Robert Charles SproulReseñas

Having re-read this book again. I am again amazed how this book leads me to focus more on the holiness of God, and each time I read it I learn something new. However, the goal is to apply what I learned.

The Holiness of God by R. C. Sproul, Knowing God by J. I. Packer, and Loving God by Chuck Colson were three of the most important books that I read during my early years of college.

No matter whether you agree with the author or not, this book should get the reader to ask important questions.

Very good overview of the importance of the Cross.

Good summary of five things Christians should understand about the Christian life.

This is a really great read and I would highly suggest it for anyone who calls themselves a follower of Jesus Christ. Having a right understanding of God's nature is extremely important for our faith and R.C. Sproul does a fine job of conveying God's Holiness.

This Crucial Questions series is really good and this one on prayer keeps pace with the awesome. It is nice and short, a booklet really, so it is easy to get the major points quickly. Not exhaustive but extremely helpful.

Great overview/survey of systematic theology from R.C. Sproul. This book is planted firmly in reformed theology. I appreciate R.C.'s writing style and the way he explains things so that even us simple folk can understand.

f you start at the beginning of the New Testament and read straight through, first you’ll find three similar accounts of Jesus’ life. Then you come to the gospel of John. From recounting Jesus’ signs to recording His famous I am statements, John puts a spotlight on Jesus’ redemptive work so that others will believe and be saved. In this volume, Dr. R.C. Sproul provides an introduction to John in his accessible, conversational style. Each chapter is packed with insights and exhortations to draw you closer to the life and light of the Savior. Dr. Sproul’s expositional commentaries help you understand key theological themes and apply them to all areas of your life. Drawn from decades of careful study and delivered from a pastor’s heart, these sermons are readable, practical, and thoroughly Bible-centered. Here is your opportunity to learn from a trusted teacher and theologian as he leads you through God’s Word and shares his perspective on living faithfully for God’s glory. This is a series to serve pastors, small groups, and growing Christians who want to know the Bible better. R.C. Sproul (1939-2017) was founder of Ligonier Ministries in Orlando, Fla. He was also first minister of preaching and teaching at Saint Andrew’s Chapel, first president of Reformation Bible College, and executive editor of Tabletalk magazine. His radio program, Renewing Your Mind, is still broadcast daily on hundreds of radio stations around the world and can also be heard online.

From recounting Jesus’ signs to recording His famous I am statements, John puts a spotlight on Jesus’ redemptive work so that others will believe and be saved. In this volume, Dr. R.C. Sproul provides an introduction to John in his accessible, conversational style. Each chapter is packed with insights and exhortations to draw you closer to the life and light of the Savior.

If every Christian (not just Reformed Christians) who didn't feel theologically adept read this book, they would not fail to be better for it. Highly recommend.

Truly a blessing to read and study, especially when preparing expositional sermons for Lusaka Baptist Church's vernacular service.

how to study the Bible

This book is a great start. It is chock full of scripture and church history! R. C. Sproul does such a beautiful job using scripture to show us what reformed theology is all about and why, based on that scripture, it is where he falls on the theological spectrum. I have come to so many of the same conclusions as I have grown as a Christian over the years. This is what I believe!

Sproul's writing is so thoughtful and logical. He spends the first five chapters showing us where the idea of reformed theology started and how it developed over time through men like Augustine, Martin Luther, and John Calvin. He shares how Luther came out of the Catholic tradition and the conclusions he came to based on his study of scripture.

The second half of the book is spent addressing the five basic tenets of Reformed Theology using the TULIP acronym (check out the link for a series on this) to open up the dialog. I won't go into detail here on each one because the book is so beautifully thorough on each point. I encourage you to read the book for yourself to learn more about why churches teach certain ideas. It might just answer some questions or clarify some ideas you have wondered about yourself.

Sproul has a real gift for bringing this history and explanation into layman's terms so that everyone can read and understand these ideas. Martin Luther was doing the same thing when he tacked his 95 Theses on the church door. These men felt that the masses should be able to know and understand the things of God 500 years ago, today and all the years in between.

As we are coming upon the 500th year since Luther's stand for reformation took place this book and the ideas contained in it are as relevant today as they were then.

I give this book a solid 5 out of 5.

This book was sent to me free of charge from Baker Books and all they ask in return is an honest review.

Davey was a young donkey who was bored and unhappy because he was never given anything to do. Then one day, some strangers came to the gate―and Davey’s master picked him for a very special task. Davey carried the King, Jesus, into Jerusalem. A few days later, Davey saw some angry people making the King carry a heavy beam of wood. Davey could not understand it―until another donkey helped him see that the King was being a Servant on behalf of His people.
The Donkey Who Carried a King offers a unique perspective on the events of Jesus’ Passion Week and calls all believers, both young and old, to follow in the footsteps of the Suffering Servant for the glory of God. Jesus was willing to leave the glories of heaven to suffer and die in this world on our behalf, so we should serve Him with all our hearts.

First sentence: I was compelled to leave the room. A deep, undeniable summons disturbed my sleep; something holy called me.

ETA: I reread The Holiness of God. I wasn't planning to exactly. But after reading Chosen by God, I just *had* to. These books complement each other so well. These two are so essential. Both hold a special place in my heart.

Holiness of God is a classic by R.C. Sproul that every Christian should read at least once. Emphasis on at least once. I think it happens to be one of those books where you might even want to reread it every other year or so.

So what is it about? It's about God, about who HE is, about his HOLINESS and righteousness. But it is also about who we are. It's about sin--what it is, how it divides us, how it damns us--about grace, about justice. It is about our holiness as well. Why are believers called saints? Why are we called to be holy and to live holy lives? Ultimately, the book is a refresher course on the gospel itself.

In the first chapter, Sproul writes: "Today I am still absorbed with the question of the holiness of God. I am convinced that it is one of the most important ideas that a Christian can ever grapple with...How we understand the person and character of God the Father affects every aspect of our lives. It affects far more than what we normally call the “religious” aspects of our lives." If you agree, then this book is a must read. And if you don't agree, well, then perhaps reading the book will change your mind.

I have read this one three times now. I think I love it more each time.

Quotes:
Here is the promise of God: We shall see Him as He is. Theologians call this future expectation the beatific vision. We will see God as He is.
Right now it is impossible for us to see God in His pure essence. Before that can ever happen, we must be purified. When Jesus taught the Beatitudes, He promised only a distinct group the vision of God: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God” (Matt. 5:8).
None of us in this world is pure in heart. It is our impurity that prevents us from seeing God. The problem is not with our eyes; it is with our hearts.
Only once in sacred Scripture is an attribute of God elevated to the third degree. Only once is a characteristic of God mentioned three times in succession. The Bible says that God is holy, holy, holy. Not that He is merely holy, or even holy, holy. He is holy, holy, holy. The Bible never says that God is love, love, love; or mercy, mercy, mercy; or wrath, wrath, wrath; or justice, justice, justice. It does say that He is holy, holy, holy, that the whole earth is full of His glory.
In a very real sense, the word holy is a foreign word. The problem we face, however, is that the word holy is foreign to all languages. No dictionary is adequate to the task.
Sinful people are not comfortable in the presence of the holy. The cliché is that misery loves company. Another is that there is fellowship among thieves. But thieves do not seek the consoling presence of the fellowship of police officers. Sinful misery does not love the company of purity.
If we fix our minds on the holiness of God, the result might be disturbing.
“Love God? Sometimes I hate Him.” This is a strange quote to hear from the lips of a man as respected for his religious zeal as Luther.
Two things separated Luther from the rest of men: First, he knew who God was. Second, he understood the demands of God’s law. He had mastered the law. Unless he came to understand the gospel, he would die in torment.
“The just shall live by faith.” This was the battle cry of the Protestant Reformation. The idea that justification is by faith alone, by the merits of Christ alone, was so central to the gospel that Luther called it “the article upon which the church stands or falls.” Luther knew that it was the article by which he would stand or fall.
There is no such thing as evil justice in God. The justice of God is always and ever an expression of His holy character.
What God does is always consistent with who God is. He always acts according to His holy character. God’s internal righteousness is the moral excellence of His character.
God does not always act with justice. Sometimes He acts with mercy. Mercy is not justice, but it also is not injustice. Injustice violates righteousness. Mercy manifests kindness and grace and does no violence to righteousness. We may see nonjustice in God, which is mercy, but we never see injustice in God.
The false conflict between the two testaments may be seen in the most brutal act of divine vengeance ever recorded in Scripture. It is not found in the Old Testament but in the New Testament. The most violent expression of God’s wrath and justice is seen in the Cross. If ever a person had room to complain of injustice, it was Jesus. He was the only innocent man ever to be punished by God. If we stagger at the wrath of God, let us stagger at the Cross. Here is where our astonishment should be focused.
It is impossible for anyone, anywhere, anytime to deserve grace. Grace by definition is undeserved. As soon as we talk about deserving something, we are no longer talking about grace; we are talking about justice. Only justice can be deserved. God is never obligated to be merciful. Mercy and grace must be voluntary or they are no longer mercy and grace.
God never “owes” grace. He reminds us more than once: “I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy” (Exod. 33:19). This is the divine prerogative. God reserves for Himself the supreme right of executive clemency.
The moment awareness of His divine presence begins, the deepest personal struggle a person can experience begins as well.
We may wrestle with the Holy One. Indeed, for the transforming power of God to change our lives, we must wrestle with Him. We must know what it means to fight with God all night if we are also to know what it means to experience the sweetness of the soul’s surrender.
One of the names by which God is revealed in the Old Testament is the name El Shaddai. The name means “the thunderer” or “the overpowerer.” It was by the name El Shaddai that God appeared to Job. What Job experienced was the awesome power of a sovereign God who overpowers all people and is Himself overpowered by no one.
How much time elapses before the sinner begins to become pure? The answer is none. There is no time lapse between our justification and the beginning of our sanctification. But there is a great time lapse between our justification and the completion of our sanctification.
Semi-Pelagianism is the majority report among evangelical Christians and probably represents the theology of the vast majority of people who read this book. But I am convinced that with all of its virtues, Semi-Pelagianism still represents a theology of compromise with our natural inclinations. Evangelicals today have unconverted sinners who are dead in trespasses and sin bringing themselves to life by choosing to be born again. Christ made it clear that dead people cannot choose anything, that the flesh counts for nothing, and that we must be born of the Spirit before we can even see the kingdom of God, let alone enter it. The failure of modern evangelicalism is the failure to understand the holiness of God. If that one point were grasped, there would be no more talk of mortal enemies of Christ coming to Jesus by their own power. The only kind of God we can love by our sinful nature is an unholy god, an idol made by our own hands. Unless we are born of the Spirit of God, unless God sheds His holy love in our hearts, unless He stoops in His grace to change our hearts, we will not love Him.
God is not at the edge of Christians’ lives but at the very center. God defines our entire life and worldview.

First sentence: Baseball. Hot dogs. Apple pie. Chevrolet. These are all things American. To complete the mix we must add the great American motto: "We will not discuss religion or politics." Mottoes are made to be broken. Perhaps no American rule is broken more frequently than the one about not discussing religion or politics. We embark on such discussions repeatedly. And when the topic turns to religion it often gravitates to the issue of predestination. Sadly, that often means the end of discussion and the beginning of argument, yielding more heat than light. Arguing about predestination is virtually irresistible.

I've read and reread this one so many times. It was such a pivotal book in my life. It was full of "aha" moments, light bulb moments.

The book is divided into nine chapters: "The Struggle," "Predestination and the Sovereignty of God," "Predestination and Free Will," "Adam's Fall and Mine," "Spiritual Death and Spiritual Life: Rebirth and Faith," "Foreknowledge and Predestination," "Double, Double, Toil and Trouble: Is Predestination Double?", "Can We Know That We Are Saved?" and "Questions and Objections Concerning Predestination."

Is the book reader friendly? Yes and no. The theological subject is complex. Being complex doesn't make it more biblical OR less biblical. Because it can sound so absolutely foreign to our natural nature, our natural mind, to everything that we think we know, it can be tough to grasp. R.C. Sproul makes a point that this is the kind of knowledge that you almost fight against accepting. Depending on your background, depending on your church experience, depending on your theological leanings, of course. I absolutely love R.C. Sproul's approach to this:
Why do we speak of it? Because we enjoy unpleasantness? Not at all. We discuss it because we cannot avoid it. It is a doctrine plainly set forth in the Bible. We talk about predestination because the Bible talks about predestination. If we desire to build our theology on the Bible, we run head on into the concept. We soon discover that John Calvin did not invent it... (10)
If we are to be biblical, then, the issue is not whether we should have a doctrine of predestination or not, but what kind we should embrace. If the Bible is the Word of God, not mere human speculation, and if God himself declares that there is such a thing as predestination, then it follows irresistibly that we must embrace some doctrine of predestination. If we are to follow this line of thinking, then, of course, we must go one step further. It is not enough to have just any view of predestination. It is our duty to seek the correct view of predestination, lest we be guilty of distorting or ignoring the Word of God. (11)
I wrote a note to myself that I kept on my desk in a place where I could always see it: YOU ARE REQUIRED TO BELIEVE, TO PREACH, AND TO TEACH WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS IS TRUE, NOT WHAT YOU WANT THE BIBLE TO SAY IS TRUE. (12)
They say there is nothing more obnoxious than a converted drunk. Try a converted Arminian. Converted Arminians tend to become flaming Calvinists, zealots for the cause of predestination. You are reading the work of such a convert. (13)
To a Calvinist, to someone of the "Reformed" faith, the book is easier going. Once you connect the dots, once you have grasped the doctrines of grace, then it is hard to see what kept you blind to these "obvious" biblical truths.

Chosen by God is a book to read or perhaps reread slowly and thoughtfully. It is not necessarily a book to be rushed. It's a book to read side by side with the Bible, a book to be studied and pondered.

Favorite quotes:
The freedom of the sovereign is always greater than the freedom of his subjects. (24)
The very essence of grace is that it is undeserved. God always reserves the right to have mercy upon whom he will have mercy. God may owe people justice, but never mercy. (33)
Let us assume that all men are guilty of sin in the sight of God. From that mass of guilty humanity, God sovereignly decides to give mercy to some of them. What do the rest get? They get justice. The saved get mercy and the unsaved get justice. Nobody gets injustice. Mercy is not justice. But neither is it injustice. (37)
God is free. I am free. God is more free than I am. If my freedom runs up against God's freedom, I lose. His freedom restricts mine; my freedom does not restrict his. (43)
To have free will is to be able to choose according to our desires. Here desire plays the vital role of providing a motivation or a reason for making a choice... According to Edwards a human being is not only free to choose what he desires but he must choose what he desires to be able to choose at all. (54)
Our choices are determined by our desires. They remain our choices because they are motivated by our own desires. (54)
The will is a natural ability given to us by God. We have all the natural faculties necessary to make choices. We have a mind and we have a will. We have the natural ability to choose what we desire. What, then, is our problem? According to the Bible the location of our problem is clear. It is with the nature of our desires. This is the focal point of our fallenness. Scripture declares that the heart of fallen man continually harbors desires that are only wicked... Before a person can make a choice which is pleasing to God, he must first have a desire to please God. Before we can find God, we must first desire to seek him. Before we can choose the good, we must first have a desire for the good. Before we can choose Christ, we must first have a desire for Christ. The sum and and substance of the whole debate on predestination rests squarely on this point: Does fallen man, in and of himself, have a natural desire for Christ? (60-1)
Edwards insists that, in the Fall, man lost his original desire for God. When he lost that desire, something happened to his freedom. He lost the moral ability to choose Christ. In order to choose Christ, the sinner must first have a desire to choose Christ. Either he has that desire already within him or he must receive that desire from God. (61)
Original sin refers to the result of the sin of Adam and Eve. (63)
Before the Fall Adam was endowed with two possibilities: He had the ability to sin and the ability not to sin. After the Fall Adam had the ability to sin and the inability not to sin. The idea of "inability to not" is a bit confusing to us because in English it's a double negative. Augustine's Latin formula was non posse non peccare. Stated another way, it means that after the Fall man was morally incapable of living without sin. The ability to live without sin was lost in the Fall. This moral inability is the essence of what we call original sin. (65)
No human being can possibly come to Christ unless something happens that makes it possible for him to come. That necessary condition that Jesus declares is that "it has been granted to him by the Father." Jesus is saying here that the ability to come to him is a gift from God. Man does not have the ability in and of himself to come to Christ. God must do something first. (68) (John 6:65)
A cardinal point of Reformed theology is the maxim: "Regeneration precedes faith." Our nature is so corrupt the power of sin is so great, that unless God does a supernatural work in our souls we will never choose Christ. We do not believe in order to be born again; we are born again in order that we may believe. (72-3)
We see people searching desperately for peace of mind, relief from guilt, meaning and purpose to their lives, and loving acceptance. We know that ultimately these things can only be found in God. Therefore we conclude that since people are seeking these things they must be seeking after God. People do not seek God. They seek after the benefits that only God can give them. (110)
Seeking is the business of believers... The Christian life begins at conversion; it does not end where it begins. It grows; it moves from faith to faith, from grace to grace, from life to life. The movement of growth is prodded by a continual seeking after God. (111)
When God regenerates a human soul, when he makes us spiritually alive, we make choices. We believe. We have faith. We cling to Christ. God does not believe for us. (118)
Jesus is irresistible to those who have been made alive to the things of God. Every soul whose heart beats with the life of God within it longs for the living Christ. (123)
I learned one thing clearly in my experience in evangelism: The message of justification by faith alone has not penetrated our culture. Multitudes of people are resting their hopes for heaven on their own good works. They are quite willing to admit they are not perfect, but they assume they are good enough. They have done "their best" and that, they tragically assume, is good enough for God. (165)

Dr. R.C. Sproul does exactly what the title suggests, providing an introduction to Reformed Theology. The first half of the book goes through similarities with other Christian traditions as well as what he views as distinct emphases in Reformed Theology. There is a few instances in which he goes into church history like Luther’s Sola Fide controversy with Rome. The second half explains the five points of Calvinism as outlined in the Westminster Confession of Faith with supporting scriptural interpretation.

Overall, a solid introduction to Reformed theology that can be useful to new Calvinists or those who seek to grasp what Calvinists believe.

R.C Sproul takes us past superficial worship to a greater understanding of the fundamental tenets, beliefs and motivations behind worship of our creator. I really enjoyed how he explored each area theologically and backed it up with scripture and I also appreciated how he acknowledged differences between Catholic/Protestant worship but did not advocate one over the other.

Nice Summary

Clear exposition of the characteristics of Scriptures. Good for anyone needing a 30,000 foot view, but it is a technical handling. Newbies beware.

Good Topical Exploration of Joy in Scripture. Good broad overview and strokes, although more could have been dived into regarding the experience of pain and how to have meaningful joy in Christ.

Good summary of terms

Good summary of terms and overviews of practical ways to pursue God’s will in marriage and work. A good read for those struggling to understand the free will predestination conundrum.

Clear, Succinct, and helpful in thinking through the categories of guilt and guilt feelings, as well as forgiveness and the feeling of forgiveness. Incredibly helpful.

Another great primer

Good taxonomy of the categories of false salvation and explanation of terms. Good for anyone who is wrestling with trying to understand salvation.

Have you ever been asked by a stranger, “Are you saved?” Many Christians use this question as an opportunity to tell someone about Jesus. But a common response to that question might catch us off guard: “Saved from what?” Until this essential question can be answered, we won’t be able to make sense of Christ’s sacrifice or explain it to others.
In Saved from What?, Dr. R.C. Sproul reveals that the greatest danger we face is the holy wrath of God against our sin. But the glory of the gospel is that the One from whom we need to be saved is the very One who saves us. As we better understand the severity of our sin and the sufficiency of Christ’s atonement, the truth of God’s grace will deepen our worship and drive us to make His salvation known.

Made me feel smart just by listening to it. Philosophy needs to be boiled down for me to understand it and this book does just that. Mr. Sproule made everything very understandable.

Answers the title question admirably. A decent intro to folks unfamiliar with Reformed Theology. Does a good job of explaining his terms and not assuming any previous knowledge on the part of the reader.