No doubt, for the evangelical, the title of this article leaves one desiring an explanation. Christ’s afflictions, His suffering on the cross is fully sufficient for the salvation of mankind and forgiveness of sins, right? Of course Christ’s death is all-sufficient for mankind (see Hebrews 9:11-14). So, why the title? What does the title of this article refer to?

Well, let me first say that I love to frequent John Piper’s blog, Desiring God. I have always enjoyed the teachings of Piper, whether it be his messages or his writings. Therefore, as I was browsing the Desiring God blog the other day, I discovered a very powerful message. The title of this particular blog article is actually the title of that recently discovered message on Piper’s blog. What was the message about? It was delivered at a recent mission’s conference and was specifically based around Paul’s words found in Colossians 1:24:

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.

So, what do these somewhat enigmatic words of Paul mean? Click here to listen to the message, download, watch the video, or download his notes. I hope you are challenged as much as I.