THE testimony of Epaphras to Paul was, that they had love in the Spirit. (1:18.) This is the only mention of the Spirit in the epistle.
And yet the epistle is a specimen of the presence and power of the Spirit most remarkably; first, in the way that the apostle sees everything that he writes as himself being in the Spirit, and so sees everything on God's side of it, and Christ's, and not man's earthly side.
And, secondly, in the extraordinary range of the truth as brought out by him Be it they had come short of apprehending that most precious part of the Ephesian truth of the mystery; viz., " seated together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus," and that they were still therefore afloat about many things, the adversary too harassing them. The Spirit knew the inward truth of the mystery, and its settings, and connection with Christ, and the Son of the Father. Paul had alluded to them in his letter to the Ephesians but had not opened them out in detail, as here. The Spirit of God moves Paul now to go into the details, in particular as to the glories, external and internal, of this Son of God.
Truth given in Col. 1:15-20 and 2:9, 10 has a most transcendent height about it; and that in 2:14 to 3:4, a depth as answering the evil present truly marvelous.