Are the books of the New Testament always in the same order in ancient copies?
No. Ancient New Testament copies do not always preserve the same order. The four Gospels and the epistles of Peter and John may appear in different sequences. However, Paul's epistles are consistently found in every available New Testament copy and always in the same order we have today.
Les explains that the books of the New Testament are sometimes in various copies of antiquity in different order. Not every New Testament in libraries across the world is always Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Even the four Gospels may be mixed up, and the same is true with the little epistles of Peter and John. They are not always in that order. But every one of Paul's epistles is always in every copy of the New Testament that is available, and Paul's epistles are always in the same order we have them today. Les says this shows the Holy Spirit was in total control when the men who met approximately A.D. 350 put the canon of Scripture together and formulated our New Testament. He adds that God has particularly brooded over these Pauline epistles because they are the ones appropriate for us today.