“No one gave me a greater sense of the glory of God than R.C. Sproul”
I was first exposed to the ministry of R.C. Sproul, over 20 years ago. He had a different style than the preachers I was used to listening to on the radio. I could tell he was not speaking behind a pulpit but behind a lectern. His words were not directed towards the pew but towards the classroom. He used theological terms that were repeated, defined and spelled out in chalk. No other radio program I knew of regularly featured the scratch of a chalkboard. I was back in school again.
It took me a few programs to get used to the format but once I did, I was riveted. I would schedule my lunch breaks around the “Renewing Your Mind” broadcast and search for the program on the road away from home. He didn’t have to raise his voice or bang on a podium to get my attention. He spoke with such conviction that even a whisper communicated deep passion for God.
He spoke of God’s holiness in a way that made me tremble. He taught Church History in a way that made departed saints my old friends. He introduced the Reformation in a way that drew me on to the battlefield for the gospel. He opened the Scriptures in a way that swept away confusion and brought clarity. He explained Systematic Theology in a way that filled me with love for the God who revealed truth. No one gave me a greater sense of the glory of God than R.C. Sproul.
I remember being so overwhelmed by a series that He taught on the glory of God, that it felt as if I would fly away into the presence of God. When I shared this story with R.C., he said, “Don’t stop. Fly! Fly!” On Thursday, December 14, 2017 it was R.C. Sproul, who flew into the presence of God.
I join with hundreds of thousands of Christians across the globe who mourn the death of a man, who was undoubtedly the face of Reformed Theology for the last few decades. I once heard R.C. Sproul say that the death of his friend and co-laborer James Montgomery Boice, was a judgment on evangelicalism. I wonder if the same can be said about his own passing. We haven’t just lost a soldier; we’ve lost a General.
“Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.” (Psalm 116:15)
In Christ Alone,
George Lawson
Praying for the family of R.C. Sproul, Ligonier Ministries and the thousands of people who have lost a clear voice and a faithful leader.
