Philippians 2:29

Textus Receptus:
προσδεχεσθε ουν αυτον εν κυριω μετα πασης χαρας και τους τοιουτους εντιμους εχετε

King James:
Receive him therefore in the Lord with all gladness; and hold such in reputation:

Comments:
Receive him...have such: The Philippians are to do two things regarding Epaphroditus' arrival. The first regards how and why they are to take him in, the second how they are to regard him after he is back in their fellowship.

in the Lord with all gladness: This phrase anticipates chapter 4:4. The word translated "gladness" here is a nominative derivative of the word for "rejoice" there. As surely as Christians are to rejoice simply because they are in Christ, they are to enjoy the fellowship of other believers simply because they (all of them) are in Christ.

reputation: Although it was a sickness over which Epaphroditus had no control which made his journey and ministry difficult, he is to receive honor from the Philippians. One reason for this imperative from Paul is that Epaphroditus was faithful during his illness, both to complete his ministry and to continue caring for others (as evidenced in verses 26-27). As 1 Corinthians 10:13 and Proverbs 24:10 imply, his faithfulness did not begin with that trial, but was made more evident through it.

Expanded Paraphrase:
When he comes, receive Epaphroditus with joy because both he and you are in the Lord. And having received him, have him in honor among you because of his faithfulness.