Who Should Explain Paul?
Reading Paul on His Own Terms
How Should Christians Read Paul’s Letters?
The preceding studies have followed Jesus and His inspired apostles back to Genesis and have placed that return within the larger story of creation in Christ.
Among the apostles, Paul repeatedly develops the theological significance of Genesis across letters written to different churches and circumstances.
How, then, should Christians read Paul?
Paul’s letters stand among the most influential writings in the New Testament. They shape Christian theology, ethics, church life, worship, and our understanding of Christ himself. Yet they are also among the most discussed and debated books in Scripture.
Throughout history, interpreters have approached Paul from many different directions.
Some begin with historical reconstruction.
Others with systematic theology.
Others with philosophy.
Others with contemporary questions about gender, authority, justification, ecclesiology, or ethics.
Many of these approaches contribute valuable insights.
But before asking what Paul contributes to theology, Christians should first ask a more fundamental question:
How should Paul be interpreted?
This study argues that the answer begins in the same place as our study of Genesis.
Before Paul is interpreted through later theological systems, historical reconstructions, or modern debates, he should first be read as an author.
More specifically, he should first be read as the author of letters.
God did not inspire Paul to write a systematic theology.
He inspired Paul to write letters containing carefully constructed arguments.
If we wish to understand Paul’s theology faithfully, we must first follow those arguments as Paul himself develops them.
Only after Paul has been allowed to explain his own reasoning should his teaching be brought into conversation with the rest of Scripture, historical theology, and contemporary discussion.
Every Reader Brings Questions
No one comes to Paul’s letters without questions.
Some ask:
- What does Paul teach about justification?
- What is Paul’s understanding of grace?
- What does Paul teach about the Church?
- What does he teach about men and women?
- What is the relationship between law and grace?
- What does Paul teach about salvation?
Others ask:
- What historical situation prompted this letter?
- What did Paul’s readers already know?
- How does Paul construct his argument?
- Why does he introduce certain themes before others?
- How does each paragraph contribute to the whole letter?
All of these are legitimate questions.
Yet the questions we ask often determine what we notice.
When readers approach Paul’s letters looking primarily for answers to modern theological debates, there is a danger that individual verses become detached from the arguments in which Paul placed them.
Paul’s letters are among the richest theological writings in Scripture, but they are also among the easiest to misunderstand when read piecemeal. Individual verses are frequently quoted apart from the arguments that give them their meaning. As a result, readers may find themselves debating Paul’s conclusions while overlooking the reasoning that produced them.
The first responsibility of interpretation is therefore not to solve our questions.
It is to understand Paul’s.
Tools and Authorities
Christians have many valuable tools available for understanding Paul’s letters.
These include Greek grammar, lexical studies, rhetorical analysis, historical research, archaeology, Second Temple Judaism, Greco-Roman culture, church history, and systematic theology.
Each contributes something important.
Greek grammar helps us understand Paul’s language.
Lexicons help us understand his vocabulary.
Historical research helps us understand the circumstances in which his letters were written.
Archaeology illuminates the world in which Paul ministered.
Church history reminds us how Christians have wrestled with Paul’s teaching throughout the centuries.
Systematic theology seeks to draw together the teaching of the whole Bible.
These disciplines are invaluable servants.
But tools are not the same as authorities.
They serve Paul’s letters.
They do not govern them.
The Order of Interpretation
Every interpreter approaches Paul’s letters with an order of authority, whether consciously or unconsciously.
This study proposes the following order:
- The immediate literary context.
- The argument of the whole letter.
- Paul’s wider writings.
- The rest of Scripture.
- The witness of the Church throughout history.
- Modern scholarship and contemporary discussion.
Each level has genuine value.
But each should remain in its proper place.
God inspired Paul’s theology through carefully constructed arguments contained within letters.
Faithful interpretation therefore begins by listening to those arguments.
Only after understanding Paul’s reasoning should broader theological conclusions be drawn.
The goal is not simply to know what Paul concluded.
It is first to understand how Paul reached his conclusions.
Only then are readers prepared to hear Paul on his own terms.
Reading Paul as a Letter
One of the simplest observations about Paul’s writings is also one of the easiest to forget.
Paul wrote letters.
He did not write a systematic theology.
He did not write a theological dictionary.
Nor did he write collections of disconnected doctrines intended to stand independently of one another.
He wrote letters to real churches and real individuals facing real situations.
Each letter possesses its own purpose.
Its own structure.
Its own argument.
Its own progression of thought.
God chose to inspire Paul through letters.
That should shape the way Christians read them.
Doctrine is certainly present throughout Paul’s writings. Indeed, some of the richest theological teaching in the New Testament is found in his letters. But those doctrines are communicated through carefully constructed arguments. Paul normally develops his theology before drawing his conclusions, rather than simply listing theological propositions.
If we wish to hear Paul faithfully, we should therefore read his letters in the form in which God inspired them.
Following Paul’s Argument
Because Paul wrote letters, he expects his readers to follow his reasoning.
He introduces themes.
Defines important ideas.
Develops his argument.
Answers objections.
Clarifies misunderstandings.
Balances earlier statements.
Draws implications.
Finally, he reaches his conclusions.
His arguments are progressive.
Earlier sections often provide the foundation for what follows, while later sections frequently assume ideas that Paul has already established.
This means that individual verses derive much of their meaning from the argument in which Paul placed them.
To remove a verse from its literary context is often to remove it from the explanation Paul himself provides.
The immediate context therefore becomes Paul’s first interpreter.
The argument of the whole letter becomes his second.
Faithful interpretation asks not merely,
What does this verse say?
but,
Why does Paul say it here?
What question is he answering?
How does this paragraph contribute to the flow of the letter?
What conclusion is he moving towards?
These questions allow Paul to become his own interpreter.
Reading the Whole Letter
The best way to understand any of Paul’s letters is to read it as a complete work.
Biblical letters were written to be read from beginning to end.
Although modern Bibles divide them into chapters and verses for convenience, Paul himself wrote continuous arguments.
Repeated reading allows readers to notice connections that are easily missed when only isolated passages are studied.
Themes introduced early in a letter often reappear later.
Arguments begun in one chapter may not reach their conclusion until several chapters afterwards.
Paul also signals the movement of his argument through connecting words such as for, because, therefore, but, now, and then. These transitions are not merely stylistic. They reveal how each paragraph grows out of what has already been established.
Following these connections helps readers understand not only what Paul says, but why he says it.
Before studying individual verses, Christians should therefore become familiar with the overall movement of the letter.
Learning from Paul’s Method
Paul’s own letters repeatedly demonstrate this pattern.
In Romans, the practical exhortations of chapters 12–15 cannot be separated from the theological foundation established in chapters 1–11. The “therefore” of Romans 12:1 deliberately connects Christian living with everything Paul has argued about God’s mercy.
In Ephesians, the practical instructions of chapters 4–6 grow naturally out of Paul’s earlier teaching about God’s saving work in Christ in chapters 1–3. Christian conduct rests upon Christian identity.
Even within shorter sections, Paul frequently develops sustained arguments. In 1 Corinthians 11:2–16, individual statements about head coverings are best understood by following the flow of Paul’s reasoning from beginning to end rather than treating each verse independently.
These examples are not exceptions.
They illustrate the normal way Paul writes.
He expects his readers to follow his argument before drawing conclusions from individual statements.
Interpretive Principle
Before asking what a verse contributes to theology, first ask what it contributes to Paul’s argument.
Reading Paul in Conversation with Paul
Paul rarely explains an idea only once.
Most fundamentally, he develops his ideas within each individual letter. Earlier sections frequently provide the framework for understanding later ones, while later sections often assume ideas that have already been carefully established.
Beyond the individual letter, many of the same themes also appear throughout Paul’s other writings.
Creation.
Grace.
Faith.
The Church.
Christ.
The Spirit.
Justification.
Holiness.
Suffering.
Glory.
Paul’s wider writings therefore provide a further level of interpretation. Clearer discussions may illuminate shorter or more difficult ones, and recurring vocabulary often develops consistent patterns of meaning.
This does not mean that every use of a word across different letters carries exactly the same meaning. The immediate context always remains the primary guide to interpretation, since Paul develops his vocabulary in the service of each letter’s particular argument.
The order remains important.
The immediate context explains the verse.
The whole letter explains the argument.
Paul’s other writings illuminate his broader theology.
The rest of Scripture locates Paul within God’s unfolding revelation.
By following this order, readers allow Paul to explain himself before drawing wider theological conclusions.
If Paul’s own writings provide the primary interpretive framework for understanding Paul, another important question naturally follows:
Who should explain Paul?
Throughout Christian history, Paul’s letters have been interpreted through many different theological traditions.
Reformed.
Lutheran.
Roman Catholic.
Eastern Orthodox.
Arminian.
Dispensational.
Covenantal.
Complementarian.
Egalitarian.
Each tradition seeks to understand Scripture faithfully.
Each has made valuable contributions to the Church’s understanding of Paul’s teaching.
Yet every theological tradition also develops its own vocabulary, categories, emphases, and assumptions.
These traditions can help us understand Paul.
They should never become the primary lens through which Paul is read.
Paul should first be allowed to explain Paul.
Only then should his teaching be compared with later theological reflection.
Reading the Author Before the System
Every theological system attempts to summarise the teaching of Scripture.
That is a legitimate and valuable task.
The difficulty arises when the summary begins to control the interpretation of the biblical text itself.
Instead of allowing Paul to shape our theology, we begin asking whether Paul fits our theology.
The order has quietly been reversed.
Faithful interpretation follows the opposite direction.
It first asks:
What is Paul arguing?
How does he develop his reasoning?
How does this paragraph contribute to the whole letter?
How does this letter contribute to Paul’s wider theology?
Only after answering those questions should broader theological conclusions be drawn.
Theological systems should arise from Scripture.
They should not become the controlling framework through which Scripture is forced to speak.
Reading Paul in the Light of the Whole Canon
Allowing Paul to explain Paul does not mean reading him in isolation from the rest of Scripture.
Paul himself constantly interprets earlier biblical revelation.
His letters are filled with quotations, allusions, and echoes from the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings.
He assumes his readers recognise Abraham, Moses, David, Isaiah, Hosea, Joel, and many other Old Testament writers.
Nor does Paul expect his own letters to stand apart from the teaching of Jesus or the witness of the other apostles.
Paul writes as one inspired author within the unified revelation of Scripture.
For this reason, faithful interpretation proceeds in two directions.
First, Paul should be allowed to explain his own argument.
Then Paul’s teaching should be understood within the larger unity of the biblical canon.
The two approaches are not competitors.
They are complementary.
Paul’s own writings prepare us to understand the rest of Scripture more fully, while the completed canon enables us to see how Paul’s teaching fits within God’s unfolding revelation.
The Danger of Beginning at the End
Many disagreements over Paul’s teaching arise because interpreters begin with theological conclusions rather than with Paul’s argument.
Instead of asking,
What is Paul saying?
the first question often becomes,
How does Paul fit within my theological system?
When this happens, individual verses may be pressed into debates that developed centuries after Paul wrote.
Paul’s own line of reasoning receives less attention than later theological categories.
The result is not necessarily false theology.
It is often incomplete interpretation.
The safer approach is to begin where Paul begins.
Follow his reasoning.
Allow his conclusions to emerge naturally from his argument.
Only then ask how those conclusions relate to broader theological questions.
Returning Again and Again to the Text
No interpreter understands Paul perfectly on a first reading.
His arguments are carefully constructed.
Connections become clearer through repeated reading.
Themes emerge that may have been overlooked initially.
Assumptions become visible only after the whole letter has been considered.
For this reason, faithful interpretation is never satisfied with isolated proof texts.
It continually returns to the text itself.
Reading.
Rereading.
Following the argument.
Testing conclusions against the whole letter.
Then against Paul’s other writings.
Then against the whole of Scripture.
Good interpretation is therefore marked not by confidence in one’s system, but by a willingness to keep listening to the inspired author.
Humility Before the Text
Every Christian interpreter brings assumptions to Paul’s letters.
Some come shaped by centuries of theological tradition.
Others by modern scholarship.
Others by contemporary cultural questions.
None of us approaches the text without prior commitments.
Recognising this should not lead to scepticism.
It should lead to humility.
Because God inspired Paul’s letters as carefully constructed arguments, Christians honour Scripture by listening first to Paul’s own reasoning before imposing later theological categories upon his words.
The goal is not to make Paul fit our assumptions.
The goal is to allow Paul’s own inspired argument to reshape our thinking.
Whenever careful reading of Paul’s letters challenges our conclusions, our first response should not be to defend our systems.
It should be to return to the text.
To read the letter again.
To follow the argument more carefully.
To ask whether Paul has been allowed to define his own terms and develop his own reasoning.
Paul deserves to be heard on his own terms.
Conclusion
Christians rightly value theology, history, linguistic study, and the wisdom of the Church throughout the centuries.
These are important gifts.
But they remain servants of Scripture.
Before asking what Augustine says…
Before asking what Calvin says…
Before asking what a theological tradition concludes…
Before asking what modern scholarship argues…
Before asking how Paul’s teaching addresses modern debates…
Christians should first ask:
What is Paul saying?
God inspired Paul’s letters as carefully constructed arguments.
The first responsibility of Christian interpretation is therefore to follow those arguments, allowing Paul to define his own terms, develop his own reasoning, and reach his own conclusions before later theological systems are brought to bear.
Only then should his teaching be brought into conversation with the rest of Scripture, the history of Christian interpretation, and contemporary theology.
The goal of Christian interpretation is therefore not simply to read Paul’s letters faithfully, but to read them as Paul intended them to be read—following his argument, allowing him to explain himself, and permitting his inspired reasoning to shape our theology.
Paul should first be allowed to explain Paul.
Continue Exploring
This study has argued that Paul should first be allowed to explain Paul. But how do we actually put that principle into practice?
Paul’s letters are carefully constructed arguments. Rather than beginning with isolated verses or disputed words, the next study explores how following Paul’s line of reasoning—from beginning to end—often provides the clearest guide to understanding what he intended to communicate.
How Should We Follow Paul’s Argument? → Explore this study ←
Discover why one of the most important principles of biblical interpretation may be simply this: keep reading until the author has finished making his argument. → Explore this study ←