Struggling with Paul

I started reading the Bible this year, beginning with the New Testament. I read through the Gospels and I was blown away. The message felt so beautiful it almost brought me to tears. I’d read in the morning and carry a sense of calm, love, and peace throughout the day, thinking about how God’s desire seemed to be for us to love one another and do right by one another.

However, I've gotten through Acts and into Romans, and the tone feels completely different. The emphasis on doing good and caring for others seems overshadowed by a total focus on the death and resurrection of Jesus. It almost feels like I’m being pushed to worship the life of Jesus rather than actually following His example and living His teachings.

I've searched for answers online, and it’s like if I notice possible contradictions or differences in tone between Jesus and Paul, I’m either supposed to just accept Paul outright or give up on being a Christian. I'm confused by Paul’s focus on sex and circumcision, and I’m not sure how to reconcile his emphasis on grace and faith with Jesus’s emphasis on righteous living. It seems that if Jesus speaks in parables, then Paul’s writes in riddles.

I won’t go into an list of every single thing I do not understand, because I suspect many Christians are already familiar with this kind of struggle. So here I am, asking for your help:

• Is it common for believers to wrestle with Paul’s teachings?
• Are there denominational differences in how Paul’s epistles are interpreted?
• How do I keep the beautiful, loving spirit I found in the Gospels alive when I feel Paul’s message is overshadowing it?

I really do want to keep learning, so thank you to anyone who takes the time to respond.