Note 20 at 2 Cor. 5:11: The reason Paul persuaded men was because he knew the terror of the Lord. Although the gospel is good news to those who receive it, there is a real hell, and those who reject the gospel will be damned to it. Paul knew that life and death were at stake in the lives of those who heard him. He took ministering the gospel seriously.

Note 21 at 2 Cor. 5:11: The word "manifest" means "clearly apparent to the sight or understanding" (American Heritage Dictionary). Paul is saying that God knows his motives for preaching the gospel, and he trusts that, through the things he has said here, the Corinthians also now know his pure motives.