Paul speaks of his sufferings on behalf of the Colossians, which can be understood only in a general sense of his hardships and troubles in his work as the apostle to the Gentiles, since he has had no personal contact with the Christians in Colossae.
Since the relationship between sufferings and being happy is essentially one of cause and effect, it may be important to make this quite explicit, for example, “my sufferings on your behalf have caused me to be happy” or “I am happy that I may now suffer for you.” This may be far more meaningful than to say “happy about my sufferings.”
By means of my physical sufferings may be expressed in some languages by a clause introduced by “because,” for example, “because I suffer in my body” or simply “because I am suffering,” in which case a verb for “suffering” should indicate physical suffering.
Now … my sufferings denotes his situation as a prisoner (4.10, 18). The relationship between Paul’s sufferings and what still remains of Christ’s sufferings is not easily understood. I am helping to complete translates a double compound verb (antanaplēroō), found only here in the NT. The simple verb plēroō means “fill, fulfill,” and the single compound anaplēroō is an emphatic form, “fill completely.” The added preposition anti “in the place of” or “on behalf of” indicates that this is done in the place of or on behalf of someone else. So here it means “complete, on Christ’s behalf” or “in the place of Christ.”
The expression Christ’s sufferings may be understood more in a qualitative than in a literal sense; that is to say, these are “the kinds of suffering which Christ endured.” In this way, one may avoid the impression that what Christ suffered was inadequate for atonement. One may, therefore, translate I am helping to complete what still remains of Christ’s sufferings as “I am helping to complete the suffering which must be endured in the way Christ suffered” or “there is much suffering which people must endure and I am suffering in the way in which Christ suffered in order to complete the suffering which is necessary.”
Christ’s sufferings: the Greek for sufferings is here a different word from the one Paul uses for his own sufferings; it is possible that this word (thlipsis) was a technical term for the “tribulation” of the Messianic era, which would precede the end. What still remains translates a plural noun, literally, “the things lacking,” “the deficiencies,” and the plural, as such, states that there are sufferings still to be endured by Christ. In no sense, does Paul mean that Christ’s suffering and death for the redemption of mankind was not sufficient; what is meant is that in the service of Christ his servants are called upon to suffer as he did; suffering is an integral part of the ministry of Christ’s servants, as it was of Christ himself. Barclay translates “the uncompleted sufferings which the work of Christ still entails.”
Paul’s sufferings are physical (lit. “in the flesh”), and they are on behalf of the church. There are two different ways of construing the phrase: (1) Paul’s physical sufferings are on behalf of the church: Revised Standard Version Twentieth Century New Testament New International Version Translator’s New Testament New English Bible Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch; (2) Christ’s sufferings are on behalf of the church: Good News Translation Moffatt Goodspeed Phillips Jerusalem Bible New American Bible. Although it is impossible to state dogmatically which is intended, it seems more probable that the former is meant. It should be mentioned that some commentators and translations connect the phrase “in my flesh” to the immediately preceding “the afflictions of Christ”; they take this to mean that the afflictions of Christ are in the body of Paul; so Abbott; Moffatt “all that Christ has to suffer in my body,” and as an alternative rendering in Traduction œcuménique de la Bible; this, however, does not seem very probable.
If one wishes to make clear that it is Paul’s suffering in this context which is on behalf of the church, it may be necessary to introduce a separate clause, for example, “this suffering of mine is on behalf of the church, which is Christ’s body.”
For his body, the church, see verse 18.
Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on Paul’s Letter to the Colossians. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1977. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .