R.C. Sproul stands among the greatest theologians — alongside Augustine, Aquinas, Calvin, Turretin, Coxe, and Edwards.1 His theological precision and acumen, pastoral heart, and passion for the glory of the Triune Jehovah, the blessedness of the church, and the salvation of the lost are undeniable. Yet if you were to ask him, he would say his core legacy is Classical Theism. He was jealous for the church to know the true God, the ineffable Trinity: the Heavenly Father, the Precious Son, and the Eternal Spirit.

To glimpse Sproul's deep jealousy for God's honor — and to see how classical theism forms the bedrock of his theology — consider the following quotations from his works. First, observe how he concludes his discussion of God's incommunicable attributes in Everyone's a Theologian:

"God's incommunicable attributes point to the way in which God is different from us and the way in which He transcends us. His incommunicable attributes reveal why we owe Him glory, honor, and praise. We stand up and give accolades to people who excel for a moment and then are heard no more, yet the One who has the very power of being in and of Himself eternally, upon whom every one of us is absolutely dependent and to whom we owe our everlasting gratitude for breath of air that we take, does not receive the honor and glory from His creatures that He so richly deserves. The One who is supreme deserves the obedience and the worship of those whom He has made."2

Classical theism "sneaks" its way through Sproul's book on apologetics, subtly shaping his arguments and underlying assumptions:

"We agree with Aristotle that the universe has to have a first cause, and that that first cause has to be self-existent. We agree that the first cause's metaphysical grandeur can be neither improved upon nor depreciated. But we also assert — contrary to Aristotle — that that first cause is immanent in and with his creation, and therefore providentially governs events in time. Christians do not have to negotiate the truth of God's Word at this point, for both the Bible and God's revelation of himself in nature complementarily affirm this truth."3

Anyone who knows classical theism can easily identify God's aseity, simplicity, incomprehensibility, transcendence, pure actuality, and eternity from Sproul's words above. Indeed, he has left a legacy that will bring us to our knees and stand in awe of the Triune God's majesty, honor, and glory.

Sproul's statements articulate the core tenets of classical Christian theism: the agreement with philosophical reasoning on certain divine attributes while simultaneously asserting unique theological truths about God's relationship with creation. This approach is deeply rooted in the Christian tradition, which often incorporated and refined philosophical concepts in light of divine revelation.

Even God's sovereign choice in election flows from His self-sufficiency (aseity — from the Latin a se, meaning "from oneself" or "of himself"). He elected men to salvation unconditionally. To suggest otherwise is to make something outside Himself — namely, man's choice — the ultimate cause of His decree. But God depends on no one; in Him is the fullness of being, power, and authority. All things depend on Him.

"When we speak of divine sovereignty we are speaking about God's authority and about God's power. As sovereign, God is the supreme authority of heaven and earth. All other authority is lesser authority. Any other authority that exists in the universe is derived from and dependent upon God's authority. All other forms of authority exist either by God's command or by God's permission."4

We should not forget Sproul's book on the Holiness of God. Indeed, as Stephen Nichols remarked, God's holiness is an expression of classical theism:

"When we understand the character of God, when we grasp something of His holiness, then we begin to understand the radical character of our sin and hopelessness. Helpless sinners can survive only by grace. Our strength is futile in itself; we are spiritually impotent without the assistance of a merciful God. We may dislike giving our attention to God's wrath and justice, but until we incline ourselves to these aspects of God's nature, we will never appreciate what has been wrought for us by grace. Even Edwards's sermon on sinners in God's hands was not designed to stress the flames of hell. The resounding accent falls not on the fiery pit but on the hands of the God who holds us and rescues us from it. The hands of God are gracious hands. They alone have the power to rescue us from certain destruction."5

We cannot deny that this is R.C. Sproul's legacy: he saw classical theism as the thread running through church history — one that must be handed down to the next generation. Classical theism insists that the God knowable through philosophical reasoning is the same Triune God revealed in Scripture. Sproul upheld this truth, firmly believing that "all truth is God's truth."6

Let me share three discussions that highlight Classical Theism as R.C. Sproul's legacy for the church:

As a bonus, here's R.C. Sproul's classic lectures on the Holiness of God.

To the Triune God alone be the glory!

Footnotes

  1. As a Baptist, I include Nehemiah Coxe. ↩

  2. Sproul, R.C. Everyone's a Theologian: An Introduction to Systematic Theology. Orlando, FL: Reformation Trust, A Division of Ligonier Ministries, 2019. p. 65. ↩

  3. Sproul, R.C. Defending Your Faith: An Introduction to Apologetics. Kindle Locations 1698–1701. Kindle Edition. The reader is also invited to read the book written in 1984, which R.C. Sproul co-authored with Gerstner and Lindsley: Classical Apologetics. ↩

  4. Sproul, R.C. Chosen by God. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1986. p. 24. ↩

  5. Sproul, R.C. The Holiness of God. Kindle Locations 2318–2323. Kindle Edition. ↩

  6. As quoted by Keith Mathison in A Reformed Approach to Science and Scripture (p. 10). Ligonier Ministries. Kindle Edition. ↩