Christ in Colossians | Suffering For The Gospel – Colossians 1:24-29
At the heart of the problem in the church in Colossae was a doubt that divinity of Christ is sufficient for all salvation. Paul, with fondness for the church, sought to bring the church to their fullness of understanding and life in the Gospel, struggle and toil for their sake. Paul had been imprisoned for his zeal for the Gospel and gladly endured the punishment for the sake of the Gospel. Yet, despite the oddly optimistic outlook we cannot overlook the bleak circumstances that Paul endures for the Gospel. Imprisoned, hungry, tired, poor, and in at least one occasion, almost killed, Paul’s suffering came as the direct result of the faith He held in Jesus Christ. As gentiles came to Christ, the theological and philosophical differences they brought would need to be brought into spiritual maturity by those, like Paul who pastor and teach the church and drive them to the fullness of relationship with Jesus Christ.
“Now 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, of 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, the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. To 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. Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.
Colossians 1:24-29 ESV
Suffering For Another’s Sake
The temptation for Christians is to view suffering as a badge of honor. The more we suffer the holier we must be. While there is an ounce of truth, the goal for the Christian is not the suffering but to see those that God has entrusted to them to grow in their faith. Doing things to “self-martyr” ourselves draws attention away from the Gospel and to our supposed personal holiness through our suffering. Suffering should not be the goal of the Christian (merely a byproduct of our faithfulness in a world that despises God) but the glorification of Jesus Christ through the growing of the body of Christ. Through any obstacle, Christ has secured our eternity and victory making any suffering inconsequential to ourselves and utter worthwhile to see another come to faith. When Christ is preeminent and sufficient over all things, even suffering becomes inconsequential compared to the richness of God’s glory.
Paul’s ambitions and suffering were much different than self-martyrdom. He explicitly states the goal to grow and disciple the church and believers into the fullness of faith. Nothing would stop him for working towards that goal. When a person understands the security of eternity that comes from Jesus Christ, they understand they are a part of something much bigger than themselves and become willing to sacrifice everything for the Gospel. Pain, suffering, and even death itself means nothing to the person who understands that Christ is above all things and before all things. Charles Spurgeon, famous British Pastor and theologian of the 19th century, understood the imperative for sharing the Gospel and discipling others to grow closer to Christ in saying; “If sinners be damned, at least let them leap to Hell over our dead bodies. And if they perish, let them perish with our arms wrapped about their knees, imploring them to stay. If Hell must be filled, let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions, and let not one go unwarned and unprayed for.”
Presenting Mature in Christ
The crux of the mission for those who profess faith in Jesus Christ comes in making disciples of Jesus Christ. Too often, we settle for converts to Christianity. Faith in Christ is reduced to praying a prayer and hoping for the best. While not downplaying this step, it is only the first step not the final step. The initial conversion moment marks the new birth of a Christian infant. Just as an infant needs guidances and training to develop into their full potential, the role of the seasoned Christian becomes to care for, nature, and disciple the spiritual infant no matter the cost. Every parent sacrifices personal well-being and safety for the life of their children. In the same vein, Paul, being a spiritual father to the Colossians Church gladly endured the same for his spiritual children.
Everyone is on the path that God has set before them to grow closer to Him for His glory to be proclaimed through all the world. We all need to be accountable to someone while being accountable for someone as we pursue a mature and deepened relationship with God. Paul’s willingness to suffer for the sake of the Gospel and those under His care describes the generational aspect of the church. At a minimum, three generations are involved in the discipleship process. Yet, Christ remains at the center of the process. Maturity in Christ comes from growing deeper in our understanding and wider in our reach together as we all encourage and seek the heart and mind of Christ together as one body of Christ. In bonding together in the strength of Jesus Christ that has already conquered all evil and death, we can endure the worst of suffering for and with one another for the sake of the body of Christ.
