2 Peter 1:12 “So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have.”

Over the years the word “basic” has gotten a bad rap. If a car is “basic” transportation, it has no frills. It runs, and that is about it. There’s nothing very exciting about it.

When a person entering the army goes to “basic” training, he may dread the long, punishing days of hard, non-stop exercises. Almost everyone is glad when those weeks of basic training are over.

If you are trying to learn a new skill, and your coach or instructor is making you learn the “basics” first, then you might be slogging through monotonous musical scales or repetitious athletic drills. The goal is to be able to perform the required task in your sleep.

Basic is hardly ever exciting, or fun, or beautiful.

In the Christian faith, we also teach basics. We need to return to them, review them, and practice them regularly. In the case of God’s love for you in Christ, these basics are the loveliest and most precious part.

That’s why Christian preachers and teachers are not embarrassed to repeat them to us. In doing so, they are simply following the example of the Apostle Peter himself.

The people to whom Peter was writing had a solid understanding of the basic truths of sin and grace. They were “firmly established” in these things. They knew that God’s law was all about loving God and loving each other. They embraced the ten commandments as a general explanation of how this might be done. They realized they needed this summary of God’s will to see where they had stepped out of line and offended God.

Like you, they knew well the things that Jesus had done, especially how he had died and rose, and what that meant for their own forgiveness and eternal life.

But do you realize that, in having this, you have been given a key which opens up the whole Bible to you as well? On every page of Scripture God wants his word to reveal your sins more and more, so that more and more he can show you the depths of his forgiving grace. Then you will grow to know more fully how much he loves you.

I once had a key to the church that had become so worn over the years it barely turned in some of the locks. It almost stopped opening the door. Your pastor wants to remind you of the basics so that your ability to identify sin, and your grasp of God’s grace, doesn’t become dull and worn. It remains sharp and strong. That understanding will remain key which opens doors when you read and hear his word.