Are Paul's letters a progressive revelation in themselves like the Bible is?
Yes. Paul's letters are a progressive revelation in themselves, just as the Bible as a whole is. They begin simply and move upward, finally reaching deep spiritual truths that the carnal believer cannot comprehend. This pattern mirrors Scripture's own unfolding from Genesis onward, where truths hidden earlier are later revealed.
Les explains that Paul's writings are a progressive revelation in themselves, just like the Bible is on the whole. From Genesis all the way through Scripture, there is a constant progressive revelation of things not revealed before but now made known. Paul's letters work the same way: he works from a simple beginning, comes on up, and finally ends with those deep spiritual things that the carnal believer cannot comprehend. In the immediate context, Paul is still showing a difference between Jew and Gentile, and those Jews and Gentiles who were members of the Body of Christ. Les also notes Paul's overriding thought: he could never get lost people off his mind, people for whom Christ had already paid their sin debt, people for whom the blood of Christ had been shed, people whose lives were ready to be ransomed by His resurrection from the dead.