Filling Up the Afflictions of Christ Colossians 1:24

Paul the apostle was made a “minister of the gospel” by the Heavenly Father to share the good news of Jesus Christ throughout the world. The Colossians were made aware of this by his letter concerning their fellowship and direction toward the truth concerning Jesus. In chapter one and verse twenty-four, Paul shows the level of commitment he had toward the church members in Colosse by sharing about his sufferings endured on their behalf. We read:

Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind

of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church:

The verse begins, “Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you,...” We may recall that Paul was in a Roman prison as he wrote the words to this letter, and yet his attitude was one to be commended. He wrote “Who now rejoice” which means “to be glad, thrive and excel” “in my sufferings” or “misfortune, calamity, evil, and affliction” “for you”. It seems quite the contrary reaction that Paul would be glad in his sufferings, however his love for the church members exceeded any calamity he might endure.

The verse goes on to say, “and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church:” As though his sufferings were not enough, Paul goes on to add that by going through his difficulties he is able to “fill up” which means “fill up in turn, complete, or accomplish” “that which is behind” or “deficiency, or that which is lacking” “of the afflictions” which refers to the “oppression, tribulation, distress, and straits” “of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church” or “for the church which is known as the body of Christ”. Paul knew the sacrifice of Jesus was all in all complete for the salvation of man, and he knew that he was to “suffer” in like-kind to Jesus as he shared the gospel. Paul suffered in his body over and over again as he preached the gospel, and the Colossians were one of the groups who benefited from his sufferings.

As we ponder these words, we may wonder if we have ever filled “up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ” in our bodies. Have we ever faced great difficulties because we were sharing the gospel like Paul? The overwhelming theme from Paul is his personal sacrifice for the sake of others, in this case the Colossians, coming into a relationship with Jesus Christ. He is committed to them, and his devotion should be a motivation and example for us as we share the good news of Jesus Christ throughout our world. May the Lord give us the passion and endurance to be so committed to Him that we “rejoice” in our sufferings for Him as did Paul the apostle.

Next time Paul once again shares about being the church members' minister, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow...there is more...

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