Colossians 1:8 (ASV)

Passage

who also declared unto us your love in the Spirit.

Nearby Context

Colossians 1:6 which is come unto you; even as it is also in all the world bearing fruit and increasing, as [it doth] in you also, since the day ye heard and knew the grace of God in truth;

Colossians 1:7 even as ye learned of Epaphras our beloved fellow-servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf,

Colossians 1:8 who also declared unto us your love in the Spirit.

Colossians 1:9 For this cause we also, since the day we heard [it], do not cease to pray and make request for you, that ye may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,

Colossians 1:10 to walk worthily of the Lord unto all pleasing, bearing fruit in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "Spirit", "declared", and "love". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "Spirit" and "declared", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 7's "even as ye learned of Epaphras our..." into verse 9's "For this cause we also since the...", so "Spirit" and "declared" belong inside that flow. In Colossians context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "Spirit" and "declared" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.