How do we know Paul was sold out to God?
Paul demonstrated he was sold out to God by leaving all his material wealth behind, counting it as nothing to take the Gospel. He turned his back on everything—his standing, likely his wife and family—to take the Gospel to pagan, ungodly, immoral Gentiles, gladly spending and being spent for them.
Les explains that being totally, completely sold out to God is almost impossible for a man, yet it is exactly what God is looking for—though He will not demand or force it. Les thinks Paul probably was sold out. Paul left all his material wealth behind and counted it but dumb in order to take the Gospel. He had been a high man in the Judaistic religion and a member of the Sanhedrin, which required family; as a result of being sold out to Christ, he probably lost his wife, and possibly even a son. Whatever the case, he turned his back on everything to take the Gospel to pagan, ungodly, immoral Gentiles. In verse 15, Paul says he will very gladly spend and be spent for them, though the more abundantly he loved the Corinthians, the less he was loved, and the more they turned against him.