In his letter to the reader of An Exposition of the Apostles’ Creed (originally in Latin, 1576), Caspar Olevianus addresses specifically “the youth who are zealous for true piety.” Near the beginning, he recalls a certain writer who encouraged him to study and teach the Scriptures:

There is nothing more excellent, he said, than to teach people about God, the creation of the human race, the fall into sin, reconciliation and restoration through the Son of God (the promised seed of the woman who will bruise the head of the serpent), etc.

I find my own experience in the classroom to confirm this deep sense of importance, of excellence, in the privilege of leading young people to see and rejoice in the arc of covenantal history that culminates in the work of Lord Jesus Christ for us and for our salvation.

There is “nothing more excellent,” and there is also nothing more urgent and needful. As Olevianus goes on to say,

Without knowledge of such things, people live more miserably than brute beasts.

I find here a distillation of my calling and delight. May God bless this semester at Erskine College.

Bibliography

Olevianus, Caspar. An Exposition of the Apostles’ Creed. Translated by Lyle D. Bierma. Classic Reformed Theology 2. Grand Rapids: Reformation Heritage, 2009. WTS Books.