Colossians 1:4 - Exposition

Having heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have ( ἤν ἔχετε , Revised Text) toward all the saints ( Ephesians 1:15 , B.V.; Philemon 1:5 , R.V.; 1 Thessalonians 4:9 , 1 Thessalonians 4:10 ; 1 John 3:23 ; 2 John 1:4 ; 3 John 1:3 , 3 John 1:4 ). "Having heard "more immediately from Epaphras ( Colossians 1:8 , Colossians 1:9 ). Note the characteristic recurrence of this word: he had heard of their faith and love, as they had heard before the word of truth ( Colossians 1:5 ); from the day they had heard they had borne fruit ( Colossians 1:6 ), and he, in return, from the day he heard of it, had not ceased to pray for them ( Colossians 1:9 ); see note on Colossians 1:8 ; and comp. 1 Thessalonians 1:5 and 1 Thessalonians 2:2 with 1 Thessalonians 3:6 (Greek). "In Christ Jesus" is attached to "faith" (as to "brethren" in 1 Thessalonians 3:2 ) so closely as to form with it a single idea; to be "in Christ Jesus" is of the very essence of this faith and brotherhood. "Faith in Christ," "believe in Christ," in our English Bible, commonly represent a different Greek preposition, εἰς (literally, into or unto Christ); only in the pastoral Epistles and in Ephesians 1:15 —not in Galatians 3:26 (see Lightfoot) or Romans 3:25 (see Meyer or Beet)—do we find, as here, πίστις ἐν χριστῷ . In Christ faith rests, finding its abiding ground and element of life. In the Epistles of this period the Christian state appears chiefly as "life in Christ;" rather than, as in the earlier letters, as "salvation through Christ" (comp. e.g. Romans 5:1-21 . and Colossians 2:9-15 ). The "love" of the Colossians evokes thanksgiving, as that which they have "toward all the saints;" for as the Church extended Christian love needed to be more catholic (verse 6; Colossians 3:11 ), and Colossian error in particular tended to exclusiveness and caste feeling (see note on verse 28). The iteration of "all" in this Epistle is remarkable.