The fundamental principles, which underlie any course of study, are called simply "the basics." The basics are the ABC's, 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, the sufficiency of grace. We begin to practice the basic exercises: confession, prayer, study, services.

 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, and more doctrines every day, we will never plumb the depths of even the most basic truths of God's Word.

The more we grow in the grace and knowledge of God, the less impressed we will be with ourselves and the more impressed we will become with the Lord Jesus Christ, "in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (Col. 2:3).

As a minister of the gospel, my goal in teaching the Basics series is lead fellow believers into a more intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. My prayer is that this study will be used by God to encourage others to study with renewed enthusiasm and diligence the written Word, through which alone we can come to know the Living Word, the Lord Jesus Christ.