Colossians 1:24,25 - I rejoice in my sufferings

1:24

In my comments on the last verse I noted the importance of reading things in context, this even more important if we are to understand this verse. The so called “difficulty” is “I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions” and people are so worried that Paul is in some way saying that Christ’s death on the cross was not sufficient. The commentaries get hung up on this as well. Let me say quite bluntly “you are complete idiots”. Paul is definitely not saying there is anything lacking in Christ’s sacrifice, that would make rather a nonsense of everything else he wrote, including the rest of Colossians. Paul was not writing an academic treatise, and he wrote with passion. There were some teachings denigrated physical suffering, saw it as a sign of weakness and disfavour with God, perhaps a little like some “prosperity gospel” or “word of faith” types do. We need to imagine the emotion behind Paul's writing. He knows that the gospel is built on suffering, namely Christ's suffering, and that we are called to share in His sufferings. So he is writing more in a polemical manner. What he is saying is that rather than denigrate suffering, he rejoices in it, and suffering is a fundamental part of the Christian life, and the spread of the gospel. Paul was “proud” of his sufferings! And the church grows and prospers (in a Godly sense) only when the people of God are prepared to pay a price. Suffering is fundamental to the gospel in many, many ways.

1:25

Paul is the servant of the church. These days we tend to use the word “leader” and talk a lot about leadership, but the Bible is actually more interested in servanthood. Remember that the great passages in Isaiah are about the servant of the Lord (Isaiah 42:1-9; 49:1-13; 50:4-11; 52:13-53:12). Note also that Paul became a servant of the church, he did not choose to become its servant, but God chose Him. And God gave him this commission. This adds something further to the concept of being a servant of the church. A servant of the church is not there to do what the church wants but to do what God wants to be done for the church. There is a vital difference. And what God wants is for God’s word to be presented in all its fullness. Paul may have used the term “fullness” as a counter to gnostic type teaching.