In Christ Jesus.

Paul pictures Christ as the sphere in which the Christian lives, in the same way as
the air is the medium in which his body exists. The one who is “in Christ” is bounded and
circumscribed by his Saviour’s principles and laws; he lives by them and in them. Jesus is the source
and the protector of his life. Within this circle that embraces everything for which Jesus stands as the
Christ of God, true faith operates 1

In the Spirit. Literally, “in spirit [or, “Spirit”].” It is not certain whether Paul means the Holy Spirit,
or whether he has reference to the human spirit. All true love is the product of the presence of the
Holy Spirit in the life, but Paul may here be emphasizing the loving, dispositional response to the
conditions in life, which each Christian should manifest.
2

Do not cease to pray. Paul has already called attention to his prayers for the Colossian believers
(see v. 3). The story from Colossae that Epaphras has brought him enables him now to pray with
added meaning and joy. The phrase “do not cease to pray” means that Paul habitually prayed for the
Colossian Christians. At no time could it be said that he had ceased to pray for them.
3

1
Nichol, F. D. (1978; 2002). The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, Volume 7 (187). Review
and Herald Publishing Association.
2
Nichol, F. D. (1978; 2002). The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, Volume 7 (188). Review
and Herald Publishing Association.

3
Nichol, F. D. (1978; 2002). The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, Volume 7 (188). Review
and Herald Publishing Association.
 Giving thanks. A thankful heart is the mark of one whose positive emphasis day by day
is in the direction of grateful conformity with the will of the great Giver (cf. Eph. 5:4;
Phil. 4:6; Col. 2:7; 3:17; 4:2; see on Eph. 5:20). A lack of grateful appreciation stands at
the root of rebellion and anarchy (Rom. 1:21). Heartfelt and grateful thanksgiving is a daily
prerequisite to growth in the Christian life. This giving of thanks not only consists of the
acknowledgment that God sends daily recurring bounties; it is also a worshipful ascription to
Him of the honor due to His holy name and mighty power.
4

In your mind. The mind is the central, directive faculty of a rational being (see Eph.
4:18). Paul is here reminding the Colossians that their entire thinking had been in a state of
estrangement and hostility toward God. Every creative, deciding attitude of their minds was
against God or indifferent to Him. They were in a hopeless and lost condition, dependent on
some heavenly influence to bring them to a state where they might be saved.
5

Christ in you. The indwelling presence of Jesus in the human heart is the manifestation of
the eternal mystery (see on Gal. 2:20; Eph. 1:1).
6

cf. confer, “compare”

4
Nichol, F. D. (1978; 2002). The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, Volume 7 (190). Review
and Herald Publishing Association.
5
Nichol, F. D. (1978; 2002). The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, Volume 7 (194). Review
and Herald Publishing Association.
6
Nichol, F. D. (1978; 2002). The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, Volume 7 (196). Review
and Herald Publishing Association.