The Background: True authority is neither pushy nor proud.
Paul’s quiet manner reflected his humility, and his desire to establish believers and churches in the power of God, not persuasion or personality. While he certainly was versed in rhetoric, and was an able speaker and writer, he purposefully avoided using the flamboyant techniques of his day to sway people. But the written word is different from the spoken word, and its truth had made a difference to the Corinthians. This point was exaggerated and used by his critics and false teachers (2:17; 3:1; 4:1-3; 6:11-18) as an indicator of inconsistency. That was far from the case, as he explains!