“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”

2 Corinthians 5:17

If you have grown up in church you’ve probably sung his song over a hundred times. If you’ve never been to church in your life this would be the one hymn you would know. It was written before America became an official nation. Yet, 244 years later we still sing it, and I am confident it will still be sung long after we are gone. Have you figured it out yet? “Amazing Grace” is one of the most enduring hymns ever sung. It’s lyrics and tune touches the heart and soul reminding us of the power of God’s mercy and grace.

Few who sing the song are probably aware of the story of the man who authored it. John Newton was only a boy when he joined his father as a sailor. Over the years, he began to be known as one of the foulest mouthed and profane men on his ship. He eventually became the Captain of a ship in the slave trader industry. It was after a severe storm at sea when he nearly died that he began to seek God. He eventually left the Sea Captain life in order to become a minister. He would later write about the cruelty and horror of slavery in, Thoughts Upon the African Slave Trade. He writes, “I hope it will always be a subject of humiliating reflection to me, that I was once an active instrument in a business at which my heart now shudders.” The pamphlet would become influential in opening many eyes to the inhumane nature of slavery.

In many ways, “Amazing Grace” is the story of John Newton’s second chance at life. The mercy of God given to one who was so wretched, lost, and blind. John could not turn back the clock and undo his past, but by the grace of God he was led to become the man he never could have been before. It connects to all of us sinners. We too cannot turn back the past and undo the things we later regret, but in Christ the “old has passed away and the new has come.” By faith in Jesus we can become the new person that God longs for us to be. When we faithfully follow Jesus our lives become a story of “Amazing Grace.”