"For I suppose I was not a whit behind the very chiefest apostles. But though I be rude in speech, yet not in knowledge; but we have been throughly made manifest among you in all things. Have I committed an offence in abasing myself that ye might be exalted, because I have preached to you the gospel of God freely? I robbed other churches, taking wages of them, to do you service. And when I was present with you, and wanted, I was chargeable to no man: for that which was lacking to me the brethren which came from Macedonia supplied: and in all things I have kept myself from being burdensome unto you, and so will I keep myself. As the truth of Christ is in me, no man shall stop me of this boasting in the regions of Achaia. Wherefore? because I love you not? God knoweth. But what I do, that I will do, that I may cut off occasion from them which desire occasion; that wherein they glory, they may be found even as we. For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works."
In today's quote, Paul reiterated that he owed the people of Corinth nothing. He stressed that, while he was preaching among them, he had required nothing and reminded them that his needs had been fully supplied by the Church at Macedonia. He made that vividly clear so that the Corinthians would know that he had preached the true gospel of Jesus Christ purely out of absolute devotion to that gospel as well as out of a profound love for them.
Paul took a back seat to no one when it came to the defense of the his faith. In essence, he said, although he was coarse in manner and appearance, he was absolutely pure in his devotion to Jesus Christ.
Paul went further in today's quote to again warn of the false prophets who were already at work among the Churches and cautioned the Corinthians to separate themselves from those who would distort the "simplicity that is in Christ".~
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