To grant you such power as is fitting for Him to give, that is, ineffable and boundless, such as it is possible for a person to receive. Here is great encouragement. For he did not say: according to power, but "according to might," which is greater, as if saying: everywhere His glory is mighty. Therefore, do not grow faint in afflictions, for you shall prevail, as is natural for those who serve such a mighty and glorious Master.
Col. 1:11. in all patience and longsuffering
"Being strengthened with all patience," that is, in relation to outsiders, and "longsuffering," that is, in mutual relations. For the one who is longsuffering is he who has the ability to repay and does not repay, while the one who is patient is he who cannot do so. Therefore, patience is not attributed to God, but rather longsuffering, since He is able to crush but refrains from doing so. "With all" means not only now and then no more after that. So, if we bring the words together, he says the following: we pray that you may perfectly receive the knowledge of the teaching, not according to worldly wisdom but spiritual wisdom, and that you may lead a virtuous life, so as to firmly withstand temptations, having received power and strength from God — to show patience toward outsiders and longsuffering toward the brethren.
Col. 1:11. with joy,
Col. 1:12. giving thanks to (God and)³ the Father,
Having the intention to accuse them of acting incorrectly in the matter of teaching, he first speaks affectionately, so that it would not seem that he accuses them as an enemy. Therefore, having first said: I pray for you, that He may grant you such and such blessings (which is completely uncharacteristic of an enemy), he now says: with joy I give thanks for the blessings that you have. Therefore I accuse you not out of enmity, but out of love. I would even wish to constantly praise you, but necessity compels me to reproach. He does the same in the Epistles to the Corinthians. And he imperceptibly leads them to the word about the Son. For if I give thanks with joy, it means you possessed great blessings. But these were granted by the Master — the Son, and not by servants — the angels. Why did he say "I give thanks with joy"? Because it is possible to give thanks even in sorrow, as Job gave thanks, although he was in grief: "The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away" (Job 1:21). And let no one say that he was not stung by sorrow, because in that case one would also destroy his praise, if he bore it without feeling. He grieved, but was not crushed.
Col. 1:12. who called you (ίκανώσαντι υμάς; in the Synodal translation – "us")
How much, he says, is given, that you not only became rich, but also received the power and ability to appear worthy recipients of such gifts. For example: if a king entrusted some position of authority to a person of small talents, he would have given the dignity, but would not have made him capable of worthily carrying it out; in such a case, this honor would often subject him to ridicule. But God both honored us and made us capable of receiving it. And the double honor is that He made us capable of receiving the gift.
Col. 1:12. to a share in the inheritance of the saints
That is, the One who placed you with the saints — and not simply so, but who granted you to enjoy the same blessings, which is what is indicated by the word "participation." For it is possible to live in one and the same city but not have an equal share, and again: it is possible to partake in one and the same inheritance but not have the same portion, just as, for example, we all have one and the same inheritance of the Church, but one person has one portion and another has a different one. But here He granted both the same inheritance and the same portion. And everywhere he uses the word "inheritance" (κλήρος) in order to show that just as an inheritance depends not on human effort but rather, it seems, on fortune, so too we are not deemed worthy of the Kingdom for our virtues, but everything depends on the divine gift. Therefore, "when," he says, "you have done all things, say: we are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do" (Luke 17:10).
Col. 1:12. in the light,
And future, and present, that is, in knowledge. For even now He has enlightened us, having revealed mysteries to us, and in the future He will reveal even more.
Col. 1:13. Who delivered us from the power of darkness (εκ της εξουσίας του σκότους)
Not only is it important that He deemed us worthy of the Kingdom, but also what we were before this. For it is not the same thing to give something to the worthy and to the unworthy, as he also says in the Epistle to the Romans: "scarcely for a righteous man will one die" (Rom. 5:7). So then, He delivered us who were under the power of darkness, that is, of error and the tyranny of the devil. And he did not simply say "from darkness," but "from the power of darkness." For he had great power over us and ruled over us. Of course, it is grievous to be simply under the devil, but to be under the devil with power is even more grievous. And he did not say "led out," but "delivered," showing that we, like captives, were languishing.
Col. 1:13. and brought us into the Kingdom of His beloved Son,
It is a great thing to deliver from darkness, but to bring into the Kingdom besides — this is far greater. And not simply so, but so that we might reign together with the beloved Son — we who were enemies and dwelt in darkness. Of which he also speaks in another place: "if we endure, we shall also reign with Him" (2 Tim. 2:12). And he did not say "transferred" (for then everything would belong to the one who transferred), but "brought over" (translated), so that here something might belong to us as well. By this expression he shows that for the power of God this is as easy as for someone to move a soldier from one place to another.
Col. 1:14. In Whom we have redemption through His Blood (ἀπολύτρωσιν) and the forgiveness of sins,
Lest you, having heard that the Father delivered us, should think that the Son showed nothing good, he says further that the Son granted us very much. For He is the source of our being brought into the Kingdom, since He granted us redemption, that is, the forgiveness of sins. For if we had not been redeemed and freed from them, we would not have been brought into the Kingdom. Thus He paved for us the way to the gift of the Father. He did not say λύτρωσιν, but ἀπολύτρωσιν, that is, He completely delivered us, so that we would not then fall and become mortal, as partakers of Adam's sin. Therefore, if the Son delivered us, then He also brought us into the Kingdom. How then do you drag angels into this? Note also that the expression "in Whom" refers to the Son.
Col. 1:15. Who is the image of the invisible God,
The Apostle sets forth here the glory of nature and the greatness of the dignity of the Only-Begotten. "Who," he says, "is the image of God"; consequently, exactly alike, differing in nothing. There is no measure for the greatness of Him, so that, having measured, you could say how much He falls short in comparison with the Father. If He were an image as a man, then you would have something to say in this regard, because the image of a man never reaches the Prototype. But since He is an image as God and the Son of God, that is, the image of the invisible God, perfectly alike, evidently an invisible image. For among us, when human art, which often errs, makes a representation, it does not have full likeness; but where God is, there is no error, no deviation — therefore there is also full likeness. But if the Son did not have full likeness to the invisible God, then what prevents the angels also from being the image of God? For they too are invisible. Yet angels are never called the image of God. And note the precision of Holy Scripture: it calls man the image of God and a son, but never an angel; because in that case those hearing of the loftiness of angelic nature could easily fall into impiety, thinking that an angel has equal dignity with God. But as for man, his insignificance and lowliness guards us from thinking anything of the sort. So then, consider: the Only-Begotten, being both — image and invisible — by being "image" differs from the angels, who, although invisible, are not images; and by being "invisible" differs from men, who, although they themselves are called the image of God, are not invisible. Thus He alone is the perfect "image" of God, free from all dissimilarity. And if the Arians still object that an image is not consubstantial with the prototype, let them listen to Scripture, which says that Seth is the image of Adam. Is he then not consubstantial with Adam? Thus, although artificial images are not identical in essence, natural ones have entirely the same essence.
Col. 1:15. Born before all creation;
Having said that He is the image of the invisible God, he adds this as well. Here is a great stumbling block for the Arians. Since, they say, He is called "born before all creation," He is therefore the first of creatures. But the apostle did not say "first-created," but "firstborn." Either you will give Him brothers, and He will be the firstborn in relation to me, a frog, a stone, and other such worthless things, and will share one essence with all of this? For the Firstborn, of course, shares one essence with those in relation to whom He is called the Firstborn. But this blasphemy falls upon your own head. For it is ungodly to think this way about the incomparable glory of the Creator. Moreover, the word "firstborn" is used in Scripture not at all in contrast to subsequent children, but absolutely, and means simply — firstborn. So also from the Theotokos Mary He was born as firstborn according to the flesh, though He had no brothers after Him at all; for He is the Only-begotten even by birth from Her. In the same way, by birth from the Father He is the Firstborn not in contrast to other creatures, but absolutely; for He is the Only-begotten by His heavenly birth as well. So then, what should now be said in refutation of the question at hand and in exposure of the opinion of the Colossians? Lest they think that He is younger than the angels, since the ancients were led to God through them, and now it is said that He leads to God, he wants to show that the Son exists before all creation. In what way? Through birth. Therefore, He exists even before the angels, and moreover in such a way that He Himself also created them. So if the angels also served in the Old Testament, this is His arrangement. And note the wisdom of the apostle: lest you, having heard that He is before all creation, consider Him without a beginning, he instructs you that He has a Father and is born from Him. And since both He and all things are from God, this very fact shows that it is one thing that the One came forth as a Son from the Father, and another that the others, as creatures, were created by this very Son. Therefore he adds.
Col. 1:16. For by Him (εν αύτω) all things were created that are in the heavens and that are on the earth,
"By Him" is said instead of "through Him," as he will show later. That which could be doubted, namely concerning heavenly things, he placed first. So then, if the angels were created through Him, how are they before Him?
Col. 1:16. visible and invisible: whether thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers, –