Colossians 2:12-14 may on the surface look similar to other passages where Paul speaks about baptism. An example of a similar passage is Rom. 6:4-6

By our baptism, then, we were buried with him and shared his death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from death by the glorious power of the Father, so also we might live a new life. For since we have become one with him in dying as he did, in the same way we shall be one with him by being raised to life as he was. And we know that our old being has been put to death with Christ on his cross, in order that the power of the sinful self might be destroyed, so that we should no longer be the slaves of sin. (Rom. 6:4-6, GNB)

In Colossians 1:24-28 Paul posits the thesis of the letter: the gospel as the revelation of the mystery that is Christ. Below is an illustration of how the passage connects with the rest of the letter.

The gospel that Paul preaches is the mystery hidden in the past but now made known. It is proclaimed that all men may become "mature" teleioV in Christ. By that gospel too Paul rejoices inspite of his sufferings because he undergoes them in union with Christ and His Church.

Right at the beginning of his letter to the Ephesians, Paul explodes with a blessing, a berakah, to God who, he writes "has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in the heavens in Christ." (v. 3). These spiritual blessings he enumerates throughout this long explosion of grateful joy:

• being chosen ("us") to be holy and blameless before Him (v.4)
• being predestined to be God's children through Christ (v.5-6a)
• being graced by God in Christ (His Beloved) in the redemption through His blood (6b-8)
• having received the revelation of His plan of salvation: to recapitulate all things in Christ (vv.9-10)
• that the Jews were privileged to be the first to have hoped in Christ (vv. 11-12)
• that the Gentiles (the Ephesians in particular) have received the Gospel and been sealed by the Holy Spirit (vv. 13-14)

2 Cor. 8:7,9:13-15 derives from a section in 2 Corinthians where Paul reminds the Corinthian community to be generous in their yearly contribution to the mother Church in Jerusalem (2 Cor. 8-9). In this section we find the theological bases for collections shared among the Churches. 2 Cor. 8-9 can be divided thus:

Jesus Christ is the great High Priest, the mediator of the New Covenant. By His death and resurrection, the economy of salvation which the earthly Jerusalem's temple, priesthood and sacrifices pointed to has been brought to perfection. This is the main thesis of the letter to the Hebrews. Hebrews 10:4-10 is part of a demonstration that shows how the temple sacrifices, incapable by themselves to sanctify, has now been replaced by the more perfect sacrifice of Christ, the High Priest.

Romans 8:31-39 is the concluding synthesis of the arguments given by Paul in the preceding sections beginning Rom. 3:21.

If God is for us, who can be against us...?

All the arguments set forth so far have shown how God has been working out a way out for man who's very existence has been placed under the wrath of God. The way out is provided by God Himself: in handing over His Son, letting His grace fill the Christian's existence, through the gift of justification thanks to Christ, who died, was raised from the death and now intercedes at the right hand of God. By all these actions, God shows how great and indomitable His love is (v. 39).

Romans 16:25-27 The Doxology of Romans

The fact that this section of the letter to the Romans appears differently in the manuscript tradition has encouraged the view that it is not from Paul. In some manuscripts, it appears after 14:23, while in others it is omitted altogether. However, whether by Paul or not, it is still a fitting ending to the letter to the Romans.

Second, in the Greek, this doxology is just one long sentence. Our modern translations have tried to break it down to smaller sentences so as to make it easier to understand. A literal translation that shows the sentence structure of Romans 16:25-27 can be rendered in the following manner: (Click on the image to enlarge)

The verb "Rejoice" (in the imperative, second person plural) is the leitmotif of "Gaudete Sunday." The rejoicing that is alluded to here is the rejoicing proper to those on whose behalf God has done his mighty work of salvation. The prophets use the verb as characteristic of those who rejoice on the Day of the Lord's vindication.

Hebrews 2:16 "Surely He did not help angels but rather the descendants of Abraham."

This passage may at first glance be understood as showing that given a choice, the Lord, preferred to save the descendants of Abraham and not the angels. The passage however does not talk about a decision made in favor of one group over the other. Rather, the statement reiterates a central truth about the plan of salvation already mentioned in verse 14 and further elaborated in verses 17-18: that the Lord liberated humanity from death and is able to help them even now because he made himself one with them.