Sufferings, for the Body of Christ

Sufferings, for the Body of Christ

“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 . . . .”

The body of Christ is that mystery which has been hidden from ages and generations past, but has now been revealed to His saints. This mystery is so great that after it was revealed by the apostles, only very few people through the ages have understood it. We can rightly ask, “Why is that?” It is because we still need to receive it as a revelation despite the fact that the apostles have written about it, and because this revelation has to do with sufferings. “And you . . . yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and irreproachable in His sight . . . .” Vs. 21-22.

As we can see, Jesus had an earthly body, He who was “born of the seed of David according to the flesh.” He partook of the same flesh and blood as the children. Rom. 1:3; Heb. 2:14. This flesh harbored the enmity, which caused Cain to become a murderer, and which has been the cause of difficulties, strife, and division throughout all ages.

It was in this area that God did a work in Jesus in the days of His flesh. At first God hedged in Israel by the law and separated them from the Gentiles. In spite of this, they could not be one body, especially not with the Gentiles. However, Paul has now revealed this mystery of how all were reconciled in Jesus’ body. “Who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of division between us, having abolished in His flesh the enmity . . . so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. . . . For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.” Eph. 2:13-18.

This was done through the cross, and the stumbling stone of the cross hides this mystery from those who will not suffer. Gal. 5:11. We read about those who showed by their life that they were enemies of the cross of Christ—they desired earthly things. Phil. 3:18-19. They were not opposed to the wooden cross of Calvary, but they were opposed to the cross that put to death the enmity in the flesh—which was an offense to the Jews and foolishness to the Gentiles. 1 Cor. 1:23. We are crucified to the world, and the world is crucified to us by the same cross. Gal. 6:14. Only the few desire to enter into these sufferings of Christ in order to build the body of Christ. 1 Pet. 4:13. Those who are to be reconciled in His earthly body—the church—to be presented blameless before His face, need to be crucified with Christ and no longer live for themselves. Gal. 2:20. Then the enmity is put to death, and both Jew and Gentile, barbarian, Scythian, slave and free, will become one new man—one body. Col. 3:11-15.

We can ask this question: “Was anything still lacking in Christ’s sufferings for His body, which is the church, which Paul needed to fill up?” No, of course not, nothing was lacking in opening up the possibility for us to become “one new man”—one body, which is the church. But Jesus could not build up this body which was to consist of all nations. It could only be built up after the day of Pentecost, after they had been baptized with the Holy Spirit. The church cannot be built without those same sufferings of Christ, and without that same death of Christ. Phil. 3:10. All those whom Jesus puts in the church to help the saints to grow up to be equipped “for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,” need to fill up these sufferings of Christ. Eph. 4:11-16. They need to be able to bear each other and forgive each other as Christ forgave them. No one can do that without being crucified with Christ, which means that he no longer lives for himself. Only those who in each place are willing to fill up these sufferings of Christ are capable of serving and edifying the body of Christ, with the result that this Word can be fulfilled: “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body, and be thankful.” Col. 3:15. Then you do not need to organize and elect leaders by majority vote to hold things together.

Paul also suffered physically to bring the gospel to the Gentiles. 2 Tim. 2:9-10. If you live for yourself, it is easy to withdraw from these sufferings as well. But God be thanked that He, in these last days of the dispensation of grace, has raised up servants who are willing to fill up these sufferings of Christ so that the body of Christ can be built up.