John Newton was born in London in 1725, the son of John
Newton the elder, a shipmaster in the Mediterranean service, and Elizabeth. She
died of tuberculosis (then called consumption) in July 1732, about two
weeks before her son's seventh birthday. Newton spent two years at a
boarding school before going to live at Aveley in Essex, the home of his
father's new wife.
At age eleven he first went to sea with his father. Newton
sailed six voyages before his father retired in 1742. At that time, Newton's
father made plans for him to work at a sugarcane plantation in Jamaica.
Instead, Newton signed on with a merchant ship sailing to the Mediterranean
Sea.
Newton spent years fighting against authority, going so far
as trying to desert the Royal Navy in his twenties. Later, abandoned by his
crew in West Africa, he was forced to be a servant to a slave trader but was
eventually rescued. On the return voyage to England, a violent storm hit and
almost sank the ship, prompting Newton to begin his spiritual conversion as he
cried out to God to save them from the storm.
Upon his return, however, Newton became a slave ship master,
a profession in which he served for several years. Bringing slaves from Africa
to England over multiple trips, he admitted to sometimes treating the slaves
abhorrently.
But in 1748, on board The Greyhound, a fierce storm
arose off Ireland. Newton, fearing for his life, cried out to a God he barely
knew. He promised that, if his life was spared, he would devote the remainder
of it to God’s service.
That day at the helm was a day Newton remembered ever after:
"On that day the Lord sent from on high and delivered me out of deep
waters."
He found a New Testament and began to read. Luke 11:13
seemed to assure him that God might still hear him: "If ye then, being
evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your
heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him."
In Newton’s gratitude, he never forgot his promise to God
and committed his life to serving him. Due to his previous life experience and
lack of education, it took more than seven years for him to be accepted into
ministry in the Church of England.
His first post was as curate at St Peter and St Paul church,
Olney - at that time a poor Buckinghamshire village consisting mainly of farm
laborers and lace-makers.
As Newton preached and ministered to his flock, he developed
the habit of writing hymns - many with his good friend and local poet William
Cowper - to accompany his weekly sermons and help his listeners understand the
message. And so it was that, ahead of his New Year’s Day service in 1773,
Newton wrote “Amazing Grace” to accompany his teaching on 1 Chronicles 17:16-17.
Little did he and his congregation know that his hymn would
go on to become internationally renowned.
The words speak powerfully of Newton’s own personal
experience of grace – how God had seen him through toils and dangers; how he
had been spiritually lost but yet God had, both physically and spiritually,
rescued him and led him home.
The hymn speaks of God’s love and forgiveness, and reminds
us that he protects his people
Later, having fully realized the horrors and atrocities that
he had been involved in, Newton became heavily involved in campaigning for the
abolition of the slave trade.
Moving from Olney to St Mary’s Woolnoth, in the City of
London, he began to work with the nephew of a friend, William Wilberforce MP,
who led the parliamentary campaign which would eventually see the slave trade
made illegal in 1806. He died a year later, aged 82.
Newton wrote in his diary of March 21, 1805: "Not well
able to write; but I endeavor to observe the return of this day with
humiliation, prayer, and praise." Only God's amazing grace could and would
take a rude, profane, slave-trading sailor and transform him into a child of
God. Newton never ceased to stand in awe of God's work in his life.
Newton is shown in the movie “Amazing Grace” while washing
the floor where he served. He was losing his eyesight. He was persuaded to
write his account of his years in the slave trade with the help of a parishioner.
Godsbless.ing: This verse from the gospel of Luke captures the heart and mission of Jesus Christ as he walked the earth. Jesus’s mission to seek and save the lost speaks to the very essence of who He is and what He stands for. Imagine walking through a dense forest, searching tirelessly for a lost sheep – this is the relentless pursuit Jesus has for every single person who feels lost or disconnected. It reflects His compassion, love, and unwavering dedication to bringing back those who have strayed away.
Scripturesavvy.com: “The lost” signifies those who are spiritually disconnected from God. These individuals could represent anyone in our lives who hasn’t yet embraced the grace offered by Jesus. This illustrates the universal need for salvation irrespective of cultural, social, or economic status. We all possess the potential for spiritual darkness without Christ, and the promise of salvation is available to everyone who seeks it.
Biblehub.com, Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers: First, the light of the gospel shines before men; next, by faith they open their eyes to see it; then they are sealed by a special gift of the Holy Spirit.
Biblehub.com, Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary: What a gracious promise that is, which secures the gift of the Holy Ghost to those who ask Him! The sanctifying and comforting influences of the Holy Spirit seal believers as the children of God, and heirs of heaven. These are the first-fruits of holy happiness. For this we were made, and for this we were redeemed; this is the great design of God in all that He has done for us; let all be ascribed unto the praise of His glory.
Studylight.org, Clarke’s Commentary: All time is as nothing before him, because in the presence as in the nature of God all is eternity; therefore, nothing is long, nothing short, before Him; no lapse of ages impairs His purposes, nor need He wait to find convenience to execute those purposes. And when the longest period of time has passed by, it is but as a moment or indivisible point in comparison of eternity.
TheBiblesays.com: This encapsulates the message that those whose lives reflect obedience to God will not only endure beyond this world's temporary offerings but will also enjoy an intimate relationship with Him now—a relationship that cultivates joy and signifies true identity in eternity.
Studylight.org, Gill’s Exposition of the Whole Bible: Then they shall be ever with Him; wherever He is; first in the air, where they shall meet Him; then in the third heaven, where they shall go up with Him; then on earth, where they shall descend and reign with Him a thousand years; and then in the ultimate glory to all eternity: and this will be the issue and accomplishment of the counsel and covenant of grace, of the sufferings and death of Christ, and of His preparations and prayers.
Godsbless.ing: “And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.” This part signifies an eternal relationship with God, not confined to a physical location but indicative of an everlasting communion.
Scripturesavvy.com: Following God’s love means we can find
peace, knowing His goodness is around us every day. The verse concludes with a
deep desire to dwell in the house of the Lord forever, which signifies our
longing for a close, eternal relationship with God. This longing goes beyond
earthly satisfaction, representing our hope in eternal life and the fulfillment
found in God’s presence.
Bibleref.com: David anticipated that at the end of his life
he would enter heaven—the house of the LORD—and live there forever . . . Having
the Lord as our shepherd makes life worthwhile and blessed, and when our
journey on earth ends we will enter heaven to live with our Shepherd forever.
Those who have read Harriet Beecher Stowe's classic African American novel, “Uncle Tom's Cabin,” may remember that Tom sings three verses of "Amazing Grace," including one verse not written by Newton, which is now traditionally sung as the third verse:
“When we've been there ten thousand years, Bright shining as
the sun,
We've no less days to sing God's praise, Than when we first begun.”
