Colossians 1:4-5

‘Having heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love which you have toward all the saints, because of the hope which is laid up for you in the heavens which you heard before in the word of the truth of the Gospel.'

Paul has heard that they have a sound faith based on faith in Christ Jesus, they have love for all God's people and they have hope for the eternal future. This triad of faith, love and hope appears elsewhere (Romans 5:1; 1 Corinthians 13:3; Galatians 5:5; 1 Thessalonians 1:3; 1 Thessalonians 5:8; Hebrews 10:22; 1 Peter 1:22). Faith refers to their past response now consolidated in their present behaviour and attitude (see Colossians 1:23). They are grounded in the faith and continue to express it in and through their lives. Love demonstrates their continuation in the faith, and the work of the Spirit within (Ephesians 3:16). Hope expresses the end result of their faith, a certainty which enables them to endure, the expectancy of their final transformation and exaltation (1 Thessalonians 1:3; 1 Corinthians 15:52; 1 Thessalonians 4:14).

‘Your faith in Christ Jesus.' He certainly has in mind ‘the faith' in which they are grounded, their basis of sound doctrine, which is the basis of their certain hope for the future (Colossians 1:23). But also included is their day by day faith in Christ revealed in their lives. For Christ is central in ‘the faith' as he is about to declare.

‘The love which you have towards all the saints.' This was constantly looked for in the early church and was seen as one sign of a genuine Christian. Where love is lacking, genuineness is lacking. It was the command of Jesus that His people should love one another (John 13:35; John 15:12; John 15:17) and it is the first aspect of the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22; see Colossians 1:7 and compare Romans 12:10; Romans 13:8 and often). The love referred to is Christian love (see 1 Corinthians 13). It is not sexual nor based on the loveableness of the person loved, but on the spiritual attitude of the one who loves and desires the best for ‘all the saints', all God's people, even when they are not very saintly.

‘Because of the hope which is laid up for you in the heavens.' They know that Christ is in them, ‘the hope of glory' (Colossians 1:27). Thus they look forward to a glorious hope. The New Testament is full of this hope, the hope for what will happen at the second coming of Christ, when the Lord is revealed from Heaven, raises dead believers and transforms His own and takes them to be with Himself (1 Thessalonians 4:14; 1 Corinthians 15:52). Then there will be a new heaven and a new earth, places where there is only righteousness (2 Peter 3:13).

‘Because of the hope.' Their faith and love are kept constant by this hope. Those who lose sight of the hope soon begin to languish.

‘The word of the truth of the Gospel.' The preaching of the truth of the Good News of their participation in the death and resurrection of Christ also includes the Christian's glorious hope. ‘Word' regularly means the preached word, compare 1 Corinthians 1:18. Notice the emphasis on ‘the truth', a constant theme of Jesus (consider especially John 14-16) and a constant theme of Paul's. It was not just belief, it was the word of truth. Ephesians 1:13 speaks similarly of ‘the word of truth, the Good News of your salvation'.