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Corwin Slack's avatar

Insightful and inspiring.

This calls Colossians 1:24 to mind. We do not use it because of the awkward King James translation: 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:

Other translations are more immediate:

YLT: I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and do fill up the things lacking of the tribulations of the Christ in my flesh for his body, which is the assembly,

NT Wright: Right now I’m having a celebration—a celebration of my sufferings, which are for your benefit! And I’m steadily completing, in my own flesh, what is presently lacking in the king’s afflictions on behalf of his body, which is the church.

NRIV I am rejoicing in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am completing what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for his body, that is, the church.

From my marginalia for that verse:

"Paul is saying that he is augmenting any gap in Christ's suffering for the sake of the church. This is a tough doctrine. Does it suggests that Christ's suffering was inadequate? No. It says that Christ's suffering is meant to enlist our suffering on behalf of others. Its infinitude is not in an absolute self-sufficiency but in its capacity to be augmented by those who add their suffering to His. His suffering is infinite in that it is entirely sufficient (2 Cor. 9:8) for the redemption of my sins. But it does not trivialize or diminish my efforts to extend His grace through me to others. To the extent that our efforts are non-trivial then Christ's sufferings can be said to be lacking. In fact, the gap in his suffering that Paul calls lacking is the opportunity Christ provides us to make our agency meaningful and not a charade. It makes our cross heavy, not a cardboard prop. It allows us an opportunity to share the grace we have received in entirely voluntary and non-self-serving ways. It allows love to work in us. It is the difference between saved and saint.

Another lack in Christ's suffering is that he is not present in person to show us his suffering. Remember that Paul had a special grace granted him, the personal appearance of Jesus Christ. Paul understands acutely that not all have this so he must suffer for Christ's not appearing to all.

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