preach the gospel, I cannot boast, for I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! NIV Paul may have “boasted” in his desire to serve the Corinthian believers freely, but he could not boast about that service. Paul had been called to preach the gospel, and he did so, not by his own choice. In fact, he was compelled to preach; he had to preach, for God had called him to do so. Woe to Paul if he didn’t! The word “woe” referred to some undescribed calamity that would befall him