Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and fill up on my part that which is lacking of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the assembly;
Parallel translations
- KJV 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:
- BSB Now I rejoice in my sufferings for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions for the sake of His body, which is the church.
- NKJV I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church,
- NASB Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am supplementing what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions in behalf of His body, which is the church.
- NLT I am glad when I suffer for you in my body, for I am participating in the sufferings of Christ that continue for his body, the church.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Paul rejoices in his sufferings for the church, filling up what is lacking of Christ's afflictions. He gladly endures hardship for the sake of Christ's body.
Overview
Paul does not mean Christ's atoning work was incomplete, which Colossians elsewhere affirms is finished. Rather, he shares in the ongoing afflictions the church endures as it carries Christ's gospel into the world, suffering 'for his body's sake, which is the assembly.' His joy in suffering models a Christlike, self-giving ministry.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 16
- Rom 5:3Not only this, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces perseverance;
- 2 Tim 1:8Therefore don’t be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner; but endure hardship for the Good News according to the power of God,
- 2 Cor 1:5–8For as the sufferings of Christ abound to us, even so our comfort also abounds through Christ.
- Phil 3:10that I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, becoming conformed to his death;
- 2 Tim 2:9–10in which I suffer hardship to the point of chains as a criminal. But God’s word isn’t chained.
- 2 Cor 7:4Great is my boldness of speech toward you. Great is my boasting on your behalf. I am filled with comfort. I overflow with joy in all our affliction.
- Eph 3:13Therefore I ask that you may not lose heart at my troubles for you, which are your glory.
- Matt 5:11–12“Blessed are you when people reproach you, persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
- Jas 1:2Count it all joy, my brothers, when you fall into various temptations,
- Acts 5:41They therefore departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for Jesus’ name.
- 2 Cor 4:8–12We are pressed on every side, yet not crushed; perplexed, yet not to despair;
- 2 Cor 11:23–27Are they servants of Christ? (I speak as one beside himself) I am more so; in labors more abundantly, in prisons more abundantly, in stripes above measure, in deaths often.
- Col 1:18He is the head of the body, the assembly, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
- Phil 2:17–18Yes, and if I am poured out on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I rejoice, and rejoice with you all.
- Eph 3:1For this cause I, Paul, am the prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles,
- Eph 1:23which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
The image of the invisible God, firstborn over creation, in whom all things hold together and all the fullness of God dwells bodily — supreme over every power.
How Colossians 1:24 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.