J-Curve: Dying and Rising with Jesus in Everyday Life

I’ve always been perplexed by verses like 2 Corinthians 1:5: “For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.” And this one too: “In my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church” (Colossians 1:24).

Sure, Paul suffered a lot. But how could he say that he shared abundantly in Christ’s sufferings? And how can he say that there’s anything lacking in Christ’s afflictions? Jesu...