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NASB | Colossians 1:24 ¶ 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. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Colossians 1:24 ¶ Now I rejoice in my sufferings on your behalf. And with my own body I supplement whatever is lacking [on our part] of Christ's afflictions, on behalf of His body, which is the church. |
Bible Question:
Thank you for your very well-delineated answer, Makarios! I was wondering, though: Would these sufferings that constitute a share in Christ's sufferings only be those that result directly from our efforts to share the Good News? Haven't there been many who have patiently borne sickness and other misfortunes "for His sake," and is this Scripturally sound? Pope John Paul II's apostolic letter on suffering says, "One can say that with the passion of Christ all human suffering has found itself in a new situation. And it is as though Job had foreseen this when he said: "I know that my Redeemer lives...," (Job 19:25) and as though he had directed towards it his own suffering, which without the Redemption could not have revealed to him the fullness of its meaning." Jacob Muller said that it is more than “suffering for the sake of Christ (in tribulation and persecution), or in imitation of Christ. It means all suffering, bodily or spiritual, which overtakes the believer by virtue of his new manner of life, his ‘Christ life’ in a world unbelieving and hostile to Christ.” Do the sufferings of Christ in which we share include not only His passion and death on the cross, but also His suffering at seeing the Father's house turned into a den of thieves, or at seeing His beloved friend Lazarus dead, or when the nine lepers failed to show gratitude for their healing? Is our sharing in these types of sufferings also a share in the suffering of Christ? --Cheryl |
Bible Answer: Greetings Cheryl! Yes, you are absolutely correct: the affliction that we bear in Christ's stead is not in itself limited to that of spreading the Gospel message! I could completely support the thoughts that you have shared in your first paragraph with Philippians 1:29, "For to you it has been granted for Christ's sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake." Romans 8:35 adds many different perspectives of suffering that is also included in the afflictions that Christians go through - "Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?" In fact, it could be said that suffering is part of our calling as Christians.. 1 Peter 2:21 "For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps." and 2 Tim. 1:8 "Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God." As children of God, we are heirs of God, and we also share in His suffering (Romans 8:17). There are many instances of Jesus "suffering" even before He was not on the cross! First of all, His own family and entire hometown rejected Him, as well as anyone else who found out that He was a Nazarene. He moved as a child to avoid being killed, He was misunderstood at the temple by His parents, He had to go away to a quiet place after His cousin John the Baptist had been beheaded, He truly wept (the Son of God wept!!) as Lazarus lay dead in his grave. He wept for all Jerusalem, even as He made His triumphal entry! He felt rejection and abandonment by His disciples, His disciples denied that they even knew Him, and doubted Him when He rose again, He felt alone and forsaken - even by His Father in heaven! He was despised and rejected of the Pharisees, Scribes, Herodians and the Jewish people, and was not rich in material gain. He suffered and was angry when He cleared the temple, He felt ingratitude after He healed, Satan tempted Him as many times as he could, and lost every single time! He agonized to the point of sweating blood in Gethsemane, but yet He found the strength to go through with His mission! He was betrayed with a kiss, his garments and belongings were divided up and gambled over, people attempted to stone Him, and His heart was broken by those who refused to believe in Him. He cared for the sick and the troubled, and He was merciful to all who recognized their need for Him, He felt intimidation, the Pharisees tried to corner Him so that they could use His own words against Him, He was ridiculed and even disfigured, but He was the Son of God! And if Christ's suffering and afflictions are not limited to or narrowed down to just what He did on the cross, then neither are ours, since we also suffer in many of the same various ways that He did! But yet, by suffering, Christ proved Himself to be the perfect sacrifice (Heb. 10:10), and we will also be perfected in this way (1 Peter 5:10, Romans 5:3). But all forms of suffering in His name are covered by Christ, and they are part of His affliction. We are blessed if we suffer for doing what is right! (1 Peter 3:14-17) Blessings to you and thank you for your compliment! Your Brother in Christ, Makarios |