2 Corinthians 5:11

Knowing therefore the fear of the Lord, we persuade men, but we are made manifest unto God; and I hope that we are made manifest also in your consciences.

The fear of the Lord ... One of the genuine errors of the King James Version was the rendition of this as "the terror" of the Lord. Paul used the same word in Ephesians 5:21, and Luke used it in Acts 9:1; but as Lipscomb said," `Fear' in all of these passages means reverence and devotion."[17]

We persuade men ... It is not God but people who should be persuaded, God having already done everything that even God could do to bring redemption to fallen humanity.

Made manifest unto God ... Paul was saying in this that God already knew the sincerity and integrity of his soul and that he hoped the Corinthians also had been able to discern the same thing. "If Paul had not walked continually in the fear of God (Acts 9:31), he might have yielded to the temptation to curry favor with his hearers by whittling down his message to suit their tastes."[18]

[17] David Lipscomb, Second Corinthians (Nashville: Gospel Advocate Company, 1937), p. 74.

[18] R. V. G. Tasker. op. cit., p. 83.