1:24-27 · Paul declared himself a servant of Christ in 1:23 and in the next few verses fleshes out what that means in terms of Christ’s sacrifice and the growth of the church. He uses terms such as “flesh” and “body” (1:24) that carry a range of meaning and impact. In 1:22, Paul declared that Christ conquered sin with his death (on the cross) in his fleshly body, and in verse 24, Paul expands the connotations of Christ’s body to include the church. He has both meanings in mind when he declares that he suffers physically (in his flesh) for the church, following Christ’s example for the church (metaphorically, Christ’s body).

Paul states that he rejoices in his sufferings. We might be tempted to tone down this claim by assuming Paul means that he rejoices in the midst of or in spite of his…