A Life of Grace

John Newton is a man of great faith; from a slave to a pastor, he has experienced the amazing grace of God’s love in many ways. “The reason is unknown to me, but one thing I know, that whereas I was blind, now I see,”—this quote by John Newton himself summarizes the Christian faith quite well. As we take a dive through the life of John Newton, we will learn where he gets the inspiration for words such as these.

To understand John Newton’s faith, we must first understand his life. From the time he was little, his mother had been sharing hymns and scripture with him. His mother played a great part in the foundation of his faith, even though he was only under her influence for a short time, because she died when John was only seven. This forced him to join his father as a sailor and make a living for himself.

However, his mischievous nature soon got him into trouble. Not only did it get him forced into the British navy, but when he tried to escape and see the love of his life, he wound up a slave. Eventually, though, he makes his way up and becomes a slave trader. Even with his Christian background, he doesn’t have faith of his own until he is faced with a life-or-death situation when he is sailing to his next location. A terrible storm hits, and the ship nearly capsizes, yet it stays up as if it was in an invisible hand. All of these events lead to his faith, which changed his life.

One of the changes that came from John Newton’s faith was his family life. He became a Christian. Mary Catlett, who had refused to marry anyone else, married him. Even though John and Mary couldn’t have children of their own, they adopted two daughters who were both Mary’s nieces. He showed them the same grace that God had previously shown to him. He probably would have chosen to just abandon the two orphans and even use his age as an excuse, but instead he showed them God’s love and was a blessing to them both. Faith should change our relationships with family toward love.

John Newton had seen God’s grace in many ways. He had seen it so much that he began to write a song about it in 1773 to pair with his sermon on 1 Chronicles 17:16–17: “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.” This first verse of the song doesn’t just sum up John Newton’s life well, but the life of every Christian.

The song continues with the words, “’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace my fears relieved; how precious did that grace appear the hour I first believed.” These lyrics also show the profound truths in Newton’s life.

John Newton’s story shows us that no matter where we come from, God can use us for His glory. He went from being lost in sin to living a life of faith and grace. His life reminds us that it is only by God’s grace that we are saved, and that grace can completely transform a person.