The Joy of Suffering

The Call to Suffering
Colossians 1:24-29
“Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh, I do my share on behalf of His body, which is the church, in filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions.”

We want a life of ease and a life without problems.  We hold firmly to those passages which promise us a life of blessing and prosperity.  We quote Proverbs 3:5-6, which promises that God will make our paths straight and smooth.  This is what makes this passage so shocking.  Paul not only affirms that he will suffer, but he rejoices in his suffering.  Yet this is not surprising since this theme runs throughout Paul’s writing.  In Romans 5:3, Paul writes, “We also celebrate in our tribulations.”  He also affirms in 2 Cor 12:10, “I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in distresses, in persecutions, in difficulties, in behalf of Christ.”  When writing to the church at Philippi, he affirms, “For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him but also to suffer on His behalf.”  The word “granted” refers to what is given to someone as an act of grace and generosity.  We see suffering as the absence of God’s grace and benevolent care for us, but Paul saw it as a testimony of God’s grace.  So why did Paul have this perspective?

In writing to the church at Colossae, Paul provides us with the key to understanding his perspective.  Paul viewed his suffering as part of his identification and union with Christ.  The statement “filling up what is lacking in Christ’s affliction” is insightful and perplexing.  The word “lacking” refers to needing something absent and unavailable.   The suffering does not refer to Christ’s redemptive suffering to attain our salvation.  Christ’s death was sufficient to pay the penalty of our sin, so nothing more is needed. Instead, Paul refers to Christ's suffering as part of His humiliation because He was rejected by men.  New Testament Scholar A.T. Robinson gives us insight into the meaning of the verse when he writes, “It is now Paul’s “turn” at the bat, to use a baseball figure. Christ had his “turn,” the grandest of all and suffered for us all in a sense not true of anyone else. And yet Christ did not cause suffering to cease. Plenty is left for Paul and each of us in his time.”  Christ suffered because of the world’s hatred of Him.  Now that He has left, the world now directs its hatred for Christ to those who are His followers (John 15:18-25).  Paul did not rejoice for his suffering; he rejoiced because his suffering was the outgrowth of his relationship with Christ.  In writing to the church at Colossae, Paul takes it a step future.  Not only does he suffer for Christ, but he also suffers for the church.  In the fulfillment of his ministry and calling, suffering was a reality.  If his suffering resulted in the salvation of others, then Paul rejoiced.

No one enjoys suffering.  We do what we can to avoid it and alleviate it.  But when suffering becomes a reality that we cannot avoid, we can still rejoice, for we recognize that God is achieving His purpose in our suffering and that through our suffering, He highlights our faith so that others may see the hope we have in Christ (1 Peter 3:15).  God uses suffering to equip and prepare us for ministry.  In our suffering we become the vessel through whom God builds His church.  This is why Paul rejoiced; suffering was temporary, but its impact upon others was eternal.   Our suffering is temporary; what God achieves through our suffering is eternal (2 Cor. 4:17-18).