Question

[Hands and Feet of Jesus]

Ok everyone....I've gotsa question for you
 Col. 1:24
"Now I rejoince in what was suffered for you and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ's afflictions for the sake of His body which is the church."

What in the world are CHrist's afflictions lacking? And how can a human Paul fill that in his flesh?

[sojourner]

Hands and Feet,

Col. 1:24
"Now I rejoince in what was suffered for you and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ's afflictions for the sake of His body which is the church."

In the context of several versus previous, Paul is speaking of Christ and the Body of Christ, His Church. Because we as believers are united with Him through His death and Resurrection beginning with Baptism, Christ suffers with us in our work of reconciliation. Paul is simply indicating that his suffering is added to that of Christ's for the sake of the Body..
This is correlated with Matt 25:40; Luke 10:16; John 13: 18-21; Acts 9:1,4,5; Romans 8:17; II Cor 1:5, 4:10; Phil 1:20, 3:10.

[Allinall]

Small grammatical disagreement here...Christ isn't the One lacking in affliction.  Paul was.  Note Paul's earnest desire:

That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;

Philippians 3:10

Paul's desire was to know God, to see and know the power of the resurrection active in his life, and to have fellowship with Jesus in the sufferings Jesus submitted Himself to even unto death.  Paul is simply saying that he wants to be like Jesus...but at the time, he was lacking in being like Jesus.

[blainefabin]

Ok everyone....I've gotsa question for you
 Col. 1:24
"Now I rejoince in what was suffered for you and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ's afflictions for the sake of His body which is the church."

What in the world are CHrist's afflictions lacking? And how can a human Paul fill that in his flesh?

the only think lacking in Christs afflictions is our participation.
Paul fills it by serving...thus serving even to the point of suffering.

this is one of those verses that brings in the paradox of freewill and predestination and makes a little sense of both.. it adresses in a way the problem of pain as well as defines a little bit what "it is finished" really means.. It also makes sense of how works do play a part in our christian walk as well as provides some grounds for such doctrines as purgatory and indulgences.

the very sad thing about this verse is that it contradicts much modern evangelical thinking that removes our participation, our suffering and our continuing need of purification... it's sad because it gets ovelooked or ignored or rationalized in light of more poplular doctrines. so when a christian is suffering these days the church doesn't know how to properly respond other than imply that they are lacking faith... the very thing that is causing the suffering.

mike