They knew the fear of the Lord, therefore they tried to persuade others. Paul and his co-workers knew who the Lord was. Fear does not mean dread. Essentially it means knowing who the Lord is. This includes knowing that He is more righteous than anyone or anything else, that He is more powerful than anyone or anything else. It means knowing that above all we should look to Him, and that doing things His way is more important than anything else.
Paul emphasises again his straightforwardness. False teachers are always slippery. We should always seek to be honest and straightforward about what we teach. The false teachers were concerned above all else about external appearances, much as the Pharisees and Sadducees were. However, note that Paul was concerned that the Corinthians were not ashamed of Paul and his co-workers. For when people attack the truth, they will also attack those who teach the truth. So it is about people as well as ideas. This is why it is vital that as servants of Christ we live lives that are worthy of respect, so that no one can justly accuse us (there will always be unjust accusations).
Some thought Paul to be mad, much the same as some think Christians are at best naive, and at worst fools or simpletons today. That is a risk one runs in choosing to follow Christ. But it means that we can help those who do believe.
Christ's love compels us. This does not mean so much that because we love Christ so much we are compelled to tell others, but rather that Christ's love for others compels us to tell others. And now we should live for Christ, not for ourselves.
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