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As a young rebel, he eventually deserted the Royal Navy and was discharged to a slave trading ship. "Amazing Grace," the enduring Christian hymn, is one of the most well-known and beloved spiritual songs ever written. It is stated that over 20 musical settings of “Amazing Grace” circulated within about 60 years.
To the degree that we inherited the sin of Adam, we all checked into planet earth as sinners. There's a reason the hymn 'Amazing Grace' remains the favorite hymn for so many people. The powerful lyrics remind us that because of Jesus, none of us are ever lost because God is with us always. Learn the story behind Amazing Grace, read the complete lyrics and watch a few of our favorite videos of this beautiful hymn. During the time in which Newton’s faith became more mature, he was finally awakened to the sinfulness of slavery that people still somehow accepted.
The Meaning Of Amazing Grace: Newton’s Beginnings
The story of the song and the man behind the song is certainly a story of God’s amazing grace. This hymn has been sung by Christians and non-Christians alike for a couple of centuries now, and its popularity continues to grow. Let’s take a look at the history of this song and find out. The story of John Newton’s life intersecting with God’s amazing grace demonstrates how God can use any of us.
Without grace, this former slave trader would not have submitted his life to Jesus Christ to the point of becoming a pastor. Without this amazing grace, John Newton would not have helped to eradicate the slave trade from which he had profited in the earlier part of his life. His life seemed as ruined and wrecked as the battered ship he was trying to steer through the storm. Sailors were not noted for the refinement of their manners, but Newton had a reputation for profanity, coarseness, and debauchery which even shocked many a sailor. He spent his teen years at sea until he was forced to join the Royal Navy in 1744.
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This eventually became another part of his spiritual journey. Later in his life, he recounted time after time where God had extended His grace to Him for some reason. Newton found himself employed by an English slave trader near the coast of West Africa. During that time Newton was taken very ill with malaria and the trader’s mistress mistreated and abused John, almost starving him.
Yet, today it stands as one of, if not the most famous of all hymns in the world. Since Newton was the curate in Olney ministerially he most likely would have been encouraged to write hymns as was the custom for many in the clergy. Newton had grown up hearing the hymns of the famous writer, Isaac Watts, and was also familiar with Charles Wesley. In fact, it was Charles Wesley’s brother, John who encouraged Newton to go into the clergy. There were times when he felt guilt or conviction about his actions. He fell into temptation time after time, but would rebound, and resolutely try to live as his mother had taught him.
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His remorse for the sin of being involved in the slave trade led him to be an ardent abolitionist. In 1785 Newton met with the politician, William Wilberforce. Having experienced a spiritual conversion of his own, Wilberforce was considering becoming a clergyman.
On another occasion, he was late to get onto a small boat carrying some companions to a ship. From the shore, he watched in horror as that boat overturned and all of the passengers drowned. He also had a narrow escape after getting lost in a swamp in the jungles of Africa. Newton had not only been spiritually lost in his life but had been physically lost as well. The details of the life of John Newton vary from book to book and blog post to blog post, but the primary issue is agreed upon.
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You will undoubtedly wonder why the last verse of the song is not there. Although it’s a great and well-known verse, “when we’ve been there ten thousand years..,” this verse was not written by John Newton and was added by another author in the 1900s. It is quite amazing that in Britain, “Amazing Grace” didn’t receive very much attention as opposed to other hymns that were written by Newton.
Then an American composer, William Walker, put the words of “Amazing Grace” to the tune of a song called “New Britain.” “Amazing Grace has been sung to that melody ever since. John Newton obviously did not have a university degree and that meant that he could not be ordained as a minister in the normal way. In time Newton began to study and became more desperate to explore Christianity in a more serious and devout way.
John Newton was a rebellious, hard-nosed, obscene man who profited from the horrific slave trade but was transformed by God’s grace. He eventually became a dedicated minister of the gospel who was instrumental in getting the slave trade abolished. Newton lived as an arrogant sinner until 1747, when his ship was caught in a fierce storm and he finally surrendered to God.
After his conversion, he eventually left the sea and became an ordained Anglican minister at the age of 39. ‘Tis grace has brought me safe thus far, And grace will lead me home. We couldn’t end without inserting the lyrics of this great hymn.
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