As ye also learned of Epaphras
To know the grace of God, believe the truth of the Gospel, and to
own and profess it sincerely.
Our dear fellow servant;
a "servant" of Christ he was, and a "fellow" servant of the
apostles, jointly engaged with them in preaching the Gospel;
which character, as it greatly commends Epaphras, and shows him
to be a very considerable preacher of the word, so it expresses
the great humility and condescension of the apostle, in putting
him upon a level with himself, though he was not in that high
office of the apostleship he was. And "dear" this precious
servant of Christ was to him, and his fellow ministers, on
account of the grace and gifts bestowed on him, because of his
usefulness in the ministry, and his faithfulness and integrity in
the discharge of it; and whose company and conversation in the
prison greatly endeared him to them, for he was a fellow
prisoner, as well as a fellow servant, ( Philemon
1:23 ) . It follows,
who is for you a faithful minister of Christ;
one whom Christ had made a "minister" and not man, who was
qualified, and sent forth, and made successful by him in his
service; and who preached none but Christ, and him crucified, in
the business of salvation: and he was a "faithful" one; one that
sought not his own glory, but the glory of him that sent him; nor
to please men, but his master; who concealed no part of his
message, but freely and fully declared the whole; he was faithful
to Christ, who put him into the ministry, and to the souls of
men, to whom he ministered: and therefore it is said, he was such
an one "for you"; for them, not for himself; for their spiritual
good and advantage; he sought not theirs, but them; he had a
great zeal for them, dearly loved them, and spent his time and
strength, and made use of his gifts and talents while among them,
for their use and benefit.