Is God self centered or humble?

God appears to be self-centered and in one sense ¹he is, however, due to the nature of his being three persons while also only one God, there is an "otherness" within the very being of God; he is outward and other focused and oriented - i.e. he is not inward focused or selfish.

And his other orientation is rooted in that other person being perfect, ²exactly as he is perfect. For God to be infinitely attracted to another, that "other" person must be like him...infinitely and equally perfect and beautiful. 

God is the ³greatest, most perfect, infinitely beautiful, and attractive being of all. To behold Him as He is, is to be filled with wonder. God can not admire something infinitely that is not of infinite value and worthy of infinite admiration. But He alone is most worthy of eternal admiration. For Him to admire another equally, that other person must be equally beautiful and glorious as Himself. 

In the case of Christ, he is the co-eternal, exact and perfect representation (image -"other") of the Father. 

And what makes God so ³attractive, admirable, beautiful, and glorious? Certainly, the common things we recognize, such as love, wisdom, power, majesty, creativity but also His humility, an often overlooked but central part of his very being.

The greatest being in the universe experienced the greatest ⁴humility of any other being. Not only did Christ go the lowest of any being, but he also came from the greatest heights to do so. You could say the distance (height too depth) Christ traveled - from the "penthouse to the outhouse" of his existence - was an infinitely greater distance than anyone had or will ever travel by virtue of His greatness and the height he came from to go to the depth he went to. No one is higher than the eternal Son of God and no one has ever gone lower or "traveled" farther - or ever wiil. Part of what makes Christ so great is that he went so low and He did so for others i.e. for both His Father and for us. As a result, he is also exalted above all others. 

Humility is and will always be a central quality he possesses that will evoke our adoration for him throughout eternity. His is not a humbling he experienced, engaged, and took part of for its own sake but the sake of others i.e. for His Father first (to honor and draw attention to Him) but also for you and I. 

In and through Christ God not only knows humility but is humble. He is not only the lion; He is also the Lamb of God. It is hard to grasp how the greatest being in the universe (the Creator and ongoing Sustainer of everything that exists) experienced the greatest humility of all and is, in fact, the most humble of all beings. 

For a further discussion of the humility of Christ click here. 

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¹He is the cause of all things, through which everything issues forth, on which everything depends and by which all things continue. He is, therefore, the greatest and most valuable being i.e. the beginning, middle, and end of all things. To say it another way, he is the center of attention because he is the highest being of all; not just for all of creation but for himself as well. And because he is, he is complete within himself. He needs no one and nothing but himself; everything and everyone else needs him. 

However, being the center -- the Creator and Sustainer -- of all things, and keeping that to oneself -- i.e. being "self-centered"-- are not the same thing but two different things. God desires to overflow His love to others. He is the opposite of selfish. This was demonstrated by the Father - out of love for us - sending His Son and the Son emptying himself of His "Godness" for us. 

²It is interesting and worth noting that we are called to be perfect as God is perfect; not in the fullest sense of God's incommunicable attributes such as being all-knowing, all-powerful, and everywhere present but regarding His communicable ones; things that are a part of God's character that can also be a part of ours, such as love and humility. 

This adds new meaning to the truth that a great leader (King) will never ask you to do what they aren't willing to or have not done themselves. They lead by example. (A true king earns the right to be king. To have it simply bestowed on them is not being a true king. Christ was not only born the King of kings and Lord of lords but he earned the right to be fully recognized as such by his example of humility).

If we resist humility, submission, and suffering it is good and helpful to remember he did not, and that for our sake. 

Hebrews 12:2  looking to Jesus, the founder, and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

³A great part of what makes the Son so great, glorious, beautiful, etc - and the Father via the Son - is humility. We are all attracted to someone humble? Why? In part, because they aren't about themselves, but about others. When we meet someone truly humble, we aren't impressed with their humility but their interest in us (and others). It is far more enjoyable talking to someone who wants to get to know us or share things that might help us, rather than someone who talks about themselves, is it not? 

⁴Rooted in the essence of God's nature is the quality that enabled Christ to humble himself. However, this was not a character quality acted out and experienced to the fullest extent of its potential. We are told Christ learned obedience (humble submission and reverential trust) through the things he suffered. Christ entered into an experienced humility in a way he had not before the incarnation. 

How is it possible for the all-knowing God to learn? This is a mystery and likely had something to do with Christ's humanity. John Piper offers the following... His learning obedience was not Christ going from disobedience to obedience, but from untested to tested obedience. The inclination to submit and obey the Father was inherent in the nature of Christ (God), otherwise, he would have never submitted when He was put to the test. Christ's love for the Father was genuinely put to task, for the first time in a new and unique way. And in facing the most daunting suffering imaginable, he held fast and came out the other side victorious as the Lord of Lords and rightful King over all things. He was raised from death to life!! This was not a hypothetical theory but as real as it gets.