Why are the New Testament books not in chronological order?
The New Testament books are not arranged chronologically; they are ordered as the Holy Spirit saw fit to place them for their doctrinal sequence. Romans is positioned first because it is the book of doctrine, followed by books such as Corinthians for reproof and Galatians for correction, so the arrangement serves doctrinal instruction.
Les teaches that the order as we now have it in the New Testament is not in the chronological order in which the books were written, but rather as the Holy Spirit saw fit to put them into our New Testament for their doctrinal sequence. He emphasizes that Romans is the absolute right epistle to be first and should be studied first, because Romans is the book that is profitable for doctrine. Then the next word, reproof, is Corinthians; correction is Galatians. He says this book has been intrinsically put together by the work of the Holy Spirit, not Jewish myths or stories concocted around a campfire. He notes he will not teach these other letters of Paul as verse by verse as he did Romans, but will look at them in the order in which they are now in the New Testament, which they feel is the order that should be read in study. They then look at the Corinthian letters as reproof.