MEETING GOD IN HIS WORD

'...reading the Bible is not fundamentally a comprehension exercise. Interpretation should serve only to lead us to an encounter with God as he actually presents himself to us in Scripture.' 

Timothy Ward, Words of Life, p.175. 

PREACHING & THE HOLY SPIRIT

'...in preaching the Spirit speaks through a Spirit-given Word, by means of a Spirit-formed preacher to a Spirit-indwelt people. At every point the preacher is hemmed in by the work and life of the Spirit.' 

Timothy Ward, Words of Life, p.169. 

SCRIPTURE & TRADITION

'...sola scriptura, in its proper formulation as found in the thinking of the mainstream Protestant Reformers, is not what many of its modern critics or defenders imagine it is. It does not deny the necessity of traditions of biblical interpretation, credal formulations of biblical faith, and inherited church practices that help to express and pass on the faith. Rather it ensures that all those traditions serve Scripture, the supreme authority, rather than compete with it. Sola Scriptura  means "Scripture supreme"' 

Timothy Ward, Words of Life, p.151. 

THE AUTHORITY OF SCRIPTURE

'The authority of Scripture is a statement about what God did in authoring Scripture, and about how he continues to act in relation to Scripture.' 

Timothy Ward, Words of Life, p.128. 

THE AUTHORITY OF SCRIPTURE

'The phrase "the authority of Scripture" must be understood to be shorthand for the "the authority of God as he speaks through Scripture". To speak about the authority of Scripture is really to say more about God, and about the ways he chooses to act and speak in the world, than it is to say something directly about Scripture itself. The authority of Scripture is dependent entirely on the authority of God, and comes about only because of what God has chosen to do in presenting himself to us through Scripture as a God we can know and trust.' 

Timothy Ward, Words of Life, p.128. 

ENCOUNTERING GOD

'...to encounter the words of Scripture is to encounter God in action.'
Timothy Ward, Words of Life, p.48. 

LANGUAGE & GOD

'Whatever else may be true of human language, it is quite reasonable to suppose that it has the ability to speak truly of God, both because it was given to us by a God who speaks within himself as eternally three speaking persons, and also because our possession of language as made in God's image, is analogous to God's communicative capacity. Our language can be made by God to speak truthfully of him because our language has its origin in him and in some ways is like his own. The fall makes this much more problematic, of course, but sin does not erase humanity as the image of God, and thus does not destroy the capacity of human language to speak truly of God.' 

Timothy Ward, Words of Life: Scripture as the living and active word of God, p.34.