Few stories in Christian history are more dramatic than that of John Newton, whose life reflects the title of his most famous hymn, "Amazing Grace."
Newton was born in London in 1725 to a navigator and pious mother. He followed his father to sea at the age of 11, but rejected his mother's faith, becoming a rebellious, reckless and immoral youth.
He had a knack for finding trouble: turning down a good job, being fired after six voyages and, at the age of 19, being forced into the Royal Navy. He deserted, was caught and subjected to a public flogging.
After retiring from the Navy, Newton became involved in the slave trade, sending slaves from Africa to North America. It is an unfortunate fact that slavery – a lucrative and largely invisible trade in Britain – caused little controversy back then. Newton, having made many enemies, found himself thrown into Africa by his colleagues and was imprisoned in chains and mistreated for eighteen months.
When Newton was rescued in 1748, he did not
showed no signs of remorse. However, when he was returning to Britain, his ship was caught in a violent storm. When the vessel began to sink, Newton began to pray, relying on the mercy of God. Somehow, the ship was able to return safely to the British Isles. Although Newton later believed that his prayer marked the moment of his conversion, he was to write: "I cannot consider myself a believer in the full sense of the word until after a considerable time."
However, changes began, and Newton began to pray and read the Bible.
In 1750, Newton married Polly Catlett, with whom he was to live 40 years of a happy, albeit childless, marriage. He returned to serve on slave ships, making three voyages as a captain and apparently ignoring any discrepancies between his profession and his faith.
At the age of 29, due to ill health, Newton gave up sailing and instead took a job at the port of Liverpool. There his Christian life began to flourish, and he came under the influence of the great preachers of the Methodist revival, John and Charles Wesley and George Whitefield. Newton's life changed and he became involved in evangelical communities and Bible study organizations. He sought ordination into the Anglican Church, but was turned down for several years due to lack of a degree and suspicion that he had acquired a Methodist "enthusiasm".
Finally, with the help of an influential supporter, Newton was ordained and became the minister of Olney in Buckinghamshire. A lively, driven and caring pastor who taught the Bible and preached engaging and relevant sermons, he tripled the size of his congregation. He also wrote books that brought him to the attention of the general public.
Poet and hymnwriter William Cowper moved to Olney and he and Newton became close friends, which proved to be a huge help to the depressed Cowper. Together they began to write hymns. Newton's contributions included many hymns that remain popular, including "Amazing Grace", "How Sweet the Name of Jesus Sounds", and "Glorious Words of Thee". While technically Cowper could have been a better poet, Newton showed a remarkable ability to use simple language.
After 16 years of fruitful service in Olney, Newton moved to a church in the City of London in 1780. There, in the heart of the country, he was able to make a powerful impact, inspiring, instructing and advancing in every way an energetic evangelist. Christianity. When the young and promising politician William Wilberforce converted and was tempted to leave politics in favor of the church, Newton urged him to remain in Parliament and "serve God where he was."
By now, national sentiment had turned against slavery, and Newton, still saddened by his involvement decades earlier, wrote a powerful pamphlet, Reflections on the African Slave Trade, based on his own experience. It was widely circulated and widely used to aid Wilberforce in his eventually successful campaign against the slave trade.
In his later years, Newton became perhaps the senior statesman of the evangelical church in Britain, doing his best to spread the gospel; supporting ministers of various denominations and helping to found both the Church Missionary Society and the Bible Society. Newton died in 1807 at the age of 82, after 50 years of service to Christ and just a few months after slavery was ended in the British Empire.
There are many issues in John Newton's life that challenge us, but what strikes me the most are those that arise as a result of his conversion. Let me offer you four thoughts.
First, we seeconversion priority . Newton's transformation from the dirtiest man to the most merciful servant of God teaches that an encounter with Christ can be life-changing. After all, Christianity is not a matter of morality; it's about Jesus changing lives.
Secondly, we seeprinciple of circulation . Newton's story reminds us that although we cannot save ourselves, God can and does. In the words of "Amazing Grace," Newton came to God as an unworthy "scoundrel" who was "lost" and "blind," but Christ saved him.
Third, we seecirculation process . We all love stories about dramatic handling with instant behavior change. They happen, but there are also seemingly protracted Newton-like transformations. We need to be reminded that it can sometimes be a long time after a seed is planted before the flower of faith blooms.
Finally we seeconversion product . Newton received abundant grace. But it is important to note that, having received grace, he shared it with others. The rich grace that God gave to Newton extended to many lives and to the world.
Among the last recorded words of John Newton were the following: "My memory is almost erased, but I remember two things: that I am a great sinner, and Christ is a great Savior."Amen.
