Includes bibliographical references and indexes.

Introduction: God and the Bible -- God and Scripture : a biblical outline -- God's action and his words -- The Old Testament -- The New Testament -- God's person and his words -- God's words and human words -- Christ's words, and God's action and person -- Christ's words and human words -- God's words and the Bible -- The Trinity and Scripture : a theological outline -- The Father and Scripture : the covenant book -- Redemption and Scripture -- Revelation and Scripture -- The Son and Scripture : the words of the Word -- Jesus and the Bible as both 'Word of God' -- Scripture and the incarnation -- The Holy Spirit and Scripture : the God-breathed word -- The inspiration of Scripture -- The preservation of Scripture -- The illumination of Scripture -- Summary -- The attributes of Scripture : a doctrinal outline -- The necessity of Scripture -- The sufficiency of Scripture -- The clarity of Scripture -- Preaching and a clear Bible -- Diverse interpretations and a clear Bible -- Defining the clarity of Scripture -- The authority of Scripture -- The nature of biblical authority-- Inerrancy and infallibility -- The Bible and Christian life : the doctrine of Scripture applied -- The meaning of sola scriptura -- Scripture and the Christian community -- Scripture and preaching -- The Spirit and the Bible -- The Spirit and the preacher -- The Spirit and the people of God -- Scripture and the individual Christian -- Private Bible reading in relation to corporate Bible reading and preaching -- The aim of Bible reading -- Summary.

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. --from publisher description.