Why are Romans and the Corinthian letters placed where they are in the New Testament even though they were written later?
The Holy Spirit placed Romans and the Corinthian letters up front, even though they were written later, because Romans first declares the basic doctrines of Paul’s Gospel, while the Corinthian letters correct and reprove practical problems. Those problems included divisions, party loyalties to Peter, Apollos, or Christ, and required Paul to defend his apostleship.
Les explains that he could see why the Holy Spirit put the Corinthian letters where they are, and why Romans is where it is, even though they were written later: they are up front because Paul first declares the basic doctrines of his Gospel in Romans. Then in the Corinthian letters he had to correct and reprove them for many other problems—not the legalism of the Galatians, but divisions. Some said they followed Peter, others Christ or Jesus in His earthly ministry, some Apollos, and some were true to Paul. In correcting these things, Paul had to defend his apostleship. Les also stresses that Paul’s writings are often ignored, and paraphrases an Ivy League president from the latter 1800s: it is either back to the doctrines of Paul or on to an apostasy.