Renewing Your Mind

Episode: Is God Beyond Words?
Date: January 16, 2026
Host: Ligonier Ministries
Speaker: R.C. Sproul

Episode Overview

In this episode, R.C. Sproul explores a profound theological question: Can finite, human language meaningfully describe the infinite, transcendent God? Drawing from the Westminster Confession of Faith, Sproul covers traditional ways Christians have spoken about God, the limitations of human language, the doctrines of God’s incomprehensibility and revelation, and the balance between God’s “otherness” and His knowability.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Limits of Language When Describing God

• Sproul begins by acknowledging the vast gap between God’s infinite nature and our finite understanding:

  “The best we can ever get when we're talking about a transcendent, eternal, infinite being is language that describes Him in ways in which He is like. But no metaphor, no analogy can ever contain or grasp Him in its fullness.” (00:00)

• Human concepts and metaphors can point to aspects of God, but can never fully capture or define Him.

Incommunicable and Communicable Attributes

• God has attributes we cannot share or fully understand (incommunicable), like omniscience (all-knowing) and omnipotence (all-powerful).

  “But our understanding of those things is limited by our humanness.” (00:25)

• Even in eternity (heaven), we remain finite and will never have exhaustive knowledge of God.

The Doctrine of Incomprehensibility

• God’s incomprehensibility means no creature—now or ever—can fully and exhaustively grasp God, due to the infinite/finite distinction.

  “Even in heaven, even in our own glorification, we will remain creatures. We will still be finite. And even in heaven, we will not have a totally comprehensible knowledge of God.” (01:22)

The "God-Talk" Controversy and the Limits of Human Vocabulary

• 20th-century debates questioned whether human language could meaningfully speak about God.
• These are longstanding philosophical and theological questions, not just modern concerns.

The Three Ways of Speaking About God

Sproul outlines classic theological methods:

1. Way of Negation (Via Negationis / Via Negativa)

• We describe God by what He is not (e.g., "God is infinite" = not finite; "God is immutable" = does not change).
• Sproul references Plotinus, who argued we can never speak positively about God without misrepresenting Him; all we can do is eliminate things He is not.
• Despite usefulness, Sproul argues Christianity moves beyond such skepticism—negation is helpful, but not the whole picture:

  “Yet at the same time, we recognize that there are times in which using the way of negation is valuable, because the way of negation points us to the difference between ourselves and God.” (08:15)

2. Way of Affirmation/Univocal Speech

• Saying what God is (e.g., "God is strong"), using human language as if it directly matches God’s attributes.
• This approach fails because God’s attributes transcend ours:

  “The problem is that God's strength transcends my strength… But it's not totally dissimilar to us. There is some similarity…” (13:25)

3. The Way of Analogy (Analogical Language)

• The most reliable method: we use analogies because, while not identical, there are points of similarity.

• Classical theologians (Augustine, Aquinas) maintained that language about God is analogical—not a one-to-one match, nor entirely unrelated:

  “The language that we have of God... is the language of analogy.” (14:57)

• Sproul illustrates with the "cattle on a thousand hills" metaphor, showing how analogies convey real truth without literalism:

  “…We are not to infer from that that God is a cowboy. Yet the metaphor is meaningful because it tells us something about his riches. It tells us something about his greatness.” (17:15)

Everyday Language and Shared Understanding

• Sproul notes that no two people have exactly the same conception of any word due to personal experience.

• Yet, our language is “similar enough” to communicate:

  “Even though my idea of cat is not exactly the same as your idea of cat… we still can communicate. We can still have meaningful discourse and discussion, even though we come from a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences…” (20:00)

• The same principle applies in speaking about God—despite limitations, meaningful communication is possible.

Anthropomorphic Language and Divine Accommodation

• God reveals Himself to us in human language, often using metaphors and imagery ("the right hand of the Lord", "God repents").
• Scripture uses such language not to mislead, but to accommodate our limited understanding:

  “…After using all these images that communicate something to us about Himself, then He’ll pull down the blind and say, ‘But remember, I am not a man.’” (21:50)

Critique of Extreme Theological Positions

• Sproul critiques theologians like Paul Tillich and the idea of God as “wholly other”—pointing out that if there is no point of similarity, meaningful revelation or communication would be impossible.
• He recounts a discussion with theologians, illustrating the necessity of analogy for any true knowledge of God:

  “If there is an utter dissimilarity between the creature and the Creator, no point of analogy between them, then how could you have any meaningful communication?” (23:15)

The Tension: Transcendence and Immanence

• God is utterly unique ("other") from His creation—but not so different as to be unreachable or completely unknowable.
• Westminster Confession and classical Christianity insist God has made Himself knowable through revelation—specifically by means creatures can understand.

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• On the limits of metaphor:

  "No metaphor, no analogy can ever contain or grasp him in its fullness." — R.C. Sproul (00:00)

• On using analogies:

  "Jesus would speak in parables and he would say the kingdom of God is like unto this... It’s not identical, but they have points of similarity." (15:25)

• On the via negativa:

  "The way of negation points us to the difference between ourselves and God. And by pointing at that difference, it points to the grandeur of God, his majesty, the way in which he transcends what we are." (08:35)

• On communication despite finitude:

  “…Even though they’re not precisely exact, we still can communicate. We can still have meaningful discourse and discussion, even though we come from a wide variety of backgrounds…” (20:45)

• On God’s revelation:

  "When we speak about God, we are speaking about God because God has spoken to us and revealed himself to us in our language." (21:15)

• On the mystery and accessibility of God:

  “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but that which He has revealed belongs to us…” (22:45)
  (citing Deuteronomy 29:29)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:00 — The challenge of describing the infinite with finite language
• 01:22 — The doctrine of God’s incomprehensibility and the Creator/creature distinction
• 06:45 — Introducing the God-talk controversy and language adequacy
• 08:15 — The "way of negation" (via negativa) explained
• 13:00 — Critique of univocal language and the necessity of analogy
• 15:25 — Biblical analogies and metaphorical language
• 17:15 — Illustrating analogical language with "cattle on a thousand hills"
• 20:00 — How human experience and language allow for genuine but imperfect communication
• 21:15 — God’s self-revelation and anthropomorphic speech
• 22:45 — Luther’s distinction: Deus absconditus (hidden God) vs. Deus revelatus (revealed God)
• 23:15 — Critique of the “wholly other” concept
• 24:00 — Westminster’s teaching: God is knowable but not exhaustively so

Conclusion

Sproul concludes that, while God is indeed beyond the grasp of any finite language or concept, God has made Himself known to us in Scripture and human history—principally through analogy, negation, and affirmation. Our language, though insufficient to fully contain God’s essence, is endowed with real meaning because God made us in His image and chose to reveal Himself intelligibly.

Christians are thus called to a humble confidence: to acknowledge the mystery of the infinite God while gratefully receiving the truths He has revealed in ways we can genuinely understand.