Amazing Grace

Amazing Grace

Newton published a hymn in 1772 called Faith’s Review and Expectation

The Hymn Amazing Grace first appeared in this hymnbook The Olney Hymns, published in 1779.

The collection draws its name from the Buckinghamshire village of Olney, in England where Newton was curate.

There are currently 972 arrangements of the song and more than 1,100 available albums which feature versions of Amazing Grace.

The fourth stanza of the song changed in 1909. Edwin Excell replaced it with verse from the hymn "Jerusalem, My Happy Home."

Arlo Guthrie performed Amazing Grace on the opening night of Woodstock.

Chris Tomlin wrote for the movie Amazing Grace a new verse, as released in his CD, see the morning. The verse he wrote is still in the essence of the original . The is what he penned for the song,

My chains are gone I’ve been set free

My God, my savior has ransomed me

and like a flood His mercy reigns

Unending love, Amazing Grace.

And then used Newton’s words to finish.

The Lord has promised good to me,

His word my hope secures.

He will my shield and portion be,

As long as life endures.

The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,

The sun forbear to shine.

But God who called me here below,

Will be forever mine,

Will be forever mine,

You are forever mine.

The grace of a mighty and powerful God,

who benevolently express His grace on a fallen and undeserving people.

A God, so gracious to send His Son His only Son to pay the price for the sins of humanity.

But what is “Grace” and what does grace really mean?

Grace according to Webster is=== Mercy, clemency, unmerited love and favor of God towards man.

I have found that Grace is much easier to illustrate than it is to define. It would take volumes to do the definition justice but here are some common definitions.

Grace is – Gods Riches At Christ’s Expense

Grace is – God’s love taking the initiative to meet man’s need, whatever that need may be.

Grace is – Love stooping (bending) down.

Mercy is – Not getting what you deserve.

Grace is – Getting what you don’t deserve.

Grace goes beyond mercy. Mercy is the Governor giving a guilty man a pardon.

Grace is the Governor giving the man a pardon and them taking him home to live with him.

The best single sentence definition of Grace that I have run across is this:

“Grace is God’s freely given, unmerited favor toward the sinful and failing, the expression of forgiving, redeeming, restoring love toward the unworthy.”

Grace shown from God is because we need to be set free, free from the bondage of sin or what ever holds us captive.

I. The Grace That Saves Us – “Saving Grace”

In the movie Amazing Grace, John Newton says to William Wilberforce the Abolitionist “did I not write as well, I Was blind, but now I see.” Wilberforce answers “yes you did,” Newton responds with,” Now it is true”

Some times we are captive to things we do not see, captive to power, to things, jobs, relationships, things that hold us in bondage. Not being able to see the truth until we are really free to open our eyes. that allows us to be free in Christ, free to enjoy life. Gods grace saves us from those things and more. Why would God save us? Scripture tell us why.

Ephesians 2:4-10 NIV

4But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—9not by works, so that no one can boast. 10For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

II. Our Freedom In Grace – “FREEING Grace”

We need to get free of all those things that bind, including legalism, false ideas or understanding. Only in Christ can we be free. Free to be what God has called us to be. The best us we can be for God! In Scripture it says…

John 8:34-36 NIV

34Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. 35Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. 36So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.