POC Blog

The random technotheolosophical blogging of Reid S. Monaghan

Gospel Centered - A Metaphor from Physics

There is a basic equation in Newtonian Physics that describes the force of gravity acting between two masses.  It looks like this. Hopefully this will give flashbacks to science classes of days long ago. If you have never seen such a thing...well, you're welcome.

The G is known as the gravitational constant. It is what it is because of the way the universe is.  God made it this way, it is observable and makes our equation work.  One thing to notice about the law of gravitation is that it is what we call an inverse square law.  The masses “m1 and m2” are on the top and the distance between them “r” is squared on the bottom. This means that “the further” away the two masses are from one another the weaker the force. If you want to stay strong in gravity, put things close together. Additionally, the masses on the top influence the equation by their size. The more massive, the stronger the pull on the other object. This is why our earth goes around the Sun by the way.  The massive Sun exerts a strong gravitational pull upon our tiny planet so we “orbit it.” Kepler had more to say about how this works, but for our purposes this level of detail will suffice.

There is a parallel here for centering our lives on God and the gospel.  The thing that is largest in your universe is what influences you the most.  The strongest gravitational pull that the human soul knows is worship.  We are drawn to what is most massive in our souls.  We worship that which is the biggest deal to us, we are drawn in by our affections.  For the follower of Jesus we must worship and make God himself most massive in our universe.  Furthermore, we need to stay close to him day by day. Stay close to the most glorious, mighty and massive one and we will be strong in our walk with him.  Drift away or place some idolatrous false worship at the center of our souls and we court disaster. 

So what things are BIG in your life? Be honest. What do you fear to lose the most? What do you find your security in? What would you fight to hold on to?  These will be the things you are tempted to make into idols—things you worship.  List them. Pray that GOD would be bigger in your life than these.

Keep God the center in your life by the gospel!  But how do we keep close? God has graciously given us means of grace: Scripture, prayer, corporate worship the sacraments, work and witness to aid us in keeping close in following after Jesus.  By these spiritual practices we grow. 

Yet perhaps most the most important truth is that Christ pulls us all the way in. He is so massive in glory and importance that we are pulled fully into Him. We become one with Jesus by the Spirit, unified with Him, and this bond in the gospel is the strongest tie that binds.  We belong to Christ and our lives are spent learning, growing and living this out.