The first rule for understanding any Pauline text – whether it’s a verse, a paragraph, a chapter or a whole letter! – is this: Take care to discover the main overall thrust. Don’t be distracted by important but secondary elements, however significant they appear in relation to all kinds of interesting theological discussions. Paul is well aware of what we might call the inner workings of his arguments, but he regularly draws together the threads of a paragraph or chapter in his opening and closing statements. That is where we should look first, to get our bearings.
