Filling Up Christ’s Afflictions

I recently did a study through the Book of Colossians—a book rich in the identity of Christ and our identity in Him. I came upon this passage and found it difficult to grasp:

Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of His body, that is the church, of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known…” Colossians 1:24-25

I have always found this passage hard to understand, so I dug further. What does Paul mean he says he is “filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions?” He cannot mean that Christ’s suffering and death on our behalf was insufficient. The Bible is clear that Christ completed all that we necessary to secure our salvation (John 19:30; Hebrews 1:3; 9:11-10:18). His life and death forever appeased the anger God had towards us because of our sins, so what could Paul possibly mean?

In context, Paul is talking about the ministry God has given to him. He has been appointed by God not only to verbally declare the Gospel of Jesus Christ to those around him, but also to live out the Gospel of Jesus Christ before them (1 Thessalonians 2:1-8). He lives out that Gospel, “makes the word of God fully known,” as God refines his faith and as he endures the difficulties that come his way. So then, what is “lacking” in Christ’s afflictions is the visible representation of them. When believers endure affliction for the sake of Christ and the Gospel, they proclaim to a watching world the worth of Christ and give a tangible representation of Christ’s suffering and sacrifice (see also 1 Corinthians 1:3-11; 2 Timothy 1:8-14; Philippians 2:25-30). As believers in Jesus Christ, it has been appointed to us not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake (Philippians 1:29). You see, the trials that believers face is not only for their own sakes. God uses the trials of His people to not only make them more like Christ in every way, but also to encourage and strengthen other believers and to make His name known to those who are far from Him. When unbelievers see the faith of God’s people in the midst of suffering, they will wonder about this Jesus that drives His people to endure the way they do.

One of the verses that the Lord gave me before I went to South Asia was 2 Timothy 2:10:

Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain salvation the that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.

This verse was a great encouragement to me as I endured hardships overseas. It kept me focused as well. For some reason, though, I forgot this verse when I returned to the States, but it applies as much here as it did there. The difficulties I face now better equip me to share the Gospel—both now and later. The burdens, the tears, the trials, etc. are all part of God’s grand design for my holiness and ministry. I can see how the things I have endured recently help me in the ministries I am involved in now. What better way for God to prepare His people than to break them? It is in this state of brokenness that I have been most able to depend on God and relate to those I minister to. For instance, I am better able to relate to the women I see in the clubs on a weekly basis precisely because of the things I have recently experienced. Financial hardships, transportation concerns, broken relationships and bad decisions all plague these women, and, because of these hard lessons from Christ, I am able to share in their burdens. They need Christ just as much as I do.

Paul goes on to say later in the passage:

For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that He powerfully works within me. Colossians 1:29

That’s the key. It’s not my energy. It’s Christ’s. It’s not my strength. It’s Christ’s. It’s not me at all. It’s Jesus Christ alone. What is the struggle? For leading people to Christ and helping them grow and mature in Him. This is the great task of every Christian: leading people closer to Christ (both unbelievers and believers). It would be an impossible task if not for Christ. He alone can draws hearts to God. We do not naturally desire God, but He desires us and that is what makes the difference.There is a manager at one of the clubs that refuses to acknowledge God. We have talked to her until we were blue in the face, but she doesn’t want to be accountable to anyone, so she says that God doesn’t exist. Only God can change her. Only He can open her eyes to see the glory of Christ and her need for Him. So we will continue to struggle with the energy of Christ on her behalf. We cannot see what God may be doing her life, but we do know that we have been commissioned for the Gospel—and so we speak, not to please man but to please God who tests our hearts.

Consider Him [Jesus] who endured from sinners such hostility against Himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. In your struggle against sin you have not resisted to the point of shedding your blood…Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and makes straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed. Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. Hebrews 12:3-4, 12-14