For God is my witness, how greatly I long after you all in the affections of Jesus Christ.
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Ambrosiaster
AD 400
He calls God to witness that his deep affection for them may be understood. One who feels so deeply about something is ready to call God as his witness to underscore his feeling. Through this he inspires a corresponding love in them for himself. For it is in being loved that we feel love. He therefore loves all these partners not with a human desire but in the love of Christ, not merely with emotional affection but with spiritual affection. They share with him in the knowledge of the mystery of God and the incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ.
He calls not God to witness as though he should be doubted, but does this from his great affection, and his exceeding persuasion and confidence; for after saying that they had fellowship with him, he adds this also, in the tender mercies of Christ, lest they should think that his longing for them was for this cause, and not simply for their own sake. And what mean these words, in the tender mercies of Christ? They stand for according to Christ. Because you are believers, because ye love Christ, because of the love that is according to Christ. He does not say love, but uses a still warmer expression, the tender mercies of Christ, as though he had said, having become as a father to you through the relationship which is in Christ. For this imparts to us bowels warm and glowing. For He gives such bowels to His true servants. In these bowels, says He, as though one should say, I love you with no natural bowels, but with warmer ones, namely, those of Christ. How I long after you all. I long ...
Since he had said that they had fellowship with him, in order that they would not suppose that he longed for them for this reason and not simply for their own sake, he therefore “in the bowels of Christ.” What does this mean? It means “in accord with the deep affection we have for Christ, because you are faithful, because you love Christ, because your love stands in accord with Christ.” But he does not say “love” but uses the warmer term bowels, as if he had “become as a father to you through kinship with Christ.” … “I cannot,” he says in effect, “express in words the greatness of my longing. It is not even possible to articulate. Therefore I leave it to God to know, who dwells in the heart.” But suppose he had just been flattering them—would he then have called God to witness? That would not have been safe. .
