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Stephen Jackson on The Sola Panel is dead; long live the Sola Panel!
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The Sola Panel is dead; long live the Sola Panel! by Tony Payne (4 comments). Regular Sola Panel readers will no doubt have detected a little slowness and quietness over the past six weeks or so. … more
Kids’ culture watch spot: Facing fear by Gordon Cheng (3 comments). By popular demand (two people asked), here is my next script for a culture watch spot I did with the kids … more
Daniel 2-7, Harry Potter and Narnia by Gordon Cheng (1 comment). It's a Sunday as I write this, and I'm speaking on Daniel 2 and 7 later this morning at a friend's … more
A constituent on same-sex marriage by Sandy Grant (34 comments). Last year, the Australian Parliament agreed that its Members of Parliament (MPs) should seek the … more
A tribute to John Stott by Sandy Grant (2 comments). Friends, I'm not ashamed to say I shed a tear when I opened up my computer on Thursday morning to read … more
Talkin’ ’bout my generation (part 3): On giants’ shoulders by Scott Newling (26 comments). This is the third post in this series; you can read part one, and more
Bible reading with kids by Sandy Grant (0 comments). I was asked for recommendations for resources that would encourage parents to read the Bible with their kids, especially … more
Talkin’ ’bout my generation (part 2): Stepping aside (not out) so others can step up (not in) by Scott Newling (3 comments). This is the second post in this series; you can read the first post, Unassuming … more
One more sip of the coffee by Tony Payne (8 comments). Sandy Grant is a man of integrity. Back in the early days of Sola Panel, I wrote a post … more
Talkin’ ’bout my generation (part 1): Unassuming generations by Scott Newling (30 comments). There is a model of ‘intergenerational theological decline’ that has been doing the rounds of late, and perhaps you … more
Tony Payne
Paul is one of the Staff Editors at Matthias Media. He is married to Cathy and has three fantastic kids. He loves student ministry, reading, writing music and playing the saxophone, and is looking forward to meeting Jesus face to face.
Sola Panellists
- Tony Payne (convenor)
- Jennie Baddeley
- Mark Baddeley
- Andrew Barry
- Peter Bolt
- Gordon Cheng
- a local church and a certain Christian publishing house. (Sometimes the latter vocations can happen without the first.) Many people call him a nerd, which he prefers to geek. He\'s keen on biblical studies, languages, great technology, science fiction, coffee, photography, frisbee, family, jazz, and hats. You could call his tastes eclectic. ");'>Sam Freney
- Sandy Grant
- Scott Newling
- Gavin Perkins
- Ben Pfahlert
- Peter Sholl
- Claire Smith
- Nicole Starling
- Jean Williams
- Lionel Windsor
Some other sites
we like (Why these?)
- Matthias Media
- The Briefing
- 9Marks
- Albert Mohler
- Anglican Church League
- challies
- David Ould
- ENTRUST
- EQUIP book club
- Girl Talk
- Gordon Cheng's Blog
- The Gospel Coalition
- Jean Williams's blog
- Justin Taylor
- Lionel Windsor
- Monergism
- Moore College
- MTS
- Nicole Starling's blog
- Phillip Jensen
- Pyromaniacs
- The Proclamation Trust
- Reformers' Bookshop
- The Simeon Trust
- The Ugley Vicar
Also made a comment to your third post, but thought I had something to add here, too:
“We exist because God wanted us to exist, not because his hand was forced. Creation is a personal act, not an impersonal necessity.”
Agreed.
BUT:
“God’s creatures cannot add to or take away from their creator.”
I wouldn’t be so sure. You might want to consider the role of the Holy Spirit, who is that “divine spark” in all of us.
Think about it!
That’s an interesting perspective on the issue Scott Doty. I’m not sure that, even having thought about it, I can quite grasp how the role of the Holy Spirit might mean that we can add or take away from God.
I would argue that the Holy Spirit’s role is to unite us to Christ, and in that union with Christ we are given every blessing that the Father poured on his incarnate Son.
That is, the Holy Spirit’s role is, to use the language of the creed, ‘for us and our salvation’ just as the Son’s role in being born of the virgin Mary, suffering under Pontius Pilate, dying and rising again was ‘for us and our salvation’.
The Holy Spirit’s role is not, as I understand the Bible’s teaching, to give us a handle on God so that we can add to God or take away from God and so have some small measure of power over God. Rather, the role of the Holy Spirit is to give God a saving handle on us - uniting us with his Son. So I think the Holy Spirit’s role is consistent with what I’ve said about creation and the Law.
I’m also a bit uncomfortable about calling the Holy Spirit ‘a divine spark’ - I think he is a divine Person as fully God as the Father and the Son, but that discussion might move us a long way off the original topic.
I appreciate the comment though, despite what seems to be some key points of difference - as you say, this is something where we need to think about it and, as you didn’t say but I’m sure would agree, need to look to God to unfold the truth to us.
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