Paul's concern for the church in Corinth was intense. He wanted them to grow in Christ, choosing to reject false teaching (2 Corinthians 11:1-15). His lengthy instruction about giving was not only to call them to fulfil their promise to support impoverished believers in Jerusalem (1 Corinthians 16:1-3), but to explain that they needed to embrace God's character of generous love (2 Corinthians 8:9). Over the previous two chapters Paul reasoned with them and urged them to give (2 Corinthians 8:6-7). But in these verses he shows boldness, insisting that they take action on what he had written, so that he would not have to rebuke them sternly during his next visit.

As Christ showed Himself to be humble and gentle (Matthew 11:29), so Paul demonstrated the same qualities (Ephesians 4:2). But that did not mean he should refuse to be bold, insisting that they do what was right. Jesus was humble-hearted and gentle in dealing with those who knew they needed to be changed (Mark 10:46-52). But He was also bold and direct with religious people who resisted His love (Matthew 23:13-15) or wanted to frustrate His salvation plan (Matthew 16:21-23).

Humility is a matter of heart-attitude; it is the opposite of pride. Gentleness is a style of behaving; it is the opposite of selfish violence. Righteous boldness is an attitude of determination to achieve a good goal; it is the opposite of cowardice and timidity. Jesus was humble, gentle and bold; but He was never proud, selfishly violent, cowardly or timid – all those demonstrate lovelessness. So the apostle was not inconsistent in being both humble and bold, he was being Godly (Romans 11:22).

It is time that the church today should be refreshingly bold for truth in the face of false teaching, confronting the world's attempt to neutralise righteousness and exalt wickedness. Righteous boldness is not violent aggression but an insistence that truth must be proclaimed undiluted, and that wickedness should be repudiated. Without such bold clarity, believers in Jesus will not know what is true; they will become spiritually unstable as they succumb to whatever false fashionable idea is current (Ephesians 4:14-15). The result will be a reduction of gospel proclamation, increasing secularisation and a dysfunctional church that is not fit for purpose. It is time to be bold for the truth (Deuteronomy 31:6).