“I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church…” Colossians 1:24.

The most important thing to grasp about this especially difficult passage is that it has absolutely nothing to do with the sufferings of Christ on the cross.

There was nothing left undone in the Lord’s sacrifice for sin; meaning that the apostle is not here speaking of something which was not covered on the cross.

“But this Man [Jesus], after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool. For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.” Hebrews 10:12-14.

The J. B. Phillips Version of the New Testament actually translates our verse in Colossians in the clearest manner of the several versions available.

“I myself have been made a minister of this same gospel, and though it is true at this moment that I am suffering on behalf of you who have heard the gospel, yet I am far from sorry about it. Indeed, I am glad, because it gives me a chance to complete in my own sufferings something of the untold pains which Christ suffers on behalf of his body, the Church.” Colossians 1:24; J.B. Phillips New Testament in Modern English.

Paul’s rejoicing in his sufferings for the Colossians, and by extension, the church which he was establishing, was not some dysfunctional masochistic thing.

There are many today who live under the assumption that if they are sickly, in abject poverty, or are continually enduring one trial after another that they are suffering for Christ.

Depending on the circumstances, this is not always so. Many Christians are suffering because they are discriminated against in their country and cannot find work, are imprisoned for their faith, or are hounded by evil people around them; this is suffering for Christ.

Other Christians, many in this country are suffering because of their own willful disobedience, judgmental attitude, arrogance, self-centeredness, and fixation on constantly seeking after worldly goods and pleasures instead of the things of Christ.

We do these things knowing or unknowingly and blame the hardships we encounter on suffering for Christ instead of suffering for ourselves.

Once these distinctions are made, corrective measures can be taken and the individual will eventually find themselves enduring fewer hardships, which were brought upon themselves by themselves.

This is not theory; I have endured many hardships because of my own foolishness, I studied the Bible, went to church, and led Bible studies, while at the same time I ignored the basic things that God was teaching me.

My arrogance in running off at the mouth when I disagreed with someone, my lack of a loving attitude, compassion, lack of self-control, back-biting was not a Christian attitude. Even occasionally being right did not justify not “speaking the truth in love”.

Do not make the mistake of forgetting that you reap what you sow.

“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.” Galatians 6:7-10.

The question for the Christian becomes this; have you read the above verse? Do you believe what it says? Then do it.

“But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do the things which I say?” Luke 6:46.

Christians hear their ministers on Sunday morning and quite often hear of things from Scripture that we had never dreamed of. We read passages like those above and are warmed inside by them; then walk away forgetting everything we have seen or heard.

“Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.” James 1:21-25.

Returning then to Paul’s suffering, it can be said that he was suffering for Christ and His church (Paul is writing from prison) but there is more to this; it is indicated that Christ is also suffering.

The question becomes, if Christ has suffered once in the flesh for our sins and is seated at the right hand of the Father; how can He possibly be suffering?

Glad you asked; this verse is quite possibly one of the most important doctrinal statements concerning the church of them all. It is stated that Christ is afflicted “…for the sake of His body, which is the church”.

In other Scriptures it is said that Christ is the head of the church. His body, He is the head; what happens when the body gets sick, does the head not feel it? If the body is sick and you cut the head off, does that heal the body?

Yet the church, the body of Christ on earth acts as if there were no head. With this mindset, Christians tend to think that they are down here suffering while Christ is in heaven doing other things since His job here on earth is done.

What in the ever-loving, blue eyed world is that? Where did this doctrine of demons come from?

Men have taken over the body of Christ on earth and assumed all the responsibilities of the head, as if Christ were incapable of caring for His own body.

What absolute, outrageous arrogance! What is the Holy Spirit, pixie dust that is sprinkled on us so we will have a tiny voice inside saying, “We must not do that now must we.”

Really, the third part of the trinity; God the Holy Spirit who took part in the creation of everything relegated to hand slapping.

“These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.” John 14:25-26.

“However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.” John 16:13-15.

“For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. For ‘Who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?’ But we have the mind of Christ.” 1 Corinthians 2:11-16.

By these things we can infer not only the importance of the Holy Spirit in leading the church but the direct connection between Christ and his body through the Spirit.

Consequently, it is true that men are needed to teach, preach and give direction within the body, but these men themselves need to be in constant prayer and study to know the will of the head for the body that they are overseeing.

It is possible here to look at the misery that Paul has gone through in imprisonments, beatings, shipwrecks, mocking, and the like, for the sake of the gospel and the establishment of Christ’s church and actually be able to visualize the sufferings of Christ for His body since the one suffers for the body and the other suffers in His body.

“From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness…” 2 Corinthians 11:24-27.

As Paul suffered, so Christ suffers for His body on earth, as you suffer, so He suffers with you. When we suffer we are invited to come boldly to the throne of grace.

“Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:14-16.

Finally the statement that Christ suffers when the body suffers magnifies our part in the body. If we do evil Christ suffers, if we stray Christ suffers, if we cause strife and disruptions within the body (the local church or churches) Christ suffers.

These things ought not to be my friends; we were bought with a price. Do we then cause the One who saved us by the shedding of His own blood to suffer?

“…but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, ‘Be holy, for I am holy.’ And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.” 1 Peter 1:15-19.

Each of us has a specific function and place in the body of Christ. It is up to us to accept that function and to carry out the tasks that have been designed for us by God without wasting time envying someone else’s gift.

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10.

It is God who decided before the world was where we would do the most good in His eternal plans.

“…we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness by which they lie in wait to deceive, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head – Christ – from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.” Ephesians 4:14-16.

“Let no one defraud you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, and not holding fast to the Head, from whom all the body, nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments, grows with the increase which is from God.” Colossians 2:18-19.

“For in fact the body is not one member but many. If the foot should say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body,’ is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear should say, ‘Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body,’ is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling? But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased. And if they were all one member, where would the body be? But now indeed there are many members, yet one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you’; nor again the head to the feet, ‘I have no need of you.’” 1 Corinthians 12:14-21.

“But God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it, that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another. And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.” 1 Corinthians 12:24b-27.

When you have time, read all of 1 Corinthians chapter 12 to get a clearer idea of how the sufferings of the church body are the sufferings of the church head, Christ Jesus.

Colossians 1:24 taken from godisrevealed.com posted on 12-29-13, updated on 3-7-20.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version, copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission, all rights reserved.