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Answer
In Colossians 1:24, Paul writes, “Now I rejoice in what I am suffering for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church.” We understand that Christ’s death was the fully sufficient payment for our sins, so what did Paul mean when he said that something in Christ’s afflictions was “still lacking”?
Paul is not implying that there was any deficiency in the sufferings that Christ endured to atone for the sins of the world. Instead, Paul is expressing that his (Paul’s) suffering for Christ’s sake was still incomplete. Despite enduring much affliction, Paul had not yet fully shared in the sufferings of the Savior. Other translations of Colossians 1:24 clarify Paul’s intention more explicitly: “I am glad when I suffer for you in my body, for I am participating in the sufferings of Christ that continue for his body, the church” (NLT); and “Now I rejoice in my sufferings on your behalf. And with my own body I supplement whatever is lacking [on our part] of Christ’s afflictions, on behalf of His body, which is the church” (AMP). It is important to note that the insufficiency lies with Paul, not Christ.
Paul also discusses his sufferings in relation to those of Christ in 2 Corinthians 1:5: “For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ.” Paul’s sufferings on behalf of the church were not without purpose. They enabled him to provide comfort to other believers facing difficulties. This aspect is also what Paul refers to in Colossians 1:24 when he mentions this suffering occurring “for the sake of the body,” meaning the Body of Christ, the community of believers.
The apostle Paul undoubtedly endured numerous sufferings for Christ during his ministry. He experienced beatings, imprisonment, stoning, and much more (2Corinthians 11:23-28). The deeper his troubles, the more deeply Paul saw a connection with the Lord who had suffered so much for him. In Galatians 6:17, he writes, “I bear on my body the marks of Jesus.” Paul’s afflictions were no surprise to him. When Paul was commissioned for his task, the Lord Jesus said, “I will show him how much he must suffer for my name” «for I will show him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake. », (Acts 9:16).
Jesus taught that in this world we would have trouble «These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.», (John 16:33). “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first” «If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. », (John 15:18). Paul and Barnabas, on the first missionary journey, certainly saw the truth of Jesus’ words as they revisited the cities where they had planted churches, “strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. ‘We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,’ they said” «confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God. », (Acts 14:22). Paul’s teaching that Christians should expect suffering and that his own suffering filled up what was “lacking” is diffused throughout his work. But the theme of joyfulness in suffering is also present. That’s why Paul could say, “I rejoice in what I am suffering for you” (Colossians 1:24; cf: Philippians 2:17).
In summary, Paul was not suffering to merit grace or earn his salvation; neither was he complementing or completing the sufferings that Jesus personally experienced. Instead, Paul saw his suffering as helping conform him into the image of Christ. We, too, can view our trials and afflictions as a means to make us more like Jesus, as we are “predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son” «For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. », (Romans 8:29). Until we join Christ in glory, we will experience some of the same suffering that Jesus Christ did as part of God’s sanctifying process.
