If Paul says 'I'm not speaking this by commandment,' is what he wrote still God's command?
Yes. Even when Paul says he is not speaking by commandment, the written words become inspired Scripture and thus the Word of God. The Holy Spirit prompted Paul to write them, so what he wrote still carries God's authority and functions as God's command.
Les explains that Paul repeatedly says, 'I speak not by commandment,' yet because those words are in the written Word they become inspired Scripture—the Word of God. Les notes that even when Paul says he is not writing by commandment, in reality the Holy Spirit commanded or caused him to write it. Therefore the instruction is not merely human opinion; it is prompted by the Spirit and carries divine authority. In the immediate context, Paul applies this to the grace of giving, asking believers to abound in it and proving the sincerity of their love, while grounding it in the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.
I speak not by commandment, but by occasion of the forwardness of others, and to prove the sincerity of your love.
More Questions
Is Paul's 'I speak not by commandment' still a commandment from God?
Even though Paul says 'this isn't commandment from God,' it is in reality a commandment, because it is the Holy Spirit who prompts him to write what he writes.