to terms both with the experienced realities themselves and with Paul’s understanding of them, as much as we can do that fairly and with integrity. Furthermore, since I believe that these texts are at the same time God’s word, which function as Scripture for the church, I understand my task as theologian to be both descriptive and normative. That is, the first task is the exegetical one, to describe as carefully as possible, Paul’s own understanding of life in the Spirit; but I am convinced that