Colossians: Clear Direction for Life Study Guide #3 - M. Kevin McKee

Study Guide: Colossians: Clear Direction for Life Author: M. Kevin McKee Table of Contents	PDF version (119K)

Colossians:
Clear Direction for Life
Traveling Notes for the Journey
Study Guide #3

Suffering in Christian Life
“Paul’s statement on v. 1.24 that his sufferings “completes what is lacking in Christ’s affliction” does not refer to the concept of a certain amount of “messianic suffering”...Nor does Paul view his suffering as having an atoning significance in 2 Cor. 4.7-12. Rather, Paul completes what is “lacking” in Christ’s afflictions on behalf of the church in the sense that his ministry extends the knowledge and reality of the cross of Christ and the power of the Spirit to the Gentile world.”
—Dictionary of Paul and His Letters, IVP

Paul speaks about suffering, affliction, struggle and labor. These words and the ideas that they represent seem like something to be avoided. They are not something that many Christians are comfortable with. What are we to make of them? Paul saw his suffering as one way to legitimize his Apostleship (Acts 9.15-16, Gal 4.12-15). However, Paul never called Christians to suffer but understood they would as they are identified with Christ (Rom 8.17, Phil 1.29-30, 2 Tim 3.12).

Colossians 1:24 to 2:5

Read the passage twice (or as many times as you would like) and consider the following questions:

1. What does Paul mean in verse 24…”What is lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions”?

2. What is the mystery? Chap 1.26, 1.27, 2.2, Eph. 3.6

3. What are the riches? 1.27, 2.2

4. How does Paul proclaim Christ in this passage?

5. What does it mean to be orderly? 2.5

Mysteries A “mystery” is an insight into some present-day Christian experience or future expectation not unveiled (as clearly) in the OT.
—Expository Dictionary of Bible Words, Larry Richards
The mystery of Colossians was not that Gentiles would experience God’s salvation, but that they would be co-heirs with Christ!

Life Response

1. What is the commission God has given you (1.25)?

How are you fulfilling that commission this week:
with your family?

with your neighbors?

with your church?

2. How do you experience the full riches of Christ?
Read John 10.10 and Ephesians 3.20.

3. How are you united in love (2.2):
with your family?

with your neighbors?

with your community?

with your church?

4. What fine-sounding arguments have deceived you and/or are deceiving you now?

Prepared as a team, Sharon Comiskey with Kevin McKee



		Suffering in Christian Life “Paul’s statement on v. 1.24 that his sufferings “completes what is lacking in Christ’s affliction” does not refer to the concept of a certain amount of “messianic suffering”...Nor does Paul view his suffering as having an atoning significance in 2 Cor. 4.7-12. Rather, Paul completes what is “lacking” in Christ’s afflictions on behalf of the church in the sense that his ministry extends the knowledge and reality of the cross of Christ and the power of the Spirit to the Gentile world.” —Dictionary of Paul and His Letters, IVP Paul speaks about suffering, affliction, struggle and labor. These words and the ideas that they represent seem like something to be avoided. They are not something that many Christians are comfortable with. What are we to make of them? Paul saw his suffering as one way to legitimize his Apostleship (Acts 9.15-16, Gal 4.12-15). However, Paul never called Christians to suffer but understood they would as they are identified with Christ (Rom 8.17, Phil 1.29-30, 2 Tim 3.12).