Amazing Grace
By Marsha Iddings
"Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted." Matthew 5:4
I watched the movie "Amazing Grace" recently. It's the story of William Wilberforce's work of getting the slave trade abolished. It was a great movie and I would recommend it. However, the portrayal of John Newton, the writer of the song "Amazing Grace", was far from amazing. They portrayed him as a pathetic old man who was continually haunted by the ghosts of the slaves he had mistreated. It was as if he was paying in some way for the crimes he had committed against them. Is this how God's forgiveness works? In order for a sinner to be forgiven by God of his sins, is he required to do some sort of works to work off the sins he has committed? In reading John Newton's biography and some of his letters that he wrote, I find a very different picture of God's forgiveness and amazing grace.
Yes, as Christians, we do have times that we weep and mourn for sins that we have committed, but it's not to pay for them and somehow gain God's grace and forgiveness. If grace must be earned then it is not grace. The Bible does say that we should mourn for sin in our lives. If we have no sorrow for our sin, then can we really claim to be a Christian? However, the Bible also says a lot about joy. One of the fruits of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22 is joy. Romans
"Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted." We mourn for sin committed against a holy God, but God comforts us with forgiveness. 1 John 1:9 says, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." When God cleanses us from all unrighteousness, he wipes it off our account. Psalm 103:12 tells us, "As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us." And Colossians
John Newton wrote on guilt,
...however dissatisfied with ourselves, we ought still to be thankful that he (God) has begun his work in us, and to believe that he will also make an end. Therefore while we mourn, we should likewise rejoice; we should encourage ourselves to expect all that he promised; and we should limit our expectations by his promises...
These are not the words of a man who spent his life haunted by the ghosts of his past, trying to pay in some way for his sins to gain forgiveness from God. These are the words of a man who was forgiven by God and lived a life of victory bringing honor to God and encouraging others. God's grace is truly amazing! Have you experienced His amazing grace in your life?
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