John Calvin Commentary 1 Corinthians 4:18

"Now some are puffed up, as though I were not coming to you." — 1 Corinthians 4:18 (ASV)

As though I would not come to you—this is the custom of the false apostles: to take advantage of the absence of the good, so that they may triumph and boast without any hindrance. So Paul, intending to rebuke their disordered conscience and restrain their insolence, tells them that they cannot endure his presence.

It is true that sometimes, when wicked men find an opportunity to insult, they openly rise up with brazen boldness against the servants of Christ. However, they never come forward honestly to a fair fight; on the contrary, by sinister schemes, they reveal their lack of confidence.