Remembering R.C. Sproul, 1939–2017

[jv_coach]

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A consummate teacher, R.C. Sproul loved and lived for teaching doctrine to the laity. He had a deep sense of humor, with a ready supply of one-liners. Conversations with R.C. pivoted effortlessly from deep theological engagement to sports to golf (more than a sport) to jokes. He longed to see minds renewed, hearts transformed, and lives changed by the gospel. He had a remarkable gift to make things clear. He neither intimidated his audiences with technical jargon nor patronized them. He taught deep issues, issues of substance and weight, with clarity and a compelling urgency. He taught his homiletics students to find the drama in the text and then to preach the drama.

R.C. often recalled his first encounter with the God of the Bible. As a new Christian and a freshman in college, he devoured the Bible. One thing stood out from his reading: God is a God who plays for keeps. The Psalms, the story of Uzzah, 

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, Mary’s Magnificat, 

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, and, of course, Isaiah 6—the drama of these texts captivated R.C. from the moment he first read them.

R.C. taught us this: “God is holy, and we are not.” In between is the God-man Jesus Christ and His perfect work of obedience and His atoning death on the cross. That was the message and the legacy of R.C. Sproul (1939–2017).

 

[Kountzer]

Many times I was alone somewhere, usually driving a long distance, and the only thing to keep me company was listening to RC Sproul on the radio.