Colossians 1: the Son

The central message of the gospel is Jesus, the Son of God, the revelation of the Father.

15-18 We look at this Son and see the God who cannot be seen. We look at this Son and see God’s original purpose in everything created. For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, rank after rank after rank of angels—everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him. He was there before any of it came into existence and holds it all together right up to this moment. And when it comes to the church, he organizes and holds it together, like a head does a body.

18-20 He was supreme in the beginning and—leading the resurrection parade—he is supreme in the end. From beginning to end he’s there, towering far above everything, everyone. So spacious is he, so expansive, that everything of God finds its proper place in him without crowding. Not only that, but all the broken and dislocated pieces of the universe—people and things, animals and atoms—get properly fixed and fit together in vibrant harmonies, all because of his death, his blood that poured down from the cross.

Jesus is the Alpha and Omega. I was created by Him (alpha) and for Him (omega). Through his death, I am reconciled with the Lord. Through his resurrection, I have a new life. 
Paul wasn't the missionary who planted the Colossian church, but he wants that the church looks to Jesus because this is what will keep them from a misleading message that was going into there.

Philippians 4: I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

Paul is in jail, in his house at Rome. He thanked the Philippians because they sent him a financial aid. However, he wrote::

11 Not that I speak from need, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. 12 I know how to get along with little, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. 13 I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. 14 Nevertheless, you have done well to share with me in my difficulty.

Paul has joy even in the jail because the Lord strengthens him. I remember that I decided that I had to have my own business. I remember that I was very sad because I didn't manage to create a business to me. I had many other targets that I didn't achieve. Paul knew that the Lord was in control of everything, even to his moments in prison. Paul had joy and commanded the Philippians to have joy:

4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! 5 Let your gentle spirit be known to all people. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and pleading with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Blessed is the one who surrenders to the Lord.

Philippians 3: what are you proud about?

Paul used to be proud about his lineage, education, and specially, his devotion in following the Torah.
The citizens of Philippi had advantages such as being considered Romans to the point of not paying taxes. A good Roman would declare that "Caesar is Lord!"
A Christian is proud of not what he does, but of what he received: justification by faith, made holy by faith.
A Christian is citizen of Heaven, and a Christian declares that "Jesus is Lord!".
A Christian is one who is the process of being transformed to the image do Jesus, to the point of resurrect from the dead:

10-11 I gave up all that inferior stuff so I could know Christ personally, experience his resurrection power, be a partner in his suffering, and go all the way with him to death itself. If there was any way to get in on the resurrection from the dead, I wanted to do it.

Philippians 2: Power - corruption vs holiness

 Philippians 2: Power - corruption vs holiness

Lord Acton wrote in 1887: "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely". When man has power, he tends to use in his own favour - man is evil and do everything to keep in power; however, the Lord has power, and He uses in a very different way. Paul wrote about Jesus:

5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, as He already existed in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 therefore emptied Himself by taking the form of a bond-servant and being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death: death on a cross. 9 For this reason also God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Jesus is our great king and our great model. He decided to abandon the power, to become weak (as a human) and serve us, sinners, instead of doing what every man does - use the power in his own benefit. We, Christians, should use the gifts of the Lord to serve others instead of serving ourselves. Imagine a world full of Christians: a very good place to live in.

Philippians 1: Prison

Paul was in jailed in Rome. Timothy was with him, in his house. Paul was missionary that loved the churches that he planted. Perhaps, I would ask to myself: "What would the Philippians would think of him? Would they be ashamed of Paul? Would they understand that the Lord was in control of everything?"; but Paul was much more focused on preaching the gospel, even in prison:

12 Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel, 13 so that my imprisonment in the cause of Christ has become well known throughout the praetorian guard and to everyone else, 14 and that most of the brothers and sisters, trusting in the Lord because of my imprisonment, have far more courage to speak the word of God without fear. 15 Some, to be sure, are preaching Christ even from envy and strife, but some also from goodwill; 16 the latter do it out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel; 17 the former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition rather than from pure motives, thinking that they are causing me distress in my imprisonment. 18 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in this I rejoice.

Paul was also focused on the Philippians. 

9-11 So this is my prayer: that your love will flourish and that you will not only love much but well. Learn to love appropriately. You need to use your head and test your feelings so that your love is sincere and intelligent, not sentimental gush. Live a lover’s life, circumspect and exemplary, a life Jesus will be proud of: bountiful in fruits from the soul, making Jesus Christ attractive to all, getting everyone involved in the glory and praise of God.

Paul wanted to see Jesus more and more in the Philippians, he prayed for them to grow in love.

Romans 16: Greetings to the Jews and gentiles

Paul sends greetings to Jews (Herodion, Andronicus and Junias) and many gentiles as for instance Phoebe, from the church at Cenchrea - a port in Corinth. Probably, Paul was writing the letter from Corinth and sent it to the Romans by Phoebe; thus Phoebe had to be welcomed in a house in Rome. Paul asked the church to treat her well.
There were others with Paul, including Jews such as Jason and Sosipater.


17-18 One final word of counsel, friends. Keep a sharp eye out for those who take bits and pieces of the teaching that you learned and then use them to make trouble. Give these people a wide berth. They have no intention of living for our Master Christ. They’re only in this for what they can get out of it, and aren’t above using pious sweet talk to dupe unsuspecting innocents.

The purpose of the disciples of Jesus is to live for the Master, but there were people using pious sweet talk to be accepted as Christians while in fact they were there to take advantage of the church. Paul said to avoid them. It is difficult to imagine such council being given today in a pulpit.

25-26 All of our praise rises to the One who is strong enough to make you strong, exactly as preached in Jesus Christ, precisely as revealed in the mystery kept secret for so long but now an open book through the prophetic Scriptures. All the nations of the world can now know the truth and be brought into obedient belief, carrying out the orders of God, who got all this started, down to the final detail.

Paul knew all the Old Testament, but now, through Jesus the Old Testament was fulfilled, opening the blessings of the Lord to all nations.

Romans 15: Jesus came to Israel, blessing the gentiles.

In Romans 15, the Apostle Paul delivers a powerful climax to his letter, demonstrating that the profound theology he spent chapters building must ultimately bear fruit in mutual love, cultural reconciliation, and practical generosity.

The chapter opens with a direct appeal to the liberated and strong in faith—primarily the Gentile believers—urging them to actively support their over-scrupulous Jewish brothers. Paul writes that the strong must not live to please themselves; instead, they are called to "bear" or literally carry the heavy burdens and weaknesses of the fragile in faith. This is not a call for mere, passive tolerance, but for an active, self-giving love. The ultimate blueprint for this humility is Jesus Christ Himself, who did not seek His own comfort but emptied Himself to serve others.

To ground this unity, Paul turns to the historical and theological roots of the Gospel in verses 8 and 9. He reminds the Gentile believers that Jesus came as a servant to the Jewish people (the "circumcision"). This was not an afterthought; Christ came to Israel to demonstrate the absolute truth and fidelity of God, actively fulfilling and confirming the covenant promises made to the ancient patriarchs—Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Crucially, Paul explains that it is precisely because of this faithfulness to Israel that the floodgates of grace were opened to the rest of the world. The Gentiles do not receive a separate, independent blessing; rather, they are blessed as a direct result of God keeping His promise to the Jews. By witnessing God’s unwavering loyalty to His covenant people, the Gentiles are brought in to "glorify God for His mercy," joining their voices with Israel as one single, united choir.

Finally, Paul shows that this spiritual unity must take on a tangible, physical form. At the time of writing, he is on his way to Jerusalem to deliver a financial relief offering collected from the Gentile churches in Macedonia and Achaia. This was not a casual act of charity, but a deeply symbolic gesture of honor and debt. Paul reasons that since the Gentiles had shared in the spiritual blessings of the Jewish people, it was only fitting that they minister to them in their physical and material need. This collection served as a beautiful, concrete proof of the Gentiles' love for Israel, weaving together the strong and the weak, the rich and the poor, into one inseparable family under the lordship of Christ.

Romans 14: Jews and gentiles in the church of Rome

Christian Jews in Rome avoided certain foods and considered certain days as sacred (Shabbath). Gentile gentiles thought differently: foods and days are not important, faith in Jesus is important. Jews saw the gentiles as free from scruples while gentiles saw Jews as over-scrupulous.
The church must have the same thought in what is essential (Jesus is the Messiah, Son of God); each member is free on what is not essential (food and days), however one must love each other. It means that a gentile should not eat certain foods in the presence of his Jewish brother. 

Romans 13: The believer and the government

The Messiah was crucified by Rome, the government. The Lord was in control, even when the Messiah was crucified. The believer must be a good citizen and pay his taxes because the Lord is in control even of the kingdoms of this earth. The believer is called to love, to serve his family and his people. If the believer loves his neighbor , he will not have sex with his wife, he will not rob, etc. He will obey the commandments because he loves.

Romans 12: Sacrifice

 Romans 12: Sacrifice

We are saved by the sacrifice of Jesus therefore, Paul says (MSG):

1-2 So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering/sacrifice. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

May the marvelous grace of the Lord move in us so that we become glad in sacrifice our lives to the Lord. The Lord doesn't call us to take guns and make a revolution; however, there is a revolution that begins inside us. Imagine Paul preaching this to the church in Rome. In Nero's time, Paul and Peter were killed, however, the revolution continued and changed the world. 

Romans 11: Israel and Jesus, again

Would the Lord break his promises to Israel? Would the Lord forget Israel and create a new nation from the gentiles?
Although many Jews had rejected Jesus, the Lord can't break his promises to Israel; surely there were a remnant that believed in Jesus as the Messiah, that were saved by faith. Not only the remmant, but the Jews will be saved in greater numbers:

25 For I do not want you, brothers and sisters, to be uninformed of this mystery—so that you will not be wise in your own estimation—that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; 26 and so all Israel will be saved;

Paul argues that the gentiles should not be arrogant, as if they Lord preferred them but not the Jews. He reminds that everything is under the Lord's control.

Romans 10: Israel and Jesus:

Paul continues to argue why the Jews are rejecting Jesus as the Messiah, while the gentiles are accepting.
Although the Jews/Israel have zeal in obeying the Law, they are trying to get salvation instead of trusting on the Lord who gives salvation.


9-10 It’s the word of faith that welcomes God to go to work and set things right for us. This is the core of our preaching. Say the welcoming word to God—“Jesus is my Master”—embracing, body and soul, God’s work of doing in us what he did in raising Jesus from the dead. That’s it. You’re not “doing” anything; you’re simply calling out to God, trusting him to do it for you. That’s salvation. With your whole being you embrace God setting things right, and then you say it, right out loud: “God has set everything right between him and me!”

For me, it is very interesting that Paul uses the word "Israel" to talk about the Jews as in:

21 But as for Israel, He says, “I have spread out My hands all day long to a disobedient and obstinate people.”

In the church that I am attending now, they see the estate of Israel as different from the eschatological Israel. To my understanding, in my church they see the believers in Jesus as the Israel. The question is: how would Paul see the estate of Israel, the military power that we see today? Would Paul think of them as Israel in the same meaning of verse 21? If by Israel we would mean the Jews, then the estate of Israel is not composed of only Jews. Anyway, Paul is sad because Israel rejected the Messiah, but he sees it as a fulfillment of the prophecies.
 

Romans 9: Jews and Jesus

The gospel were spreading much more among the gentiles while many Jews were rejecting it. The Messiah was expected by the Jews and not by gentiles, so how come the message "Jesus is the Messiah" was so much rejected among the Jews? The Jews were descendants of Abraham while the gentiles were not chosen by the Lord. The Jews had Moses and the prophets while the gentiles have no revelation. So what was happening? Paul argues that the Lord chooses and rejects whoever he wants and Paul argues that, although the Jews were physically descendants of Abraham, they didn't trust in the Lord, they trusted on their works.
The Lord is really the lord of all universe and of all history. Paul argues that what was happening was predicted by Isaiah:

Careful! I’ve put a huge stone on the road to Mount Zion,
    a stone you can’t get around.
But the stone is me! If you’re looking for me,
    you’ll find me on the way, not in the way.

Romans 8: Trust in Jesus and get a new life powered by the Spirit

The trust/faith in Jesus set us free from the power of the flesh. It leads us to a new life powered by the Spirit. The Spirit makes us:
. please the Lord v5
. bring life and peace v6
. belong to Christ
. resurrect in a new body v11
. understand that we are children of God
. cry Aba, Father!

We read:
12 Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. 13 For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.

As we belong to Christ, we have an obligation to live by the Spirit, to put to death the misdeeds of the body.

Romans 7: the Law is powerless

The church in Rome was divided in gentiles and Jews. The Jewish Tradition always gave a great importance to the Law, to the Torah; but what is the importance of the Torah in the gospel? For the Jews, the Law was good and it is crucial to obey the Law. Paul argues that although the Law is good, gentiles and Jews can't really obey the Law. Our human nature is so strong that it enslaves us. Paul writes in first person to illustrate that he too can't fight against his human nature, but he writes:

25 The answer, thank God, is that Jesus Christ can and does. He acted to set things right in this life of contradictions where I want to serve God with all my heart and mind, but am pulled by the influence of sin to do something totally different.

The Law is powerless, it can´t enable no one to obey it, but Jesus can. Thus, thank God that Jesus not only save us from our former sins but He changes our lives, breaking the power of sin that is in us.

Romans 6: united with Jesus

The believer is united with Jesus in his death and resurrection. When a Christian believes in Jesus as his Messiah, his king, his representative, he leaves the Adam (sinful) way of life, in fact, he considers his Adam sinful nature nailed on the cross with Jesus and he begins to live (resurrects) to a new life where he is slave of God and no more slave of sin. That means that the believer has power from the Lord to say "no" to temptations.

Romans 5: Peace with the Lord

What do I want more? Money? status? I am retired. Death is coming. I want to be in peace with the Lord. Sometimes I remember things that I shouldn't have done; however I trust that my sins were forgiven through Jesus. How could Jesus have died for a sinner? When I understand that the Lord has been so gracious to me, I not only become glad but also look forward to be changed in a person who loves and pleases the Lord. As we read:

1 So now, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith in his promises, we can have real peace with him because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. 2 For because of our faith, he has brought us into this place of highest privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to actually becoming all that God has had in mind for us to be.

Romans 4: father Abraham

In Romans 3 Paul states that we are saved by faith; however, the Jews would doubt it claiming that we are declared just before the Lord by obeying the Torah. 

Paul goes to Genesis in the Torah and points to Abraham. He was declared just before the Lord because he trusted in Him, he trusted in his promises. This happened before the circumcision. Thus, Abraham is the father of those who trust in the Lord and not only those who were circumcised.

In this way, the church in Rome gathers Jews and gentiles as the people of the Lord.

Romans 3: Just before the Lord

Jews and gentiles are sinners. The Law (Torah) was kept by the Jews, but the Law didn't give power for the Jews to keep away from sin.
The crucifixion of Jesus is the price (paid by the Lord) for taking away the sins of whoever trusts on Jesus as the Messiah. Paul wrote:

21-24 But in our time something new has been added. What Moses and the prophets witnessed to all those years has happened. The God-setting-things-right that we read about has become Jesus-setting-things-right for us. And not only for us, but for everyone who believes in him. For there is no difference between us and them in this. Since we’ve compiled this long and sorry record as sinners (both us and them) and proved that we are utterly incapable of living the glorious lives God wills for us, God did it for us. Out of sheer generosity he put us in right standing with himself. A pure gift. He got us out of the mess we’re in and restored us to where he always wanted us to be. And he did it by means of Jesus Christ.

Romans 2 , Hypocrisy

While Romans 1 addresses the gentiles, Romans 2 addresses the Jews. They were feeling superior because they knew the Law, but Paul asks if they obey the Law, such as circumcision.


25-29 Circumcision, the surgical ritual that marks you as a Jew, is great if you live in accord with God’s law. But if you don’t, it’s worse than not being circumcised. The reverse is also true: The uncircumcised who keep God’s ways are as good as the circumcised—in fact, better. Better to keep God’s law uncircumcised than break it circumcised. Don’t you see: It’s not the cut of a knife that makes a Jew. You become a Jew by who you are. It’s the mark of God on your heart, not of a knife on your skin, that makes a Jew. And recognition comes from God, not legalistic critics.

Transposing to our days, if a person is baptized in a church, but doesn't live according to God's ways, is sinning and will be judged by their acts as in:

5-8 You’re not getting by with anything. Every refusal and avoidance of God adds fuel to the fire. The day is coming when it’s going to blaze hot and high, God’s fiery and righteous judgment. Make no mistake: In the end you get what’s coming to you—Real Life for those who work on God’s side, but to those who insist on getting their own way and take the path of least resistance, Fire!