Podcast Summary: Things Unseen with Sinclair B. Ferguson

Episode: Knowing More of God
Date: February 26, 2025
Host: Sinclair B. Ferguson (Ligonier Ministries)

Overview

In this episode, Sinclair B. Ferguson reflects on the challenge and privilege of truly knowing God. He explores the nature of God's self-revelation through Scripture, highlighting the progressive way God makes Himself known to His people throughout biblical history, culminating in Jesus Christ. The episode encourages listeners to approach the knowledge of God with humility, wonder, and continual pursuit, recognizing that even eternity will not exhaust the riches of who God is.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Difficulty of Defining God

• Ferguson begins by comparing the challenge of describing God to Augustine’s struggle to explain the nature of time.
• Quote:

  “I sometimes wonder if the same is true when someone asks, ‘what is God like?’ From one point of view, the answer is, he’s actually not like anything. He’s God.”
  (00:27)

• He emphasizes that true theological understanding begins with God Himself, rather than trying to fit God into categories derived from creation.

2. Learning from God’s Actions and Words

• Recounts the Old Testament moment when God reveals Himself as “I am” or YHWH (Yahweh) to Moses.
• Scholars have suggested that this name encouraged God’s people to pay close attention to both God’s words and His actions—His self-interpretation through history.

3. Progressive Revelation in Scripture

• Ferguson addresses the apparent paradox that the covenant name “Yahweh” appears throughout Genesis, even though God tells Moses in Exodus 6 that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob did not know Him by that name.
• He presents possible scholarly explanations:
  • Moses, writing after the Exodus, retroactively uses the name in Genesis.
  • The point is not about first hearing the name, but about grasping its full meaning through the Exodus.
  • The patriarchs had some knowledge of God as “I am,” but their understanding deepened through later revelation.

4. The Progression of Knowing God

• Ferguson ties this biblical pattern to Hebrews, noting how knowledge of God came “in various times and in fragmentary ways” (cf. Hebrews 1:1).
• Quote:

  “Abraham didn’t know the greatness of I am to the degree that Moses did. … not even Isaiah knew the meaning of I am the way you and I do.”
  (03:56)

• Knowledge of God is progressive and cumulative, culminating in the full revelation of “I am” through Jesus Christ.

5. The Ever-Deepening Experience of God

• Encourages that because God is the infinite “I am,” believers can always grow in knowing Him.
• Even “fully and sinlessly” in glory, God will always be greater than we can comprehend—a source of wonder and eternal pursuit.
• Quote:

  “That’s one of the marvelous things about being a Christian. Day by day, month by month, year by year, we can get to know God better, appreciate Him more fully, and love Him more deeply.”
  (05:21)

6. A Prayerful Response

• Ferguson closes by referencing Richard of Chichester’s famous prayer:
  • “To see thee more clearly, to love thee more dearly, and to follow thee more nearly.”
• He encourages listeners to let this aspiration guide their day.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On God’s Uniqueness:

  “He’s actually not like anything. He’s God. … Only when we begin with God and then move to what he creates and does, are we really ready to move back again from those things and understand how the Bible uses them to teach us what God is like.” (00:28–01:05)

• On Progressive Revelation:

  “Either way, it’s clear in Genesis that I am was already at work. The Exodus wasn’t the first time God had revealed himself to his people.” (02:40)

• On Our Unending Wonder:

  “Even when we know him fully and sinlessly as human beings, we know that he’s even greater than we can comprehend.” (05:04)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:08–00:42: Introduction; difficulties of describing God and the importance of starting with God Himself.
• 00:42–02:34: Discussion of God’s name “I am” (YHWH) and how this points to knowing God through His words and deeds.
• 02:34–03:42: Exploring how patriarchs knew the covenant name, but understood it more fully through later experiences.
• 03:42–05:04: The pattern of progressive revelation from Abraham to Moses to Isaiah to Christians today.
• 05:04–05:44: The never-ending journey of knowing God better, capped by the prayer of Richard of Chichester.

Tone and Style

Ferguson maintains a gentle, reflective, and deeply devotional tone, guiding listeners to thoughtful awe and humble longing for God. His references to history, Scripture, and classic prayers blend theological depth with simple, heartfelt encouragement.

In Summary:
This episode invites listeners to marvel at the inexhaustible greatness of God, embrace the lifelong (and beyond) journey of knowing Him, and to make it their prayer to see, love, and follow Him ever more clearly.