What would have given Paul the right to dominate the Corinthians, and why didn't he have it?
Paul would have had the right to dominate the Corinthians only if he had been the progenitor of a religion and its grand guru, able to stand over them and hold a whip over them. He lacked that right because he was not forcing them; even carnal Corinthians still enjoyed Christian liberty in the age of grace.
Les teaches that if Paul had been the progenitor of a religion and its grand guru, he could have stood over the Corinthians, held a whip over them, and made them adhere to everything he said. But that was not the case. Paul told these Corinthians, carnal as they were with all their problems, that they were not where they were because he had forced them there, and not what they were because he was standing over them with a heavy whip. Even in their carnality, they were still enjoying Christian liberty. Les connects this to Galatians 5:1, where believers are told to stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free and not be entangled again with the yoke of bondage. Many today do not comprehend the liberty that we have in this age of grace.