We’re working our way through the book of Colossians in these weekly posts. In this lesson, we’ll talk about how Paul could rejoice in suffering, what he meant when he said he was “filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions,” how persecution can be like murder when it’s a crime of passion, the unfolding plan of God, and the mystery that had been hidden from earlier generations.

At the bottom, you’ll find a complete list of the other posts in this study on Colossians.

The Unfolding Plan of God, Crimes of Passion & Our Hope of Glory

Colossians 1.24-29

A Little Review

By way of review, we have learned that the church at Colossae was founded by a man named Epaphras. Epaphras had traveled to Rome to visit Paul and share his concerns about the presence of false teachers in his beloved church. The book of Colossians was Paul’s response.

If you missed the previous posts, here are the links:

Introduction to Colossians

The Preeminent Christ & Why It’s Important – Colossians Part 2

What Does Christ’s Preeminence Mean to Me? – Colossians Part 3

A Summary of the Christian Life – Colossians Part 4

In this lesson, we’ll finish up chapter one as we look at verses 24-29 and talk about the unfolding plan of God, persecution and crimes of passion, and the unfolding plan of God.

²⁴Now 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, ²⁵of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, ²⁶the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. ²⁷To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. ²⁸Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. ²⁹For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.

Rejoicing in Suffering

In these verses, Paul gives a description of his ministry to the church. He begins with this startling statement, “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 …” (v. 24). Notice Paul didn’t say, I rejoice in spite of my sufferings. He said, “I rejoice in my sufferings.”

It’s easy to say, well that was Paul. He was an apostle. He knew he was called to suffer.

¹⁵… for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. ¹⁶For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name (Acts 9.15-16).

Yet, Paul told Timothy that …

¹²Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted (2 Tim. 3.12).

If we’re to endure persecution or any kind of suffering well, we need to understand that nothing happens to us apart from God’s sovereign control. We need to trust that He can and will use all things for our good and the good of all those involved in any situation (Rom. 8.28-29). And we need to know His character, to understand that His love and goodness are an essential part of His very nature. So, it’s extremely important that we spend time in His Word and spend time getting to know Him.

To Make God & His Word Known

In the second part of verse 24, Paul said, “I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body.” He did not mean that Christ’s work on the cross was somehow incomplete since he had been expounding on the sufficiency of Christ in the previous verses (Col. 1.15-20). Yet, as I said, we will suffer because of our stand for Christ and His righteousness. But notice one of the reasons.

Speaking of His body, the church, Paul went on:

²⁵of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known,

Suffering gives us one of the greatest opportunities to bring God glory. It’s easy to proclaim our love for God and declare His goodness when things are going well. But when we face trials and we respond with faith and trust, people notice. That can open doors to the gospel.

Paul’s desire was “to make the word of God fully known.” Isn’t that the essence of the “great commission” which is an important part of the plan of God?

¹⁹Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age (Matt. 28.19-20).

We are not to just invite people to church and hope something happens. We’re to make disciples, to play a part in seeing people come to know Christ. And to teach them to do what God calls them to do. That’s discipleship or, as Paul said, making the Word of God fully known.

Crimes of Passion

But back to suffering for a minute and another reason why believers will be mistreated. Throughout the centuries, there have been those with outright hatred for God’s people, men and women who seem to delight in attacking and persecuting believers.

First, we should remember that there are only two spirits in the world, the Spirit of God and that of Satan. Whether or not unbelievers understand it, we are either serving God or the devil. One is light and one is dark. And darkness hates the light. That will manifest itself in many different ways.

Sometimes it shows up in the form of terrible and unprovoked evil. We might think of it this way. After Satan and those under his control crucified Jesus, there was nothing else they could do to him. But if you have ever read about some crimes of passion, you know that murderers will sometimes go on to mutilate the body after their victim is dead. In the same way, evil people will attack and attempt to mutilate His body, as well.

The Unfolding Plan of God

Back to our passage, verses 26-27:

²⁶the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. ²⁷To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

In many of the pagan religions of Paul’s day, hidden insights were given to certain people, usually for a fee. Paul used the same terminology to proclaim that the truths of the gospel were freely given. Though in previous times, they had been partially hidden and seen only in types and shadows (Col. 2.16-17). The plan of God is eternal but God has revealed it to mankind little by little.

There are several aspects of this unfolding mystery, including the fact that the gospel was for both Jews and Gentiles (v. 27). That was quite shocking to many Jews.

¹¹Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— ¹²remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. ¹³But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ (Eph. 2.11-13).

Christ in You, the Hope of Glory

But the heart of the mystery is this, “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (v. 27b).

Kristin Schmucker in the book, Colossians, Rooted in Him, said:

This is the message that Paul preaches to the Colossian church as they struggled against false teaching, and it is the message that rings out for every age. The gospel is centered on Christ. This is the mystery that we stake our faith on. We have union with Christ. He is in us and we are in Him.

This is our hope and our assurance. The message of the gospel is a message of a high and holy God who has condescended to His people and come near to us. It is the message of the King of Glory who has taken on flesh and has gone to the cross to accomplish salvation for His own. The gospel is the message of Jesus. So we preach, and we teach, and we proclaim this message – the gospel of Jesus – who is above all things.

Christian Maturity

²⁸Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ.

According to the Puritan Pastor Matthew Henry, this was not just public preaching but personal ministry, as well. The same was said of Peter and the other disciples in Acts 5.42.

Pastor Henry went on:

When we warn people of what they do amiss, we must teach them to do better: warning and teaching must go together. Secondly, Men must be warned and taught in all wisdom. We must choose the fittest seasons, and use the likeliest means, and accommodate ourselves to the different circumstances and capacities of those we have to do with, and teach them as they are able to bear. That which he aimed at was to present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.

That should be the aim of discipleship and of genuine biblical counseling, to see those to whom we minister reach Christian maturity.

Ministering in His Strength

²⁹For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.

Ministering to others takes time and effort. But as we work and serve Him for His glory and the good of others, we can expect His power to be at work in us.

As Paul told the Ephesians:

⁸To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, ⁹and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things (Eph. 3.8-9).

And while we faithfully do our part, like Paul we must pray for God to open the hearts and minds of those we minister to:

¹⁴For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, ¹⁵from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, ¹⁶that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, ¹⁷so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, ¹⁸may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, ¹⁹and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God (Eph. 3.14-19).

All glory to Him.

²⁰Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, ²¹to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen (Eph. 3.20-21).

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