Lessons From R.C. Sproul
I recently finished the 2021 biography R.C. Sproul: A Life, by Stephen J. Nichols. While I had heard of Sproul from time to time in college, it wasn’t until around 2012 that I really met him. Like most of R.C’s pupils, it was through his 1985 bombshell The Holiness of God. I can still remember the overwhelming sense of God’s majesty, his infinite transcendence, his ineffable holiness that humbled me to tears while alone in my office. For about a year, my drive to seminary coincided with the Renewing Your Mind radio program. It was always a delight, and through that I was introduced to his overview of the entire Bible series: From Dust to Glory. I purchased the CDs and had them playing on repeat wherever I drove. He was a captivating teacher, both deep and wide, accessible and stretching.
My appreciation for him grew as my theology developed. I became a regular visitor to Ligoneir’s website. If ever R.C. was speaking at a conference or sitting on a panel (some of my favorite R.C. moments are moments on the panel) I tuned in. His extraordinary grasp of theological issues and their relevance, made his perspective invaluable on just about any topic. Additionally, his mode of communication, which was essentially extemporaneous, drawn from the deep well of theological reflection, never disappointed.
When he died in December 2017, I felt I had lost a friend. Many people did. I remember that day watching just about every clip of him I could find online. He was one of a kind. A generational gift to the church. So when his biography came out in 2021, I knew I would read it. The book revealed that I didn’t know half of his impact on the church in the 20th and 21st centuries.
Here are some takeaways I got from the read:
People need to encounter the holiness of God. “Big God theology” will never cease to be immediately relevant to the church. This was his life’s legacy: to spread a knowledge of the holiness of God wherever he went. While it’s true that the church needs biblical strategies, structures, methods, and ethics, these must all be driven by the glory and majesty of God. Sproul was effective because he always pointed people toward the nature and character of God.
Battles need to be fought. By the time I started paying attention to R.C. Sproul, he was in the last decade of his life. I had almost no knowledge of his contributions to the seminal battles of his generation. In the late 70s, he was the architect of the Chicago Statement of Biblical Inerrancy, which became a dividing line in evangelicalism. With evangelical scholarship increasingly dismissive of the idea of inerrancy, Sproul called a summit to address the issue and prepared the first draft of the statement. His work helped stem the tide toward liberalism and bolstered evangelicalism’s faith in the inerrant word.
In the 1990s, when some Christians were calling for evangelicals and Catholics to unite, Sproul rose up to defend the doctrine of justification by faith alone and imputation, even though some of his own friends were against him. He was a brave soldier in the Lord’s army, and his work is a reminder that there are battles worth fighting. R.C.’s life helped me consider, “What are the theological battles we need to fight today, for the sake of future generations?”
Precision matters. One thing that really annoyed R.C. was what he called “studied ambiguity.” “Studied ambiguity” is “being purposely vague so as to allow for an elastic interpretation or to allow for latitude on a particular doctrine or view.” The theological battles he encountered throughout his ministry were often because of the doors left open through this kind of elastic language. As a teacher and preacher of God’s truth, I am encouraged to seek precision, so as to close as many doors to error as possible.
Love your friends deeply. R.C. was a big man. Big personality. Big ministry. And that’s because of his big heart. He was a red-blooded man of passion - a passion for God and for people. And to be caught in the orbit of his love was a tremendous privilege.
Few men got closer to R.C. than Dr. James Montgomery Boice, a cobelligerent in the battle for the Bible in the inerrancy debate of the 70s and a fellow soldier in the justification debate of the 90s. When Boice was diagnosed with cancer in 2000, Sproul sent a handwritten letter to his friend. The whole thing is deeply moving. Here’s a section from the middle:
Before you leave us I want you to know something for sure, that I am confident that you already know to some degree. It is this: I love you deeply, Jim. I love you profoundly with a singular affection. When I heard of your illness it was as if a menacing giant grabbed my heart and tried to squeeze the life out of it. I was confused and frightened. I cried out, ‘Please God, not Jim - not my beloved Jimmy,’ I can’t take that.”
To do ministry is a tremendous privilege. To do ministry with those whom you have a “singular affection” is a glory many soldiers of the cross do not know. Sproul encouraged me to love my friends in the ministry more effusively.
Aim for the masses, not the academy. Sproul could have made a career in the academy, writing for scholarly journals and printing works on esoteric subjects. But after an early stint teaching Sunday school to ordinary laymen at his local church, he knew he couldn’t spend his life in the guild. His heart was for the people. His goal was to bring the historic Christian faith to the masses. His erudition did not make him inaccessible; his breadth of knowledge was matched only by his ability to teach. This love for ordinary people eventually led him to become a pastor of a local church.
Institutions endure. Sproul left behind three major institutions. The first one, for which he is most known, is Ligonier ministries. The second is Reformation Bible College, which he founded in the last decade of his life. The third is Saint Andrew’s Chapel, the church he planted in the early 2000s.
Humor is useful. I remember hearing someone say, “Though I’m more aligned theologically with Calvin, I’d rather study with Luther.” The point being that while Calvin was a studious and precise theologian, Luther was the kind of man you could enjoy a good laugh with. Like Luther before him, Sproul had a tremendous sense of humor that he used to draw people in and bring glory to God. Dr. Albert Mohler noted that if R.C. was at the speakers’ dinner before a conference, it would be far more enjoyable, with far more laughter and jokes. One time, R.C. literally once broke a rib laughing at one of Sinclair Ferguson’s stories.
R.C. felt compelled to shatter the idea that Reformed theology makes one cold, dry, and suspicious, and aimed to create a culture of good humor in his own church. I share Sproul’s sentiment here: cold orthodoxy is a travesty that pushes people away. Doctrine must sing! Let our theology make us humble and happy and quick to laugh!
He kept up with his hobbies. One key to his longevity was his commitment to his hobbies. He taught constantly, preached regularly, wrote incessantly, traveled to minister all over the country, and somehow kept up with Pittsburgh sports and always found time for a round of golf. When he got older, he took up painting and violin. He worked hard, and knew how to turn work off and enjoy a walk or a film or a concert. I am increasingly convinced of the necessity of these things in the minister’s life.
He loved his wife. He met Vesta in the first grade, married her after college, and was faithful to her to the end. They shared ballroom dancing as a hobby, and in one of their homes they built an extra room solely for the purpose of enjoying themselves on the floor. His first book was dedicated as follows:
TO VESTA
To the Romans, a pagan goddess
To me, a Godly wife
At one point his barber changed his hair, and it became the subject of every “Ask R.C.” submission. After a humorous response describing how all his friends reacted, he wrote, “But Vesta said, ‘I love it’...so it stays.” She was by his side through it all, right where R.C. wanted her. I cannot commend a man’s life if he has not loved his wife well, and R.C. inspired me to not grow as a theologian, pastor, and preacher, but as a husband, father, and family man.
I commend the book, especially to those who’ve benefited from his ministry. We are all more indebted to Dr. R.C. Sproul than we know, and may the Lord raise up another man like him for our generation.
