Bible Strands
Colossians 1:8
and who also informed us of your love in the Spirit.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Paul writes to the Colossian church immediately after crediting Epaphras with teaching them the gospel and just before launching into a prayer for their spiritual maturity. The statement functions as a bridge between the report of the Colossians' faith and Paul's ongoing intercession for them.
The words — δηλώσας (dēlōsas) means “having made known,” and ἀγάπην (agapēn) means “love.” The preposition ἐν (en) attaches this love directly to the Spirit’s sphere of activity.
The thread — The text links love to the Spirit’s work, paralleling Romans 5:5, which states God poured love into hearts through the Holy Spirit, and Romans 15:30, which urges prayer by the love of the Spirit. It also aligns with 2 Timothy 1:7, which pairs the Spirit’s gift with love.
Why it lands — The verse reports that Epaphras communicated the Colossians’ Spirit-empowered love to Paul, treating love as a documented outcome of the gospel. Readers must recognize love as a Spirit-produced reality verified by faithful ministers, not a self-generated achievement.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
Who also declared unto us your love in the Spirit.
Cross-references
- Romans 15:30 Now I urge you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me.
- 2 Timothy 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-control.
- Romans 5:5 And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.
- Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
- Colossians 1:4 because we have heard about your faith in Christ Jesus and your love for all the saints—
- 1 Peter 1:22 Since you have purified your souls by obedience to the truth so that you have a genuine love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from a pure heart.