John Calvin Commentary Colossians 2:5

"For though I am absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the spirit, joying and beholding your order, and the stedfastness of your faith in Christ." — Colossians 2:5 (ASV)

For though I am absent in body. Lest anyone object that the admonition was inappropriate, coming from such a distant place, he says that his affection towards them made him be present with them in spirit, and judge what is beneficial for them, as if he were present. By also praising their present condition, he admonishes them not to fall back from it or turn aside.

Rejoicing, he says, and seeing; that is, “Because I see.” For and means for, as is customary among the Latins and Greeks. “Continue as you have begun, for I know that until now you have pursued the right course, since distance of place does not prevent me from seeing you with the eyes of the mind.”

Order and steadfastness. He mentions two things in which the perfection of the Church consists—order among themselves, and faith in Christ. By the term order, he means agreement, no less than properly regulated morals and complete discipline. He commends their faith for its constancy and steadfastness, meaning that it is an empty shadow of faith when the mind wavers and fluctuates between different opinions.