Filling up the afflictions of Christ

Is Piper right?

FILLING UP THE AFFLICTIONS OF CHRIST
By John Piper
IVP. 128 pages. £7.99
ISBN 978-1-84474-409-1

John Piper tackles Paul’s words in Colossians 1.24 about filling up in his flesh what was still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions … for the sake of the church.

This is a difficult verse, which has generated much discussion. Piper suggests that the sufferings of Christ demonstrated the depth of his love for the world and now that he is no longer visible on earth, his followers are called to demonstrate his love through their own suffering. Today, when hundreds of Christians across the world are martyred daily for their faith, Piper challenges modern Christians to take the gospel to hostile places, regardless of the possible danger and suffering that might follow. Their suffering would be part of the message.

He illustrates this through the lives of three men. William Tyndale was strangled and burnt at the stake in 1536 for translating the recently published Greek New Testament into everyday English. This changed the course of English history and led to the Reformation.

John Paton was sent to the New Hebrides (Vanuatu) in 1858 by the London Missionary Society. He and his family suffered tremendous danger, hostility and isolation for over 30 years, but saw the churches take root across the islands. Finally, there is the harrowing story of Adoniram Judson, the first to pioneer in Burma in 1813 with his young wife Ann. They too faced extreme opposition, imprisonment and death. A book of this size cannot do justice to these spiritual giants, but Piper indicates where thoughtful people can discover more.

But did their suffering influence the way people received their message about God’s love for them or did it reflect the spiritual conflict when the gospel was proclaimed in a world without God? Communicating across cultures is fraught with misunderstandings. It took many years of patient teaching before churches were established throughout the South Sea islands and Burma. Colossians 1.24 is still open to discussion.

Valerie Griffiths,
served in the Far East (Japan and Singapore) with the Overseas Missionary Fellowship for 23 years

© Evangelicals Now - June 2010
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