Every Christian who studies Colossians eventually stumbles upon a puzzling verse. Paul writes, “in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church” (Col 1:24). This statement can stop us in our tracks. After all, didn’t Jesus accomplish everything necessary for our salvation? What could possibly be “lacking” in Christ’s afflictions?
The answer lies in understanding two profound theological truths that shaped Paul’s ministry and can transform our view of Christian suffering today.
Christ’s Living Body on Earth
The first key comes from Paul’s encounter with Jesus on the Damascus road. As Saul (later Paul) journeyed to persecute Christians, Jesus revealed himself in luminous glory:
“Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” asked Jesus.
Paul replied, “Who are you, Lord?”
The Lord answered, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting” (Acts 9:4–5).
This divine revelation fundamentally reshaped Paul’s understanding of the church. He realized that persecuting Christians meant persecuting Jesus himself, because “his body” is “the church” (Col 1:24). This wasn’t a mere metaphor – it became the cornerstone of Paul’s ecclesiology, appearing throughout his letters (Rom 12:4-5, 1 Cor 10:16-17; 12:12-27, Eph 1:22-23; 4:11-16; 5:29-30, Col 1:18; 1:24).
The Ongoing Suffering of Christ
The second key emerges from what Paul calls a “mystery” in Ephesians 5:32 – the vital union between Christ and his church, which marriage signifies. As Christ is “the head of the church” (Eph 5:23), his body’s suffering on earth connects directly to him.
Gregory the Great (540–604 AD), in his influential Moralia, illuminates this connection: “If our sufferings did not also reach our Head, he would never, on account of his afflicted members, cry out from heaven at his persecutor, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?'” The Head and Body are inseparably united – Christ’s sufferings continue through his church.
Given how important Gregory’s point here is, please indulge me as I quote him in full:
“In fact, the Lord already suffers much through his Body that we are, and his Body that is the church is already glorious in heaven with its Head, namely, the Lord. Therefore, it is fitting that the passion of the Head be explained in order that we may also understand how much he suffers through his Body. If our sufferings did not also reach our Head, he would never, on account of his afflicted members, cry out from heaven at his persecutor, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” If our sufferings did not give him pain, would Paul, afflicted after his conversion, ever have written. “I supply in my flesh what is missing from the passion of Christ”?
Despite that, Paul is already exalted by the resurrection of his Head, and he says, “He raised us up together with him, and he made us sit with him in heaven.” Actually, he had been tried on earth by torture and persecution, yet in the midst of his painful trials, he was already living in heaven because of his glorious Head. So we know that the Head and the Body are everywhere united, and beginning with the blows inflicted on the Head, we pass on to the torture inflicted on the Body.” (Moralia 3.25)
In other words, Paul knows that the Head of the body suffered at the cross, but that still leaves his body to suffer, which we are. So what is lacking is the body of Christ that suffers alongside and with the body’s Head, which is Christ.
The Head and Body are inseparably united – Christ’s sufferings continue through his church.
Finding Joy in Our Suffering
This deep theological truth explains why Paul could say, “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church” (Col 1:24). Paul understood that his sufferings weren’t meaningless – they were a participation in Christ’s ongoing work through his body.
Jesus had told Paul, “I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name” (Acts 9:16). While Paul’s apostolic calling carried unique challenges, every believer faces trials that contribute to this cosmic reality. When we suffer faithfully, we’re not just enduring hardship – we’re participating in Christ’s continuing work through his body on earth.
The Power of Christ in Our Weakness
Understanding this truth transforms how we view suffering. It’s not an unfortunate byproduct of following Jesus but a means by which “he powerfully works within me” (Col 1:29). Our afflictions, infused with faith, become channels of Christ’s ongoing ministry to and through his church.
When we grasp this reality, we begin to see our trials differently. They become opportunities to participate in Christ’s continuing work, filling up in our flesh what is still to come in the afflictions of Christ for the sake of his body. This doesn’t diminish Christ’s finished work on the cross – rather, it gives profound meaning to our struggles as we serve his ongoing purposes in the world.
What was mysterious to us becomes, as it did for Paul, a source of deep joy and purpose in our suffering. We find ourselves part of something far greater than our individual pain – we are participants in Christ’s continuing ministry through his body, the church.
