“Wherefore I shall be ready always to put you in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and are established in the truth which is with you,” (2 Pet. 1:12).
Even though we have been taught, and even though we may know all the basic components of the gospel, there is an ongoing need to be reminded, reinforced, re-established in our beliefs. We never get to the point where we “move on” in the sense that we get away from the foundation, and a profound respect for the fundamentals of the faith.
When the Hebrew writer urged his readers not to “lay again a foundation” of repentance, faith, etc., in Heb. 6:1ff, he was directing them toward spiritual maturity. There is a need to “grow unto salvation,”(1 Pet. 2:2) rather than stalling or bogging down in our Christian development, never advancing beyond the rudiments of the faith. This is true even though we must never get off of our spiritual foundation, or come to think that we no longer need the basic truths of the word.
That is one reason why we have so many sermons and Bible lessons on first principles, and matters which may seem so elementary to older members. Our senior members understand this, in fact they are the ones who often request many of these sermons. They recognize the need to go back and re-emphasize these basic concepts again and again. It is sobering to realize that such recurring emphasis is desperately needed in the church today.
Another reason for such fundamental preaching and teaching is the fact that we have new Christians and many “spiritual babes” among us. “I love to tell the story, for some have never heard..” They have never heard a clear explanation of many basic Bible doctrines. Or, if they have heard it, they need a repeat, because they have not fully grasped it until now. The powerful realizations so beautifully set forth in the gospel are only now dawning upon many of them.
It has been said that the three laws of learning are repetition, repetition and repetition. How true that is, and how especially evident it becomes as we grow older. We need teachers who can slow down, repeat and re-emphasize in a memorable way, so that all can master the material. We need teachers who understand that even though this may seem like “old hat” to them, some of their students are only now “putting the pieces together” and beginning to see the big picture.
Peter commits to be “ready always” to do this. Ever prepared to go back and teach, to re-teach and remind. To put his readers “in remembrance of these things” even though they already know them. Paul said, “To write the same things to you, to me indeed is not irksome, but for you it is safe,” (Phil. 3:1). Safe. That’s what we all want to be. Paul did not get irritated or impatient having to go back and repeat, even to an established congregation like Philippi. He could have said, “I have already preached on that. I am not going to keep going back over it!” But he appreciated the need for repetition in learning, and the need for preaching again on the fundamentals.
Jude explained that he desired “to put you in remembrance, though ye know all things, once for all,” (Jude 5). By reminding them of certain facts which they had already heard and learned, he was organizing their thinking. He was assembling a convincing argument in their minds from information already there. He was helping them to “see the big picture” by pointing out basic components they already possessed. We all need the same assistance to fortify our faith, and to equip us to effectively use what we already have.
I hope you who are more mature will not be bored or frustrated with sermons on matters you have heard before. Or classes explaining verses you have already studied. I hope you will remember that each of us probably forgets far more than we have ever learned and retained! I have read many good books, and heard many sermons which stirred within me a seemingly fresh insight into a particular passage. But on closer reflection I found that I had notes in my Bible to that effect already, but had simply forgotten it. I need reminding and reinforcing, even about matters I have heard before. As John said, “I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it,” ( 1 Jn. 2:21). As we hear again lessons on fundamental Bible subjects, may we be receptive and appreciative of the simple power of God’s word. And in so doing, let us be “established in the truth which is with us.”
-by Robert C. Veil, Jr.
