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.

The lyrics to one of the most recognizable hymns of all time were penned by John Newton, a former slave trader. After surviving a violent sea storm, he experienced a profound spiritual transformation and committed his life to Jesus. Rather than simply walk away from his old life, he became a vocal opponent to the horrors of slavery, using his past as a platform for change. He later mentored William Wilberforce, one of the most prominent figures of the European abolitionist movement.

In his pamphlet “Thoughts Upon the African Slave Trade,” Newton states, “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.”

Though “Amazing Grace” has become a timeless anthem of hope and redemption, its power is even more profound when we understand the story behind it. Not commonly used in our modern day culture, Newton’s expression of the word “wretch” – a despicable or contemptible person – tells us he understood the gravity and depravity of his sin, making his message of grace all the more powerful. 

Even the word “amazing” takes on greater depth when describing this kind of grace. Oh, what a Savior! No matter your past or how lost you feel, God’s grace – astonishing, extraordinary, and unfailing – is reaching for you. It meets you in your darkness, opens your eyes, and leads you into the light.