Amazing Grace is one of the most well-known hymns of all time and sung by sinner and saint alike.  Follow this link for a little history on the life of the hymn’s author John Newton. Within the song, we glance into the transforming power of grace. Paul explains the purpose of grace in Romans 3:22-24 “For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,” It is His grace that makes us presentable to God and it is through His grace that we can stand before His throne free of guilt and shame. Truly it is an Amazing Grace, but what does that mean for our daily lives?  I propose three things:

1. Romans 5:20 shows that there is more than enough grace to cover any and all sins that have been committed. Sin carries consequences and the Biblical Law identifies these areas. Sin can wreak havoc in our lives, but it is to this chaos that grace needs to be applied.
2. John describes Jesus as being full of grace and truth in John 1:14. He goes on to compare the law with grace and showed that the Good News message is one of Grace. In the Bible, the word grace means the “divine influence upon the heart”. When Jesus came to earth is was to reveal and become, through His death and resurrection, the divine influencing our hearts.  This is done through our accepting His sacrifice and inviting the Holy Spirit to be our Counselor.
3. Jesus came to be the embodiment of Grace and as a believer, we are called to allow grace to be our motivation for what we do.  Peter states in 1 Peter 4:10 that grace is the “why” of our mission to serve one another. Simply, we have experienced grace from Jesus and so we can draw from that well to offer and respond in grace towards others.

My prayer is that Amazing Grace will continue to be more than just a song we sing, but a message to others.

Matthew 10:8 “Freely you have received, freely give.”

Phil