This
is the only personal item I have from R.C. Sproul: an autographed cap from the
Legacy Club where he and Hank Hanegraaff played golf. I'm not a golfer myself,
but I will treasure it forever!
I
realize there’s no need to add my meager voice to the overwhelming tributes to
Dr. Sproul by so many friends, pastors, and theologians, but as I
pondered his passing last Thursday, an overflow of gratitude welled up that I
had to put into words.
One
of my most profound memories of Dr. Sproul was when he came to the studios of
the Christian Research Institute in September of 2007. He was scheduled to do
two broadcasts and I was very excited. I remember him coming through the front
door with Vesta as I sat at my desk in the windowed control room. I watched as
Hank came down and greeted them and led them down the hall to his office. About
an hour later they came into the studio and I watched him through the glass as we
tested his microphone before we went on air. In God’s providence, however, I
never got the chance to shake his hand and officially meet him because I had to
leave work early that night.
Back
then I had no idea the incredible impact R.C. would have on my life. Of course
I had heard of him and Ligonier Ministries, but in the ensuing years I got to
“know” him through his books and teaching, just as countless others had done
before me. Although I didn’t experience the blessing of knowing him personally,
I grew to love this man like a second father: his gravelly voice, his beaming
smile, his captivating teaching, his clear writing style, and his passion for
the things of God. He was infectious. Even my kids enjoy listening to him. I
longed to just sit at his feet and learn.
I
remember especially in the summer of 2010, when I was wrestling with the
doctrines of grace and trying to understand the relationship between human
responsibility and the sovereignty of God. Where did I go? I turned to R.C. for
the answers. I devoured his books and lectures, and I also read the works of
theologians he recommended like Luther, Calvin, and Edwards. It took several
years to unlearn what I had been taught most of my life. It was a radical
transformation from Pentecostal to Presbyterian, but R.C. helped me understand
that I had to believe what Scripture actually taught, not what I wanted it to
teach. Through Dr. Sproul’s ministry I learned that God was absolutely
sovereign over ever particle of dust in the universe; there were no maverick
molecules. I learned that God had chosen me for salvation before the foundation
of the world. And I learned that God was unimaginably holy, so His mercy in
saving a wretch like me was nothing short of a divine miracle.
Without
a doubt, R.C. Sproul is my favorite teacher, and in my humble opinion, he was
the greatest theologian of our time. He was an absolutely brilliant man with an
encyclopedic knowledge of the Scriptures and church history, but what made R.C.
so effective was his unique ability to take complex theological doctrines and
philosophical concepts, and make them understandable to guys like me. He was
one of those rare men that the Lord gifted with the capacity to mine the deep
treasures of Scripture and bring them to the surface in a way that everyone in the body of Christ could access. I can’t even begin to count the ways R.C. has
shaped my understanding of theology. When I was a child all I ever wanted was to
be a professional musician when I grew up. Now that I’ve grown up, I want to be
a theologian, like R.C. My life has been forever changed by his ministry.
Like
a modern-day Luther, the legacy he has left us will endure for generations.
R.C. spent his life teaching, preaching, and defending the gospel of Jesus
Christ. In a word, he lived for the glory of God. He finished his course, he
kept the faith. Let his life be a testimony to us all, that time is precious; therefore,
we must live every moment with eternity in view. While we mourn our loss, we
know that R.C. will never mourn again, for he now beholds, face to face, the glorious
refulgence of the thrice holy God.
And
I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God
is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God
himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their
eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying,
nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” Rev. 21:3-4
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