Words of Life: Scripture as the Living and Active Word of God

Timothy Ward

InterVarsity Press, Jun 18, 2014 - Religion - 184 pages

Throughout Christian history, the overwhelmingly predominant view of the Bible has been that it is itself the living and active word of God. In this book Timothy Ward explains and defends what we are really saying when we trust and proclaim, as wemust, that the Bible is God's word. In particular he describes the nature of the relationship between the living God and Scripture. He examines why, in order to worship God faithfully, we need to pay close attention to the Bible; why, in order to befaithful disciples of Jesus, the Word-made-flesh, we need to base our lives on the words of the Bible; and why, in order to keep in step with the Holy Spirit, we need to trust and obey what the Bible says.Ward offers an understanding of the nature of Scripture under three main headings. A biblical outline shows that the words of the Bible form a significant part of God's action in the world. A theological outline focuses on the relationship of Scripture with each of the persons of the Trinity. And a doctrinal outline examines the 'attributes' of Scripture. A final chapter explores some significant areas in which the doctrine of Scripture should be applied.Ward offers us an excellent, lucid exposition of the nature and function of Scripture, expressed in a form appropriate for the tweny-first century, grounded in the relevant scholarship, and standing firmly in line with the best of the theological traditions.

Contents

• Acknowledgments: 7
• God and the Bible: 9
• A Biblical Outline: 20
• A Theological Outline: 49
• A Doctrinal Outline: 96
• The Doctrine of Scripture Applied: 141
• 6 Summary: 177
• Index of Ancient and Modern Authors: 180
• Index of Biblical References: 182
• Praise for Words of Life: 185
• About the Author: 187
• More Titles from InterVarsity Press: 188
• Academic Textbook Selector: 189

About the author

Timothy Ward is Team Vicar at Holy Trinity Church, Hinckley, England. He is the author of Word and Supplement: Speech Acts, Biblical Texts and the Sufficiency of Scripture (OUP), and a contributor to The Trustworthiness of God (Apollos), The Word Became Flesh (Paternoste), Reformed Theology In Contemporary Perspective (Rutherford House) and Spirit of Truth and Power (Rutherford House).

Bibliographic information

• Title: Words of Life: Scripture as the Living and Active Word of God
• Author: Timothy Ward
• Publisher: InterVarsity Press, 2014
• ISBN: 0830898344, 9780830898343
• Length: 184 pages
• Subjects: Religion / Christian Theology / Systematic