Fulfilling The Basics
[By Trent Cross]

“Therefore as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and being built up in Him, and having been established in our faith- just as you were instructed- and abounding with thanksgiving” (Col. 2:6-7, LSB).

We have many foundational principles in our faith. They all aim to help us remain rooted and built up in Christ, ultimately pleasing and honoring God. As Christians we ought to know them and build upon them as we mature. That is what will be briefly touched upon in this article. This idea that we must “walk in Him” … We can know the Bible cover to cover, however, if we are not living the basics, we are not the kind of Christians we need to be. This serves as a reminder to us all that no matter how long one has been in the faith, we all need to be doers of the word.

No matter what it is that we are asked to do as Christians, simply put we need do it. I am always reminded of Noah when I think of this idea. The account of Noah can be found in Genesis starting in chapter 6. The earth had become “filled with evil men to the point where every intent of the thoughts of their hearts were evil continually.” We know that God would flood the earth because of this. Even though that would come to pass, Noah had found favor in the eyes of God. He was a righteous man and walked with God. In 2 Pet. 2:5, Noah is called “a preacher of righteousness.” Through words and actions, we see this carried out. This tells us that even prior to the flood, Noah was doing things that would please God. This is what we need to remember. Yes, we know the things that please God, but are we actually doing them? Are we doing them the way God wants us to? Noah did that and did it in a climate none of us have ever experienced. 

To reiterate, we have many principles to follow as Christians. We need to know them and live them. That is a foundational principle in our faith. To help us visualize this idea of not just knowing, but also doing, Jesus puts it this way: “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and does them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain descended, and the rivers came, and the winds blew and fell against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. And everyone hearing these words of Mine and not doing them, may be compared to a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell- and great was its fall” (Matt. 7:24-27, LSB).