The hymn Amazing Grace was written 250 years ago and has yet to lose relevance to listeners in every generation since. It continues to touch hearts and resonate with the experience of one who has found salvation and new life in Christ Jesus. The word grace, in the original Greek, is charis, which means undeserved favor or merit. Certainly, believers can relate to the undeserved favor – the grace – that God has generously given to those who have put their faith in Him.
John Newton wrote the song, Amazing Grace, in the year 1772, and it slowly began to gain attention and popularity. When one hears this hymn, it becomes clear that the author was deeply impacted by the grace of God. Though he felt wretched, he was still able to experience the saving grace of God. Though he was lost, God found him and saved him. Though he was blind, his eyes were opened to his sin and need for Jesus in his life.
John Newton was 47 years old when he wrote the song, “Amazing Grace.” Like his father, he took a career sailing the seas. He spent his earlier years on the seas of the African coast, searching for slaves to capture and sell for a profit. Before his salvation experience that eventually led him to write Amazing Grace, he was a captain of slave ships, invested in the slave industry, and was a slave owner. He eventually became an ordained minister and abolitionist.
The story of John Newton’s powerful change came during a storm on the sea that could have led to the loss of him and his crew. According to history, John Newton prayed during this fierce storm that God would save them, and they went on to survive this storm.
A few years later, Newton gave up his hand in the slave trade industry. It took time, but God pruned John Newton and helped him live a life that was instead honoring and glorifying to God. He then studied the Bible and theology, and became a minister in 1754.
John Newton’s story is one of profound transformation and deliverance. It is clear that his radical change resulted in the formation of this hymn. Its words are very relatable for many believers who know what it is to be delivered from a life of wickedness into a life of righteousness lived for God.