Therefore we also, from the day that we heard it, cease not to pray for you, and to beg that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will, in all wisdom, and spiritual understanding:

“For there is an instruction of the perfect, of which, writing to the Colossians, he says, "We cease not to pray for you, and beseech that ye may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that ye may walk worthy of the Lord to all pleasing; being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might according to the glory of His power." And again he says, "According to the disposition of the grace of God which is given me, that ye may fulfil the word of God; the mystery which has been hid from ages and generations, which now is manifested to His saints: to whom God wished to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the nations." So that, on the one hand, then, are the mysteries which were hid till the time of the apostles, and were delivered by them as they received from the Lord, and, concealed in the Old Testament, were manifested to the saints. And, on the other hand, there is "the riches of the glory of the mystery in the Gentiles," which is faith and hope in Christ; which in another place he has called the "foundation."”

“What, then, is more divine than the working of the Holy Spirit, since God Himself testifies that the Holy Spirit presides over His blessings, saying: "I will put My Spirit upon thy seed and My blessings upon thy children." For no blessing can be full except through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Wherefore, too, the Apostle found nothing better to wish us than this, as He himself said: "We cease not to pray and make request for you that ye may be filled with the knowledge of His will, in all wisdom and spiritual understanding walking worthily of God." He taught, then, that this was the will of God, that rather by walking in good works and words and affections, we should be filled with the will of God, Who puts His Holy Spirit in our hearts.”

“"For this cause." What cause? Because we heard of your faith and love, because we have good hopes, we are hopeful to ask for future blessings also. For as in the games we cheer on those most who are near upon gaining the victory, just so doth Paul also most exhort those who have achieved the greater part. "Since the day we heard it," saith he, "we do not cease to pray for you." Not for one day do we pray for you, nor yet for two, nor three. Herein he both shows his love, and gives them a gentle hint that they had not yet arrived at the end. For the words, "that ye may be filled," are of this significancy. And observe, I pray, the prudence of this blessed one. He nowhere says that they are destitute of everything, but that they are deficient; everywhere the words, "that ye may be filled," show this. And Paul shows here, that since that time he has been praying, and has not yet prevailed, and yet has not desisted; for the words, "from the day we heard it," show this. But it implies condemnation to them, if, from that time, even assisted by prayers, they had not amended themselves. "And making request," he says, with much earnestness, for this the expression "ye knew" shows. But it is necessary still to know somewhat besides. And, "that ye may be filled," he saith; not, "that ye may receive," for they had received; but "that ye may be filled" with what as yet was lacking. Thus both the rebuke was given without offense, and the praise did not suffer them to sink down, and become supine, as if it had been complete. But what is, "that ye may be filled with the knowledge of His will"? That through the Son we should be brought unto Him, and no more through Angels. Now that ye must be brought unto Him, ye have learnt, but it remains for you to learn this, and why He sent the Son. "In all spiritual wisdom," he saith, "and understanding." For since the philosophers deceived them; I wish you, he saith, to be in spiritual wisdom, not after the wisdom of men. But if in order to know the will of God, there needs spiritual wisdom; to know His Essence what it is, there is need of continual prayers.”

“Above he set forth the matter of the thanksgiving, showing for what goods he gave thanks; here he shows the prayer, indicating what he asks for them. And first he sets forth beforehand the conditions of prayer; second he adds the goods sought, at the place "that you may be filled." Prayer has three conditions. First, that it be timely; hence he adds "from the day," etc., supply: we began to pray. Jer. 31:20: "Since I have spoken of him, I will still remember him," etc. Second, that it be continuous, at "we do not cease," etc. 1 Kings 12:23: "But far be this sin from me before the Lord, that I should cease to pray for you." Rom. 1:9: "Without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers." Third, that it be manifold and perfect, at "praying and asking." Prayer is the ascent of the mind into God. Petition is the asking for things. Prayer ought to go before, so that one asking devoutly may be heard, just as those who petition put forward persuasion beforehand so as to incline the one petitioned; but we ought to put forward devotion and meditation on God and on divine things, not so that we may bend him, but so that we may raise ourselves up to him. Now he asks three things: namely, knowledge of the truth, at "that you may be filled"; the working of virtue, at "that you may walk"; the endurance of evils, at "in all patience." He desires, moreover, a threefold knowledge: namely, of things to be done; hence he says "that you may be filled with the knowledge," etc., that is, that you may fully know the will of God. 1 Thess. 4:3: "This is the will of God, your sanctification, that you abstain," etc. He therefore knows the will of God who lives in holiness. He therefore who sins does not know the will of God, because everyone who sins is ignorant. Rom. 12:2: "That you may prove what is the will of God," etc. Likewise, knowledge of divine things, at "in all wisdom," which is the knowledge of divine things, according to Augustine. Wis. 1:1: "Think of the Lord in goodness." Likewise of spiritual gifts, at "and spiritual understanding," that is, not of these bodily things. 1 Cor. 2:12: "But we have not received the spirit of this world, but the spirit that is of God." And these two, wisdom and understanding, are fittingly joined together, because wisdom is lesser if it lacks understanding, as Gregory says; and understanding is useless without wisdom, because wisdom judges and understanding grasps, and it is not able to grasp unless it judges, and conversely. The Gloss says that the first is taken generally; the second pertains to the active life; the third to the contemplative. Nor does it suffice to know, because "to him who knows the good and does not do it, it is sin for him," as it is said in James 4:17. Hence it is necessary that there be present a virtuous working, which he touches on first, at "that you may walk worthily of God." For he walks unworthily who does not live as befits a son of God. 2 Cor. 6:4: "In all things let us exhibit ourselves as ministers of God in much patience," etc. 1 Thess. 4:6: "As we have foretold and testified." Second he touches on right intention, at "pleasing in all things." Wis. 4:10: "Having become pleasing to God, he was made beloved." Third, zeal for advancing, at "in every good work," etc. For man ought always to strive toward a further good. Ecclus. 24:23: "My flowers are the fruit of honor and honesty." Rom. 6:22: "You have your fruit unto sanctification," etc. Upon fruit-bearing follows the increase of knowledge; therefore he says "and increasing," etc. For from the fact that someone strives to fulfill the commandments, he is disposed toward knowledge. Ps. 118:100: "I have understood more than the aged, because I have sought your commandments." Wis. 1:4: "It will not dwell in a body subject to sins." And he says "of God," not of the world. Wis. 10:10: "He gave him the knowledge of the saints," etc. Then he touches on the endurance of evils, because for virtue it does not suffice to know or to will, unless one acts unmovably, which cannot be without patience and the endurance of evils. And therefore he says "strengthened in all virtue." Ecclus. 47: "Rich in virtue, having a zeal for beauty." Which virtue is from God; hence he says "according to the power of his glory." Eph. 6:10: "Be strengthened in the Lord." But he adds "of his glory," that is, of Christ, who is the glory of the Father, because to proceed toward sin is to proceed toward darkness. Wis. 7:25: "For she is a vapor of the power of God, and a certain pure emanation of the glory of the almighty God." Then when he says "in all patience," etc., he asks for them endurance in adversities. For some fail either on account of the difficulty of adversities, and therefore it is necessary to have patience. Lk. 21:19: "In your patience you will possess your souls." Or on account of the delay of the reward, and therefore he says "and longsuffering," which makes one sustain the thing promised. Hab. 2:3: "If it makes a delay, wait for it," etc. Heb. 6:15: "Bearing patiently, he obtained the promise." But some avoid these two, yet with sadness. Against this he says "with joy." James 1:2: "Count it all joy, brothers, when you fall into various temptations," etc. Then when he says "giving thanks," etc., he gives thanks for the benefits shown to all the faithful. And this, first, for the benefit of grace, which he sets forth first; second, for the fruit of grace, at "who has delivered." He says therefore: we pray for you, giving thanks to God — namely as creator — and to the Father — namely as adopter — who worthy, etc. Some have said that the gifts of graces are given for merits, and that God gives grace to the worthy, but not to the unworthy; therefore the Apostle excludes this, because whatever worthiness and grace you have, God has made this in you: therefore the effect of grace as well. And therefore he says "who has made us worthy," etc. 2 Cor. 3:5: "Not that we are sufficient to think anything of ourselves, as of ourselves," etc. "Unto the part of the lot of the saints," etc. All men of the world are, according to nature, good; and therefore it is just that they have some part of God. The wicked, indeed, have as their part pleasures and temporal things. Wis. 2:9: "This is our part, and this our lot." The saints, however, have God himself as their part. Lam. 3:24: "The Lord is my part." Ps. 15:5: "The Lord is the part of my inheritance." And therefore he says "who worthy," etc. And he adds "of the lot," because a thing is divided in two ways: sometimes by choice, when one chooses this part, another that part; sometimes by lot. Prov. 18:18: "The lot suppresses contradictions." But this part falls to the saints not by their own choice. Jn. 15:16: "You did not choose me, but I chose you" — but because God himself has chosen you. For a lot is nothing other than to commit something to divine judgment. Now a lot is threefold: namely consultative, divinatory, and divisory. The first, in temporal matters, is not evil; the second is vain and evil; the third, in cases of necessity, is sometimes to be permitted. But this is of itself the possession of light. 1 Tim., last chapter: "He dwells in unapproachable light." Job 36:32: "In his hands he hides the light," etc. And from this part follows the effect of grace, namely the translation from darkness into light. And therefore he first sets forth the translation, second the manner in which men before grace are slaves of sin. For since sin is darkness, therefore they are in the power of darkness, whether of demons or of sins. Eph., last chapter: "against the rulers of the world of this darkness," etc. Isa. 49:25: "The captivity is taken away from the strong," etc. "And he has translated," etc., that is, that we might be the kingdom of God. Jn. 19: "My kingdom is not of this world," etc. And this happens when we are freed from sin. Apoc. 5:10: "You have made us a kingdom to our God," etc. Or, according to the letter, that we might obtain eternal life. Matt. 3:2: "The kingdom of heaven will draw near." And this is what he says: "the kingdom of the Son of his love." Love, as Augustine says in the Gloss, is sometimes said to be the Holy Spirit, who is the love of the Father and the Son. But if love were always to be taken thus personally, then the Son would be the son of the Holy Spirit; but sometimes it is said essentially, as it is said in the Gloss. "The Son of his love" is therefore said, that is, his beloved Son, or the son of his essence. But is this true: the Son is the son of the essence of the Father? It must be said that if the genitive designates the relation of an efficient cause, it is false, because essence does not generate, nor is it generated. But if it designates form, that is, one having his essence as it were materially — just as something is said to be "of outstanding form," that is, having an outstanding form — thus it is true. Jn. 3:35: "The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into his hand." Then when he says "in whom we have," etc., he shows the manner of the translation. For man existing in sin was held subject in two ways: namely through slavery. Jn. 8:34: "He who commits sin is the slave of sin." Also he was guilty of punishment, and turned away from God. Isa. 59:2: "Your iniquities have divided between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you, lest he hear." Christ removes these two things, because, insofar as he is man, he was made a sacrifice for us and redeemed us in his blood. And therefore he says "in whom we have redemption." 1 Cor. 6:20: "You are bought with a great price." But insofar as he is God, we have through him the remission of sins, because the guilt of sin was loosed through him.”

“The apostle proceeds in these verses to pray for them. He heard that they were good, and he prayed that they might be better. He was constant in this prayer: We do not cease to pray for you. It may be he could hear of them but seldom, but he constantly prayed for them. - And desire that you may be filled with the knowledge, etc. Observe what it is that he begs of God for them, I. That they might be knowing intelligent Christians: filled with the knowledge of his will, in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. Observe, 1. The knowledge of our duty is the best knowledge. A mere empty notion of the greatest truths is insignificant. Our knowledge of the will of God must be always practical: we must know it, in order to do it. 2. Our knowledge is then a blessing indeed when it is in wisdom, when we know how to apply our general knowledge to our particular occasions, and to suit it to all emergencies. 3. Christians should endeavour to be filled with knowledge; not only to know the will of God, but to know more of it, and to increase in the knowledge of God (as it is Col 1:10), and to grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour, Pe2 3:18. II. That their conversation might be good. Good knowledge without a good life will not profit. Our understanding is then a spiritual understanding when we exemplify it in our way of living: That you may walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing (Col 1:10), that is, as becomes the relation we stand in to him and the profession we make of him. The agreeableness of our conversation to our religion is pleasing to God as well as to good men. We walk unto all well-pleasing when we walk in all things according to the will of God. Being fruitful in every good work. This is what we should aim at. Good words will not do without good works. We must abound in good works, and in every good work: not in some only, which are more easy, and suitable, and safe, but in all, and every instance of them. There must be a regular uniform regard to all the will of God. And the more fruitful we are in good works the more we shall increase in the knowledge of God. He who doeth his will shall know of the doctrine whether it be of God, Joh 7:17. III. That they might be strengthened: Strengthened with all might according to his glorious power (Col 1:11), fortified against the temptations of Satan and furnished for all their duty. It is a great comfort to us that he who undertakes to give strength to his people is a God of power and of glorious power. Where there is spiritual life there is still need of spiritual strength, strength for all the actions of the spiritual life. To be strengthened is to be furnished by the grace of God for every good work, and fortified by that grace against every evil one: it is to be enabled to do our duty, and still to hold fast our integrity. The blessed Spirit is the author of this strength; for we are strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inward man, Eph 3:16. The word of God is the means of it, by which he conveys it; and it must be fetched in by prayer. It was in answer to earnest prayer that the apostle obtained sufficient grace. In praying for spiritual strength we are not straitened in the promises, and therefore should not be straitened in our own hopes and desires. Observe, 1. He prayed that they might be strengthened with might: this seems a tautology; but he means, that they might be mightily strengthened, or strengthened with might derived from another. 2. It is with all might. It seems unreasonable that a creature should be strengthened with all might, for that is to make him almighty; but he means, with all that might which we have occasion for, to enable us to discharge our duty or preserve our innocence, that grace which is sufficient for us in all the trials of life and able to help us in time of need. 3. It is according to his glorious power. He means, according to the grace of God: but the grace of God in the hearts of believers is the power of God; and there is a glory in this power; it is an excellent and sufficient power. And the communications of strength are not according to our weakness, to whom the strength is communicated, but according to his power, from whom it is received. When God gives he gives like himself, and when he strengthens he strengthens like himself. 4. The special use of this strength was for suffering work: That you may be strengthened unto all patience and long-suffering with joyfulness. He prays not only that they may be supported under their troubles, but strengthened for them: the reason is there is work to be done even when we are suffering. And those who are strengthened according to his glorious power are strengthened, (1.) To all patience. When patience hath its perfect work (Jam 1:4) then we are strengthened to all patience - when we not only bear our troubles patiently, but receive them as gifts from God, and are thankful for them. To you it is given to suffer, Phi 1:29. When we bear our troubles well, though ever so many, and the circumstances of them ever so aggravating, then we bear them with all patience. And the same reason for bearing one trouble will hold for bearing another, if it be a good reason. All patience includes all the kinds of it; not only bearing patience, but waiting patience. (2.) This is even unto long-suffering, that is, drawn out to a great length: not only to bear trouble awhile, but to bear it as long as God pleases to continue it. (3.) It is with joyfulness, to rejoice in tribulation, to take joyfully the spoiling of our goods, and rejoice that we are counted worthy to suffer for his name, to have joy as well as patience in the troubles of life. This we could never do by any strength of our own, but as we are strengthened by the grace of God.”

“For this cause - See on Eph 1:15-16 (note), where the same sentiment occurs. That ye might be filled - Nothing could satisfy the apostle, either for himself or his hearers, but the fullness of the blessing of the Gospel of peace. The Colossians had knowledge, but they must have more; it is their privilege to be filled with it. As the bright shining of the sun in the firmament of heaven fills the whole world with light and heat, so the light of the Sun of righteousness is to illuminate their whole souls, and fill them with Divine splendor, so that they might know the will of God, in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; in a word, that they might have such a knowledge of Divine things as the Spirit of truth can teach to the soul of man.”

“we also--on our part. heard it-- (Col 1:4). pray--Here he states what in particular he prays for; as in Col 1:3 he stated generally the fact of his praying for them. to desire--"to make request." might be filled--rather, "may be filled"; a verb, often found in this Epistle (Col 4:12, Col 4:17). knowledge--Greek, "full and accurate knowledge." Akin to the Greek for "knew" (see on Col 1:6). of his will--as to how ye ought to walk (Eph 5:17); as well as chiefly that "mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself; that in the fulness of times He might gather together in one all things in Christ" (Eph 1:9-10); God's "will," whereby He eternally purposed to reconcile to Himself, and save men by Christ, not by angels, as the false teachers in some degree taught (Col 2:18) [ESTIUS]. There seems to have been a want of knowledge among the Colossians; notwithstanding their general excellencies; hence he so often dwells on this subject (Col 1:28; Col 2:2-3; Col 3:10, Col 3:13; Col 4:5-6). On the contrary he less extols wisdom to the Corinthians, who were puffed up with the conceit of knowledge. wisdom--often mentioned in this Epistle, as opposed to the (false) "philosophy" and "show of wisdom" (Col 2:8, Col 2:23; compare Eph 1:8). understanding--sagacity to discern what on each occasion is suited to the place and the time; its seat is "the understanding" or intellect; wisdom is more general and has its seat in the whole compass of the faculties of the soul [BENGEL]. "Wouldst thou know that the matters in the word of Christ are real things? Then never read them for mere knowledge sake" [Quoted by GAUSSEN.] Knowledge is desirable only when seasoned by "spiritual understanding."”