The Trinity¶
We've crafted an unofficial, source-cited, non-commercial index of Dr. R.C. Sproul's publicly available teachings, weighted by how many independent sources corroborate each point. The content is authored by Dr. R.C. Sproul and published by Ligonier Ministries (a few items are third-party YouTube re-uploads); see the Methodology & Rights page for more info. Quotations are brief, linked to their source, and reproduced for study under Ligonier's Copyright Policy (ligonier.org/copyright-policy). This site is humbly offered for personal use only, out of love and respect, and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Ligonier Ministries or St. Andrew's Chapel.
31 positions — 4 corroborated across multiple sources.
Well-attested positions¶
Independently stated in two or more of his messages.
Christianity affirms that God is one in essence but three in person, meaning the distinction of persons is essential but not a distinction of essence.
The language “nature” here may be confusing inasmuch as the Christian doctrine of God affirms that God is one in essence (or nature) and three in person. This means that the distinction of persons in the Godhead is not a distinction of essence, which would leave us with three gods.
Corroborated across 3 sources: A Rose Is a Rose (Ligonier article) · Triune Monarchy (Ligonier article) · R.C. Sproul @ 10:57
The classic formulation of the Trinity holds that God is one in essence but three in person: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.
The classic formulation for the Trinity is this: God is one in essence, but three in person, that is, the three persons of the Godhead—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.
Corroborated across 3 sources: R.C. Sproul @ 23:42 · R.C. Sproul @ 0:00 · Since Jesus is God, who is a Spirit, how can Christ also be human? (Ligonier Q&A)
Every doctrine of Christian theology is intimately and intricately related to every other doctrine of the faith.
because every doctrine of Christian theology touches in some way every other doctrine of the faith. That is the whole of the Christian faith is intimately and intricately related in all of its pieces.
Corroborated across 2 sources: The Reformed Doctrine of God (Ligonier article) · R.C. Sproul @ 0:00
The doctrine of the Trinity does not violate the law of non-contradiction because it maintains unity in one aspect and plurality in another.
It does not violate the law of non-contradiction, because the doctrine of the Trinity says this, that God is one in essence and three in person. That's the classical formula for the Trinity. God is one in essence or one in substance and three in person.
Corroborated across 2 sources: R.C. Sproul @ 2:36 · R.C. Sproul @ 0:45
Further positions¶
Drawn from a single high-trust (official transcript) source.
The Athanasian Creed gives central importance to the dual nature of Christ, reaffirming the doctrines set forth at Chalcedon.
In the affirmation of the Trinity the dual nature of Christ is given central importance. As the Athanasian Creed in one sense reaffirms the doctrines of the Trinity set forth in the fourth century at Nicea, in like manner the strong affirmations of the fifth-century council at Chalcedon in 451 are also recapitulated therein.
Source: The Athanasian Creed (Ligonier article)
Semi-Pelagian doctrines persisted through the Middle Ages and were formally established at the Council of Trent.
▷ A view Sproul explains or critiques — not his own position.
They were fully operative through the Middle Ages and were set in concrete at the Council of Trent in the sixteenth century.
Source: The Battle for Grace Alone (Ligonier article)
The object of true worship must be the triune God alone.
From a Christian perspective, the obvious reply is that we are called upon to worship the triune God.
Source: How Should We Then Worship? (Ligonier article)
Secularism is characterized by the twin topics of pluralism and relativism, which are seen as barriers to the transcendent realm of unity.
As missionaries attempting to understand the way of thinking in our culture, we must turn our attention to twin topics under the umbrella heading of secularism—pluralism and relativism.
Source: Pluralism and Relativism (Ligonier article)
The doctrine of the Trinity is not based on abstract speculation but is a reflection of the church on biblical teaching.
The doctrine of the Trinity, central to Christian confession, is not the result of abstract speculation. Rather, it is the result of the church’s reflection on the teaching of the Bible.
Source: Triune Monarchy (Ligonier article)
The church's theological struggles were aimed at maintaining biblical monotheism while affirming the divine attributes of the three persons in the Godhead.
The theological struggles of the first three centuries were based upon the church’s desire to be faithful to biblical monotheism (monarchianism) and at the same time to be faithful to the attribute of deity for each of the three persons in the Godhead.
Source: Triune Monarchy (Ligonier article)
The ontological Trinity refers to the nature of the three persons (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) as a single being.
When we talk about the ontological Trinity, or as some theologians term it, the "immanent Trinity," we are referring to the Trinity in itself, without regard to God's works of creation and redemption.
Source: What's the Difference between the Ontological and the Economic Trinity? (Ligonier article)
The economic Trinity describes the roles of the three persons in relation to creation and redemption.
When we speak of the economic Trinity, on the other hand, we are dealing with the activity of God and the roles of the three persons with regard to creation and redemption.
Source: What's the Difference between the Ontological and the Economic Trinity? (Ligonier article)
The common essence of Christian thought, including doctrines like the Trinity and the Deity of Christ, forms the foundation upon which all theology rests.
Now the affirmations of historic Christianity about the Trinity, the Deity of Christ, the atonement of Christ, those are affirmations that are shared by all orthodox Christian bodies historically.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 10:33
The doctrine of Sola Scriptura is not a uniquely or distinctly Reformed theological principle, but rather a shared belief among historical evangelicals.
I don't want to leave you with the impression that the doctrine of Sola Scriptura is a distinctly or uniquely Reformed theological principle. It is part of that body of truth that we share in common with historical evangelicalism.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:12
The doctrine of the Trinity is logically sound because it attributes unity to one qualification and plurality to a different predicate.
We're saying that with respect to one qualification, He has unity, but with respect to a different predicate, He has diversity or plurality. Now, if we said, for example, that God were one in essence and three in essence, then indeed we would be violating the law of non-contradiction.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 3:22
The biblical affirmation of monotheism asserts that there is only one God.
So, the idea is that there is only one God.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 5:01
The central theological challenge is reconciling the Old Testament's doctrine of monotheism with the New Testament's affirmation of the triune character of God.
the whole question of the Trinity is rooted and grounded first of all in the biblical affirmation of monotheism, and so the struggle has been how can we maintain the Old Testament doctrine of monotheism with the clear New Testament affirmation of the triune character of the biblical God.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 22:38
The historic doctrine of the Trinity is best understood as one essence containing three subsistences or persons.
So that the distinctions with in the Godhead are, if you will, sub-distinctions within the essence, sub-points within the singular being of God. One essence, three subsistences.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 22:04
Jesus asking Peter 'Do you love me?' three times is significant because Peter had been publicly denying Jesus three times.
You can't help but draw the inference that the reason for the three-fold inquiry, the interrogation, Jesus asks him three times, because three times he'd been asked by the world, "Do you know him?" and three times Simon Peter publicly repudiated Jesus.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 21:38
The Godhead is eternally triune, existing always and forever.
God is still triune, He was always triune, and He ever more shall be triune.
Source: A Basket Case (Ligonier)
Being of the same mind involves more than just doctrinal agreement; it requires a shared affection distributed to the entire body of Christ.
Being of the same mind, in this context, has to do with a certain affection. There is a certain equanimity among the people of God, that we are not to reserve our love and affection for a small “in” group or clique within the church, but our affections should be distributed to the whole body of Christ.
Source: Behave Like a Christian (Part 2) (Ligonier)
While the Godhead is essentially one in mind and will, the three persons of the Trinity are in perfect agreement and unity.
Though they were essentially one, having only one essential mind and will, nevertheless, the persons of the Trinity, the subsistences of the divine essence, containing three persons among the Godhead, were in perfect agreement and perfect unity.
Source: The Crucifixion (Part 2) (Ligonier)
The Holy Spirit directs the apostles to separate specific individuals for a divine work.
the Holy Spirit said, “Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”
Source: The Death of Herod (Ligonier)
Understanding the doctrine of total depravity necessitates belief in the remaining doctrines of TULIP.
If you really understand the T of total depravity, the rest is simple. The rest is automatic. If you understand the doctrine of total depravity, even if the Bible didn’t teach unconditional election, you would have to believe it.
Source: The Doctrine of Imputation (Ligonier)
The doctrine of God is foundational, defining and controlling every other doctrine in the Christian faith.
The basic thrust of my message was that the doctrine of God defines and controls every other doctrine in the Christian faith.
Source: Defilement from Within (Part 1) (Ligonier)
Accepting that Jesus is only one way among many constitutes a betrayal of Jesus's teaching and bows to secular pluralism.
You’ll hear self-proclaimed evangelical preachers stand up now and say: “Jesus isn’t the only way. He’s one way among many.” That is bowing before the idol of secular pluralism, and it’s a complete betrayal of the teaching of Jesus.
Source: The Ministry of John the Baptist (Ligonier)
The three persons of the Godhead are distinguished by how God operates in the world (the economy).
When we distinguish between the three persons of the Godhead, we distinguish them in terms of what we call the economy of God—that is, how God operates.
Source: The Son of the Father (Ligonier)
The Counter-Reformation was a three-pronged response to the Protestant Reformation.
The Counter-Reformation in the sixteenth century was three-pronged. First was the Spanish Inquisition, during which those who departed from the church and embraced Protestant doctrine were captured and subjected to forms of torture that would make the contemporary debate about torture insignificant. I was once in Rottenburg, Germany, which contains a museum filled with the implements and machines of torture used in the Inquisition, and they were ghastly, but that was only the first prong.
Source: Suffer the Little Children to Come Unto Me (Ligonier)
Peter denied knowing Jesus three times during the trial, and later affirmed his love for Christ three times.
He cursed with a loud voice, denying three times that he even knew Jesus. This was the same Simon Peter who met with the risen Christ on the shore of the lake of Galilee and was asked three times by Jesus, “Peter, do you love Me?” As he had denied Jesus three times earlier, now he affirmed his love for Christ three times: “Lord, you know that I love You.”
Source: The Twelve Apostles (Part 1) (Ligonier)
Jesus deliberately selected a diverse group of apostles, including a tax collector and a zealot, to work together.
It is one of the strange acts of providence that Jesus would select for His inner core of Apostles both a tax collector, who was raising tribute to support the Roman cause, and a zealot to work side-by-side—talk about a miracle of public relations.
Source: The Twelve Apostles (Part 3) (Ligonier)
The Old Testament does not contain a doctrine of the Trinity, as no Old Testament Jew ever propounded it.
Context: Quoting or summarizing the point made by Thomas.
no Old Testament Jew—whether Isaiah or Ezekiel or Amos—ever propounded a doctrine of the Trinity.
Source: Did believers in the Old Testament have a complete understanding of the Trinity? (Ligonier Q&A)