We are not withholding our affection from you, but you are withholding yours from us. They withheld affection from Paul as they grew enamored of his opponents. A competition for status between Paul's apostleship and the one claimed by those who came later to Corinth had left him devalued and loved less as a result. The apostle's point here is that a love that must meet certain standards, that imposes rules and regulations, that must be earned before it expresses itself, is a stumbling block. In Paul's allusion to the Corinthians as his children I see a circumstance I run into with my teenage children occasionally.
Teenagers are often embarrassed by their parents.
As a matter of fact, I feel I would not be doing my job as a parent if I did not every now and then say or do something embarrassing in front of my children. They want to be considered sophisticated, and this requires them to hold their parents at arm's length. But, says the apostle, don't forget that your father really loves you. Thus, if our fellowship does not manifest love that is thoroughly selfless, openhearted, and devoid of rules, we have placed a stumbling block in the way of people. Yoked together I will comment briefly on the closing verses of this section.