Introduction by Billy
Graham
The Bible has a unique word for each generation. The frequency with which new translations and revisions are appearing is one more indication of this fact. For a generation in a hurry, nothing is more helpful than a condensation and interpretation that combines the skill of dedicated scholarship with an unconditional devotion to the Scriptures.
In this fresh expression of the essential message of the New Testament letters, Dr. Wirt has succeeded in combining the abiding truth of divine revelation with a style that makes the message relevant. Many people caught in the tempest of mid-twentieth-century living need to be helped toward spiritual awareness and understanding. This abstraction of the New Testament gets a lay person into the Bible in the shortest possible time.
I am convinced that only the whole Bible should be the final authority for spiritual living. Yet I am practical enough to face the unhappy fact that many well-meaning persons never manage to read through their Bibles, or even through their New Testaments. Therefore, this strictly contemporary way of setting forth the gospel in today's words and phrases is particularly significant.
Open Your Bible might well be the call to many readers to begin the most fascinating exploration of a lifetime, an exploration that will, we trust, lead you into a more abundant life through a deepening of personal faith and a sound commitment to Jesus Christ.
—BILLY GRAHAM
