Colossians 1:24
“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:”
King James Version (KJV)
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Read Full Chapter →Paul rejoices in his sufferings for the Colossians, filling up in his own body what remains of Christ's afflictions for the sake of the church.
What Does Colossians 1:24 Mean?
Paul speaks personally about his hardships. Remarkably, he rejoices in them -- not because suffering is pleasant, but because it is endured for you, for the good of churches like Colosse he had never met.
His phrase fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ does not suggest Christ's saving work was incomplete; that work Paul has just declared finished at the cross. Rather, the ongoing afflictions that Christ's people still bear in this age fall to ministers like Paul, and he gladly takes his share in his flesh for the body, the church. Love makes suffering bearable, even joyful, when it serves others. Paul models a ministry that pours itself out. The Colossians, reading of his chains, are to understand that his pain is an offering on their behalf, freely given.