Spelunking scripture is a method of Bible study that involves exploring important passages of the Bible. But how do we identify which passages of the Bible are most important? For example, Paul wrote thirteen letters that are included in the New Testament. Not every passage in every letter is of equal importance. Some passages relate to specific circumstances in specific churches, while other passages have a universal application. Unfortunately, some commentators have missed that distinction. The result has been that Paul’s writings have been used to justify slavery, and subjugate women, and condemn persons of a different sexual orientation. The key to avoiding such misinterpretations is to distinguish between those passages which reflect cultural conditions and those passages which express God’s unconditional truth. “Slaves, obey your earthly masters” (Ephesians 6:5; Colossians 3:22) is a cultural condition. The gospel “is the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith” (Romans 1:16b), is universal truth. In my upcoming Bible study book, Spelunking Scripture – The Letters of Paul, I identify a dozen of the most important, universally applicable, passages from Paul’s epistles. They are:

• Not Ashamed of the Gospel (Romans 1:16-17)

• Sighs too Deep for Words (Romans 8:26-28)

• Nothing Can Separate Us (Romans 8:31-32, 35-38)

• Not Conformed, But Transformed (Romans 12:1-2)

• The Lord’s Supper (1 Corinthians 11:23-26)

• The Love Chapter (1 Corinthians 13:4-8, 13)

• We Do Not Lose Heart (2 Corinthians 4:16-18)

• All God’s Children (Galatians 3:26-28)

• Christian Freedom (Galatians 5:1, 13-14)

• Imitate Christ (Philippians 2:5-11)

• Clothe Yourselves with Love (Colossians 3:12-15)

• All Scripture is God-breathed (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

No doubt, other passages could be considered as among Paul’s most important. One criterion I used for selecting these important passages was how often I preached on those passages during my tenure as pastor of Village Baptist Church. I preached five different sermons on Romans 1:16-17, six sermons on Romans 8:26-28, four sermons on Romans 8:31-38, and five sermons on Romans 12:1-2. I preached multiple original sermons on those passages because I considered them to be among the most important in Paul’s letters.

The way the New Testament is arranged in another indication of which letters of Paul are most important. The letters of Paul are not arranged chronologically in the order in which they were written. Rather, Romans is the first letter in the Pauline corpus in the New Testament because it was the most theologically influential of his writings. 1 Corinthians follows Romans because it too was one of the most important of Paul’s letters. True, the Corinthian correspondence deals with specific cultural issues in the church in Corinth. But it also includes a universal presentation of the gospel message in 1 Corinthians 15, the institution of one of the most important rituals of the church (the Lord’s Supper) in 1 Corinthians 11, and the greatest ethic of the Christian life in 1 Corinthians 13.

Here’s an exercise for you to consider: what are the most important passages from Paul’s letters for you?