The Basics

The Basics 
    by Gene Cunningham 

The fundamental principles which under lie any course of study are called simply “the basics.” The basics are the nuts and bolts. They are the essentials, the things we must master before we can become proficient in any particular field. But the basics are also the things to which we must return when we lose our bearings. They are the bedrock, apart from which we have no hope of standing. 

 

As new believers, we learn the basic principles: the love of God, the destructiveness of sin, salvation by faith, the authority of the Word, and the sufficiency of grace. We begin to practice the basic exercises: confession, prayer, study, and service. As we mature, we come to realize that proficiency, skill in living the Christian life, is not a matter of moving beyond the basics, but is a matter of delving more deeply into them. We will never outgrow our need for confession or prayer or service; in fact, growth intensifies our need for and our pleasure in these things. And even though we learn more promises, more principles, more doctrines every day, we will never plumb the depths of even the most basic truths of God’s Word.