Broken Bread

True Glory & Reflected Glory

Many of the carnal values that crept into the church today through mediocre teachings and practices have relegated the experience of being “in christ” into basking in reflected glory.

The sense of pride and success one feels when their favorite team wins and feeling devastated when their team loses is a common reaction among sports lovers. Psychologists identify this as the phenomenon of Basking in Reflected Glory (BRIGing) (Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1974). People appear to feel that they can share in the glory of a successful other with whom they are in some way associated. Interestingly, the one who basks in the glory of another has done nothing to bring about the other’s success. Susan Krauss observes that “Cut off Reflected Failure” (CORFing) is an opposite response expressed by fickle fans. They distance themselves from the failed team. However, genuine fans will continue to support and identify with their team despite their failures (Psychologytoday. com, 2011).

Adherence to a particular theological position or a denomination without a genuine commitment to Christ is common in churches today is a similar response. Author Dietrich Bonhoeffer describes this dilemma by using the phrase “Cheap Grace.” He asserts that “Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline … grace without discipleship, grace without the cross.” On the contrary, he adds, “Costly grace is the pearl of great price to buy which the merchant will sell all his goods. It is the kingly rule of Christ, for whose sake a man will pluck out the eye which causes him to stumble.”

“You are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if the Spirit of God dwells in you.”

Romans 8:9

Paul, who was concerned about the believers’ spiritual health, constantly used the phrase en Christo (in Christ). The Greek preposition “en” has two functions: instrumental or locative. The majority of the usages of this phrase in the Pauline epistles are locative. It indicates the mystical union of a believer with Christ. It is not merely “shining in the light of His glory,” as we often sing, rather it is a reciprocal relationship of mutual indwelling through the Spirit. Paul puts it vividly in Romans 8:9: “You are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if the Spirit of God dwells in you.” The idea of mutual indwelling is real enough to those who live inside the new sphere of spiritual existence. The contexts where this phrase occurs in the Pauline corpus evinces that this union is not reducing Christ from a person to a spirit or “mana,” as Cerfaux argues (Cerfaux, 1956). It brings about ethical and moral transformation (2 Cor 5:17, Eph 1:7); new identity and status (Eph 1:11 Col. 3:3); freedom from condemnation and punishment (Ro 8:1; Gal 3:13; Col 2:14) and finally, resurrection from death and entry to the new age with Christ (1Thess 4:13-18).

Many of the carnal values that crept into the Church today through mediocre teachings and practices have relegated the experience of being “in Christ” into BIRGing. For instance, the momentary feelings and excitement experienced in a worship service or listening to a sermon are sadly misunderstood as the “in Christ” experience while they are far from reality. In a rapidly changing world, those united with Christ through the Spirit’s work emanate true glory from within.

PR. THOMAS SAMUEL <br>Word of Hope Christian Fellowship Luton, UK

PR. THOMAS SAMUEL
Word of Hope Christian Fellowship Luton, UK

Rev. Thomas Samuel is Minister at Word of Hope Christian Fellowship Luton (affiliated to AOG, U.K.), and Chaplain at NHS Bedfordshire Hospitals U.K.; online Discipleship Coach with Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. He has an M.Phil (New Testament) from Middlesex University, London; M.A in Sociology from H N Bahuguna University, UP, India; and M.Th from SAICS, Bangalore. He is a former Lecturer at IPC Theological Seminary, Kottayam, Kerala. He is married to Praisy and they have three children.