“Bearing fruit,” he says: this has reference to works. “Strengthened”: this to trials. “Unto all patience and longsuffering”: long-suffering towards one another, patience towards those without. For longsuffering is toward those whom we can requite, but patience toward those whom we cannot. For this reason the term patient is never applied to God, but longsuffering frequently; as this same blessed one says otherwhere in his writings, “Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, and forbearance, and longsuffering?” “Unto all pleasing.” Not, one while, and afterwards not so. “In all spiritual wisdom,” he says, “and understanding.” For otherwise it is not possible to know His will. Although indeed they thought they had His will; but that wisdom was not spiritual. “To walk,” says he, “worthily of the Lord.” For this is the way of the best life. For he that has understood God's love to man, (and he does understand it if he have seen the Son delivered up,) will have greater forwardness. And besides, we pray not for this alone that you may know, but that you may show forth your knowledge in works; for he that knows without doing, is even in the way to punishment. “To walk,” he says, that is, always, not once, but continually. As to walk is necessary for us, so also is to live rightly. And when on this subject he constantly uses the term “walk,” and with reason, showing that such is the life set before us. But not of this sort is that of the world. And great too is the praise. “To walk,” he says, “worthily of the Lord,” and “in every good work,” so as to be always advancing, and nowhere standing still, and, with a metaphor, “bearing fruit and increasing in the knowledge of God,” that you might be in such measure “strengthened,” according to the might of God, as is possible for man to be. “Through His power,” great is the consolation.— He said not strength, but “power,” which is greater: “through the power,” he says, “of His glory,” because that everywhere His glory has the power. He thus comforts him that is under reproach: and again, “To walk worthily of the Lord.” He says of the Son, that He has the power everywhere both in heaven and in earth, because His glory reigns everywhere. He says not “strengthened” simply, but so, as they might be expected to be who are in the service of so strong a Master. “In the knowledge of God.” And at the same time he touches in passing upon the methods of knowledge; for this is to be in error, not to know God as one ought; or he means, so as to increase in the knowledge of God. For if he that has not known the Son, knows not the Father either; justly is there need of increased knowledge: for there is no use in life without this. “Unto all patience and longsuffering,” he says, “with joy, giving thanks” unto God. Then being about to exhort them, he makes no mention of what by and by shall be laid up for them; he did hint at this however in the beginning of the Epistle, saying, “Because of the hope which is laid up for you in the heavens”: but in this place he mentions the things which were already theirs, for these are the causes of the other. And he does the same in many places. For that which has already come to pass gains belief, and more carries the hearer along with it. “With joy,” he says, “giving thanks” to God. The connection is this. We cease not praying for you, and giving thanks for the benefits already received.
Do you see how he bears himself along into speaking of the Son? For if “we give thanks with much joy,” it is a great thing that is spoken of. For it is possible to give thanks only from fear, it is possible to give thanks even when in sorrow. For instance; Job gave thanks indeed, but in anguish; and he said, “The Lord gave, the Lord has taken away.” For, let not any say that what had come to pass pained him not, nor clothed him with dejection of soul; nor let his great praise be taken away from that righteous one. But when it is thus, it is not for fear, nor because of His being Lord alone, but for the very nature of the things themselves, that we give thanks. “To Him who made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light.” He has said a great thing. What has been given, he says, is of this nature; He has not only given, but also made us strong to receive. Now by saying, “Who made us meet,” he showed that the thing was one of great weight. For example, were some low person to have become a king, he has it in his power to give a governorship to whom he will; and this is the extent of his power, to give the dignity: he cannot also make the person fit for the office, and oftentimes the honor makes one so preferred even ridiculous. If however he have both conferred on one the dignity, and also made him fit for the honor, and equal to the administration, then indeed the thing is an honor. This then is what he also says here; that He has not only given us the honor, but has also made us strong enough to receive it.
For the honor here is twofold, the giving, and the making fit for the gift. He said not, gave, simply; but, “made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light,” that is, who has appointed us a place with the saints. But he did not say simply placed us, but has given us to enjoy even the very same things, for “the portion” is that which each one receives. For it is possible to be in the same city, and yet not enjoy the same things; but to have the same “portion,” and yet not enjoy the same, is impossible. It is possible to be in the same inheritance, and yet not to have the same portion; for instance, all we (clergy) are in the inheritance, but we have not all the same portion. But here he does not say this, but with the inheritance adds the portion also. But why does he call it inheritance (or lot)? To show that by his own achievements no one obtains the kingdom, but as a lot is rather the result of good luck, so in truth is it here also. For a life so good as to be counted worthy of the kingdom does no one show forth, but the whole is of His free gift. Therefore He says, “When you have done all, say, We are unprofitable servants, for we have done that which was our duty to do.” “To be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light,”— he means, both the future and the present light, — that is, in knowledge. He seems to me to be speaking at once of both the present and the future. Then he shows of what things we have been counted worthy. For this is not the only marvel, that we are counted worthy of the kingdom; but it should also be added who we are that are so counted; for it is not unimportant. And he does this in the Epistle to the Romans, saying, “For scarcely for a righteous man will one die, but perhaps for the good man some one would even dare to die.”
Ver. 13. “Who delivered us,” he says, “from the power of darkness.”
Source: Homilies on Colossians (New Advent)