Once he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful to you as well as to me.

Perhaps it was for this reason that he was separated from you for a while, so that you would have him back forever,

no longer as a slave, but [as someone] more than a slave, as a brother [in Christ], especially dear to me, but how much more to you, both in the flesh [as a servant] and in the Lord [as a fellow believer].

So if you consider me a partner, welcome and accept him as you would me.

I write to you [perfectly] confident of your obedient compliance, since I know that you will do even more than I ask.