Renewing Your Mind – "Order from Chaos"

Date: September 8, 2025 | Host: Ligonier Ministries
Speaker: Dr. Sinclair Ferguson

Episode Overview

This episode centers on the identity and ministry of the Holy Spirit—often misunderstood or overlooked within the Christian church. Dr. Sinclair Ferguson seeks to address critical questions: Who is the Holy Spirit? What is His character and role? Why did Jesus say it is to our advantage that He leave so the Spirit may come? The episode moves from biblical foundations in Genesis, exploring the Spirit's work in creation, toward practical application in the life of the believer.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The “Forgotten Person” of the Trinity

• Many Christians either neglect the Holy Spirit or misunderstand His role, focusing either too little or too much—especially in pursuit of signs and wonders.
• Dr. Ferguson refines the problem: "The real problem then and now is not that the Holy Spirit has been forgotten, but that we don't really know who the Holy Spirit is." [09:44]

2. Jesus’ Departure and the Advantage of the Spirit

• Dr. Ferguson invites listeners to imagine themselves in the upper room (John 16), grappling with Jesus’ assurance that His departure is beneficial—the Spirit would not come otherwise.
• Most instinctively prefer the tangible Jesus, showing our discomfort with an unseen Comforter.
• Memorable exchange:
  • "Did Jesus really say that it is to our advantage that he goes away?" [03:04]
  • "For most of us, that's a dumb question...our instinct would be to say, I would rather have Jesus the way he was then than have this Holy Spirit." [04:20]

3. The Meaning of “Spirit”: Language and Implications

• Exploration of the word “spirit” in English, Hebrew (“ruach”), and Greek (“pneuma”)—all onomatopoeic words, conveying life, energy, power, and movement. [10:43]
• "God's spirit is the way in which God personally expresses himself and his power and his character to us in a personal form." [13:53]

4. The Holy Spirit From Genesis Onward

• The Bible opens and closes with the work of the Holy Spirit; thus, Scripture is “a story about the Holy Spirit” as much as about the Father and Son. [14:57]
• "If we are going to know the Spirit...then we need to ransack the whole of the Scriptures..." [16:21]

5. Genesis 1: Order from Chaos

• The Spirit is seen “hovering” over the waters (Genesis 1:2)—a term rarely used but significant:

  • The Spirit brings form to formlessness and fullness to emptiness, both at the cosmic level and within our lives.
  • "He comes to bring form to our formlessness, to bring fullness to our emptiness." [22:18]

• This pattern echoes the transformation in believers:

  • “How easy it is to think about that non-Christian past as formless... life was also empty... when the Spirit of God brings us to faith in Jesus Christ, he brings order and purpose and form into our lives.” [20:13]

6. The Spirit Creating a Temple—A Meeting Place With God

• The Spirit’s work is consistently to create a dwelling for God with His people, from creation to the tabernacle, to Christ, the believer, the church, and the new creation (Revelation). [23:27]
• Adam is meant to be “a kind of worship leader in that temple, to lead the whole creation in praise and adoration to God.” [26:50]

7. The Spirit’s Ongoing Ministry

• Whether in creation, the Exodus (the tabernacle), the incarnation (Jesus), the individual Christian, or the whole church, the Holy Spirit’s role is to bring order out of chaos, fullness into emptiness, and making us temples for God’s presence.
• "This is why the Holy Spirit is given to us, to bring fullness into our emptiness, order into our chaos, to bring us to the place where we worship and glorify the Lord." [36:06]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On misunderstanding the Spirit:

  • “The real problem then and now is not that the Holy Spirit has been forgotten, but that we don't really know who the Holy Spirit is.” [09:44]

• On our instinct to prefer Jesus physically present:

  • "For most of us, that's a dumb question...our instinct would be to say, I would rather have Jesus the way he was then than have this Holy Spirit." [04:20]

• On the language of Spirit:

  • "Spirit, ruach, pneuma—they all have this sense of driving energy, of driving force coming from us in order to communicate with somebody else." [11:25]

• On the Holy Spirit’s transforming work:

  • "He brings order and purpose and form into our lives...I have come that you might have fullness of life. And he does this through the power and ministry of the Holy Spirit." [20:35]

• On the Spirit's cosmic and personal work:

  • "The Spirit is not only hovering in order to bring form and fullness, but...he is creating a temple, a meeting place for God to meet with and have fellowship with his creation..." [22:53]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:00–01:22 – Setting up the central question: Who is the Holy Spirit?
• 03:00–07:00 – Upper room imagination; Jesus’ departure and the Spirit’s coming
• 10:30–14:00 – The meaning of “Spirit” in biblical languages
• 15:00–16:30 – The Spirit throughout the whole Bible
• 17:30–20:50 – Genesis 1: The Spirit brings form and fullness
• 21:00–24:00 – The Spirit in creation as “temple-builder”
• 25:32–25:51 – Preview of next episode: The Spirit as “intimate companion of the Heavenly Father”

Tone & Approach

Dr. Ferguson’s teaching is warm, engaging, and rooted in deep reverence for Scripture. He blends theological precision with vivid illustrations, frequently encouraging listeners to place themselves imaginatively within biblical stories for deeper understanding.

Summary Table

| Topic | Key Insight / Quote | Timestamp | |----------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------| | Identity of the Holy Spirit | “not that the Holy Spirit has been forgotten...we don't really know who...” | 09:44 | | Jesus’ promise of the Spirit | “Did Jesus really say it is to our advantage that he goes away?” | 03:04 | | "Spirit" in biblical languages | “Spirit, ruach, pneuma—all have...driving energy...” | 11:25 | | Spirit brings order and fullness | “He comes to bring form to our formlessness, to bring fullness to our emptiness.” | 22:18 | | Spirit creates meeting places (temples)| “He is creating a temple, a meeting place for God to meet with...” | 22:53 |

Conclusion

Dr. Sinclair Ferguson lays a rich theological foundation for understanding the Holy Spirit—not as an impersonal force or merely a supplier of “gifts,” but as the personal, powerful presence of God Himself who brings order, fullness, and communion with God in Christ. The episode invites listeners to embark on a journey of knowing the Spirit so as to become truly Trinitarian Christians—those who know the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit in rich biblical balance.