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.