Renewing Your Mind – “Things Unseen”

Podcast: Renewing Your Mind
Host: Nathan W. Bingham, Ligonier Ministries
Guest: Sinclair B. Ferguson
Episode Date: December 29, 2025
Main Theme:
A reflective conversation with Sinclair Ferguson about his devotional podcast (and book) Things Unseen—exploring what sets it apart, the value of doctrine-fueled devotion, practical advice for knowing Christ, and why Christians must center their lives on Scripture.

Episode Overview

This special episode provides an inside look at Sinclair Ferguson’s Things Unseen devotional, examining its distinct approach to Christian living for the New Year. Ferguson and Bingham discuss the anchor of biblical doctrine for spiritual growth, the discipline of focusing on the “unseen” realities of Christ, and practical strategies for knowing Jesus in everyday life.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Doctrine Drives True Devotion

• Sinclair Ferguson stresses the unique approach of Things Unseen, emphasizing that devotion should be driven and enhanced by doctrine—not by fleeting emotions.
  • “Devotion is actually driven and enhanced by doctrine...” (00:00, 12:07)
  • If devotionals simply make us feel better but do not help us think better, they fail to serve their deepest spiritual purpose.
• He warns that without doctrinal grounding, devotion becomes “flotsam and jetsam on a kind of sea of subjectivity.” (12:07)

2. The Genesis of “Things Unseen” (Podcast & Book)

• Ferguson structures his daily devotionals (five per week, over a year) around weekly themes, enabling listeners to focus each day on “things unseen... the things that are eternal.” (01:48)
• Recognizing distraction: Ferguson empathizes with those with short attention spans, noting the many “voices that call for our time and our attention,” making even a five-minute spiritual focus a challenge. (01:48)
• Purpose: His goal is to direct listeners’ attention toward God through biblical reflection—even in brief moments. (01:48–03:44)

3. The Only New Year’s Resolution that Matters

• Ferguson shares a story from his childhood in Scotland, recalling the difficulty of listing ten resolutions each year.
  • “But you know, if you are a Christian, you really need only one New Year resolution … all I care for is to know Christ and the power of his resurrection...” (03:56)
• He urges listeners to center life around “this one thing I do—I want to know Christ.” (03:56–05:26)

4. How Christians Grow in Knowing Christ

• Scripture-centered growth: Ferguson lays out two pillars:
  1. Immersion in the Scriptures: “There is actually no substitute for us than soaking ourselves in the pages of Scripture...” (05:50)
     • He strongly recommends repeated, focused reading of a single Gospel to intimately know Jesus—pointing to Hebrews 13: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” (05:50)
  2. Seeing all of life as a way of knowing Christ: Every activity (studies, friendships, even sports) is an opportunity to know Jesus, integrating all aspects of life toward this purpose.
     • “Each of these things and everything that happened in them would be another way in which the Lord Jesus Christ was teaching me about himself and training me...” (05:50)
     • “Seeing everything through this lens ... wonderfully simplifies life.” (05:50)
• Ferguson highlights how this unity of purpose helps through life’s complexities, rooting joy and stability in Christ.

5. What Makes “Things Unseen” Devotional Different?

• Unlike “warm and fuzzy” devotionals, Things Unseen aims to help believers “think more clearly” so they can “live more clearly.”
  • “The purpose of a devotional is to help us to think better, to think more clearly, and as a result of that, to be able to live more clearly...” (12:07)
• He critiques a superficial kind of devotional life, arguing for a deep, sustained, God-centered renewal:
  • “What we need most of all is for our thinking and our living to be re-centered in God, because that is what will make a difference to our characters.” (12:07)
• Ferguson shares an aspiration: “I hope ... people will be able to listen and ... may be able to say, you know, my heart was burning within me when I heard about these things.” (12:07)

6. Why Christians Seek “Shortcuts” to Spiritual Growth

• Ferguson explores why some believers seek direct, subjective spiritual experiences instead of the disciplined study of Scripture and doctrine.
  • “The fundamental problem ... is that the Scriptures themselves make it clear that the way in which the Spirit speaks to us is through the Scriptures.” (15:40)
• He explains how this trend has roots in church history, including the Reformation, and cautions against making personal impressions more authoritative than Scripture. (15:40)
• Using John Newton’s metaphor: “Learning to live according to God’s will is a bit like somebody learning to play the piano. There’s the score, and you go over it again and again... until eventually the music becomes part of you.” (15:40)
• Ferguson pleads for “lifelong process” and daily discipline in reading God’s Word, citing both his own experience and the testimony of older saints.

7. The Community Vision for Things Unseen

• Ferguson’s aim, as he records each episode, is a sense of personal investment—“talking really to myself and to one other person”—hoping that “one other person will multiply” and a dispersed but united community will form around the shared discipline of knowing Christ. (22:59)
• “As individuals, we’ll be getting to know Christ better by doing this one thing ... multiplied in many different parts of the world.” (22:59)

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• Sinclair Ferguson:
  • “If you are a Christian, you really need only one New Year resolution... All I care for is to know Christ and the power of his resurrection...” (03:56)
  • “A devotional should make us think better... because that is what will make a difference to our characters.” (12:07)
  • “Each of these things and everything that happened in them would be another way in which the Lord Jesus Christ was teaching me about himself...” (05:50)
  • “When you depend on God’s immediate revelation to you, that almost certainly is going to take priority ... over what God says to you in his Word.” (15:40)
  • “Learning to live according to God’s will is a bit like ... learning to play the piano... Eventually the music becomes part of you. And I think the same is true of Scripture.” (15:40)
  • “I hope ... that one thing that we’re doing in our lives, getting to know Christ better, will be multiplied in many different parts of the world.” (22:59)

Important Timestamps

• 00:00 – 01:48: Ferguson on doctrine-driven devotion and podcast goals
• 03:44 – 05:26: Preview: The one New Year’s resolution worth having
• 05:50 – 11:55: Ferguson’s two-fold approach to knowing Christ
• 12:07 – 14:55: What makes Things Unseen distinct among devotionals
• 15:40 – 22:48: On shortcuts, subjective experience, and discipline in spiritual growth
• 22:59 – 24:11: Ferguson’s hope for a global community focused on knowing Christ

Conclusion

Things Unseen stands out by rooting daily devotion in robust biblical doctrine, urging Christians to know Christ intimately through the Scriptures and to see all of life as an arena for that pursuit. Sinclair Ferguson’s approach pushes believers beyond sentimental spirituality, calling them to a thoughtful, scripture-shaped, and resilient life with Christ at the center.