Colossians 1:23 (c), 24
…whereof I Paul am made a minister;
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.
At first glance, that sounds alarming.
Fill up what is behind of the afflictions of Christ?
Was Calvary unfinished?
Did Jesus leave something lacking that Paul had to complete?
No.
When Christ died, redemption was accomplished. The debt was paid. Nothing can be added to the atoning work of the Cross. Paul is not speaking of completing Christ’s sacrifice. He is speaking of conforming to Christ’s suffering.
There is a difference between atonement and identification.
The payment for sin is finished.
The pattern of suffering continues.
John 20:26, 27
Then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you.
Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side…
In heaven everything is made new.
Except His scars.
The risen Christ still bears the marks.
If we are His body, should we expect to be unmarked?
We pray, “Make us like You, Lord.”
And the answer comes quietly, “That path runs through suffering.”
Suffering does not complete the Cross.
It conforms us to the One who hung upon it.
First, suffering draws us closer to Christ.
When Abraham climbed Mount Moriah with Isaac carrying the wood, he stepped into a shadow of the Father’s heart. In that trembling moment, he felt something few men have felt. Obedience in pain. Trust in confusion. Love under fire.
God was not discovering Abraham’s love.
Abraham was discovering God’s heart.
When you lose something precious, when obedience costs you, you begin to understand the fellowship of His sufferings in a way sermons alone cannot teach.
Second, suffering produces assurance.
John 15:20
If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you.…
2 Timothy 3:12
Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
The servant is not greater than his Lord.
When you are rejected for Christ, it confirms your union with Christ. Hardship does not signal abandonment. Often it signals belonging.
Third, suffering promises reward.
2 Corinthians 4:17
For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.
What feels crushing now will one day feel light. You will not stand in heaven regretting that you endured faithfully. You will stand in wonder at how small your suffering was compared to the glory revealed.
Fourth, suffering results in the salvation of others.
When Paul was bitten by a serpent and did not collapse, observers were forced to reconsider. They expected death. They saw endurance. And endurance opened a door for testimony.
When you endure diagnosis, betrayal, loss, or injustice without abandoning Christ, skeptics are confronted with something real. Faith under comfort is common. Faith under pressure is convincing.
Fifth, suffering silences Satan.
Job 1:20–22
Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped,
And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.
In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.
When Job worshipped in loss, accusation collapsed. Worship under pain is a thunderclap in the unseen realm.
Picture a piece of metal being pressed into a mold. Heat is applied. Pressure increases. The metal does not enjoy the process. But when the mold lifts, the shape of the pattern is visible in it.
Christ is the pattern.
Suffering is the pressure.
We are the metal being shaped.
Not to complete His work.
But to resemble Him.
And when scars appear, they testify not that redemption was lacking, but that identification is deep.
The Cross is finished.
The conformity continues.