AMAZING GRACE

In the 1700s, John Newton went to sea with his father on a merchant ship. Soon after his father retired, Newton was pressed into service on a warship. Facing intolerable conditions, he deserted & later requested a transfer to a slave ship that was soon to set sail for Africa.

Newton hardened himself to the trafficking of human beings & eventually he became captain of his own slave ship.

On May 10, 1748, however, his life was changed forever. His ship encountered a terrifying, violent storm. Just as it seemed that the vessel would sink, Newton cried aloud, "Lord, have mercy upon us!"

That night in his cabin, he began to reflect upon God's mercy. Through faith in Christ's sacrifice for him, he experienced God's amazing grace in a personal way.

In time, he left the slave trade & entered Christian ministry. Although he became a preacher of the gospel, he is most remembered for his much-loved hymn "Amazing Grace." It's an amazing testimony of his personal experience.

God's Spirit convicts us of sin & gives us the power to forsake it. When we receive Christ as our Savior, He does for us what we are powerless to do in our own strength. That's amazing grace.

- Dennis Fisher.

“Amazing grace-how sweet the sound –

That saved a wretch like me!

I once was lost but now am found,

Was blind but now I see.” – Newton.

- (preceptaustin.org)

Ep 2:8-9: “For it is by God’s GRACE that you have been saved through faith. It is not the result of your own efforts, but God’s gift, so that no one can boast about it.”