A person’s stated theological position is less important than whether the person is from the depths of the heart egocentric or theocentric. A person with a professed Arminian view that is theocentric in heart will be closer to the biblical view of God and of theology than the person with a professed Calvinistic view that is egocentric in heart.
“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…The two types of religion we have described, it is clear, stand in the sharpest opposition to one another. In their purest forms they would be mutually exclusive. But in actual practice they rarely appear in their purity. As we have already said, all religions show at least some traces of the theocentric motif; and we may add that even the most theocentric of all religions has been unable, in the course of its history, to escape the influence of man’s natural tendency to adapt everything to his own point of view. The history of Christianity is a story of continuous conflict between the two contrasted tendencies.” (Let God Be God! An Interpretation of the Theology of Martin Luther)
The egocentric (man-centered, self-centered) view of Christianity is in direct opposition to the theocentric (God-centered) view. Regardless of a person’s profession of a stated theological position, the real issue is whether the person is seeing these things from a man-centered view of from a God-centered view. Those with a man-centered view will be polar opposite in most ways to those with a God-centered view even if they are within the same theological camp. As the above quote says, these two positions in their pure forms are mutually exclusive. The problem, however, is that because we are fallen beings we are not pure in our God-centeredness. When a truly egocentric view is mixed with a little of the theocentric view, it becomes more dangerous because it has just enough truth in it to deceive people. Thus we have in most professions of Christianity today some degree of lip-service being offered to God. But the theocentric view is not just that we speak highly of God and give Him all the credit, but it is to think, speak, and act from the power of God in the soul and that this God is moved by Himself and His glory alone. We can speak highly of God simply because He gives us things and does wonderful things for us. But that is only love for God because we think He loves us which is nothing more than loving self. A true theocentric view would be of a God who is God-centered and brings sinners to Himself in order to manifest His glory in and through them while He makes them sharers of the divine nature (II Peter 1:3-4).
It is easy to hear of how much God loves sinners and gave His Son on the cross and then to weep and feel loved. However, that is nothing more than self-love and is consistent with a system of thought that has man and self at the very center. A true theocentric view would be that God’s love for Himself is seen in giving the Son for sinners because in the Son the glory of God shines forth. God sent the Son and sees glory in the cross because at the cross the glory of God shone forth in and through the Son. God sent the Son so that He could be just and justifier (Romans 3:26). The Father sent the Son and set Him forth as a propitiation in order to manifest His righteousness (Romans 3:25-26). It is in taking sinners and removing His wrath from them so that the Son of His love would live in them and the Spirit of love would share the fruit of love with them and make them lovers of God by sharing His love for Himself that the love of God is truly seen. The man-centered view is to make the cross out to be all about me and to make me feel loved. The God-centered view is for God to share His love for Himself with the sinner so that the person sharing in the love of God for Himself is truly loved. Pride focuses on self and is blind.
In some way a person’s theology is almost irrelevant if the person sees the cross and the glory of it is in what God does “for me.” That is an egocentric view. To see the true glory of the cross we have to see the glory and beauty of God Himself shining at the cross. That can only be seen if we begin to look at the cross and understand that God’s love must be primarily for Himself and His own glory or He would be unholy in loving sinners more than Himself. No, a holy God saves sinners based on Himself and nothing else. That is true grace which saves sinners from themselves based on God’s love Himself. Pride wants to be loved for self, but God’s grace does not save that way.
God Loves... Himself 
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