I urge you

This coming Sunday we're starting a new teaching series looking at some of the passages in the New Testament letters which contain the phrase, 'I urge you...'.

Are these commandments? Or are they just good advice - a helpful tip in life? Can you take it or leave it?

We're starting with Paul's phrase in Romans 12:1-2.

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

In this series we're going to be dotting around from one letter to another. And it is important to remember that what we are reading are letters from a real person, to real people, in a real context. As always, when it comes to applying the Bible, we need to be able to answer the 'what did it mean then?' question before we can start to think about the 'what does it mean now?' question. A part of this process involves trying to find out as much as possible about the context into which the letter is being written.

This week, we're looking at a verse from the letter to the Romans. By way of introduction here are The Bible Project's videos on Romans.