The True Center

It was a step in the right direction. When Renaissance mathematician and astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus suggested that the planets in our solar system do not revolve around the earth, but around the sun, it was revolutionary. Actually, the concept that the sun is the center of the universe (heliocentrism) can be traced back to Aristarchus of Samos, a Hellenistic writer from the third century bc.

Copernicus’s system had several shortcomings, and it would take many later astronomers to fine-tune his model—including Tycho Brahe, Johannes Kepler, Galileo Galilei, and Isaac Newton. Kepler introduced the concept of elliptical orbits, and Galilei gave supporting evidence through the use of the telescope. Galilei was also summoned to Rome in 1633 and put on trial for his beliefs.

Later astronomers, like William Herschel and Friedrich Bessel, demonstrated that the sun is not at the center of the universe. To be even more precise, the Bible teaches that Christ is the center of all things. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men” (John 1:1–4).

The great controversy between Christ and Satan can be understood as a desire by the devil to push Jesus from the center and to make himself the focal point of the universe. The wilderness temptations of Christ bring this out when Satan suggested, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me” (Matthew 4:9).

While the devil would love for us to see the earth, humans, or even the church as the center of all things, only in Christ do we find the true focus of the universe.

Apply It:

Look up the word heliocentrism in an encyclopedia. Learn how this view shook some church leaders.

Dig Deeper:

Luke 24:25–27; Ephesians 4:21; Revelation 1:8

Key Bible Texts

Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. (Acts 4:12 KJV)