Whoa! How time flies! Good Friday is just around the corner. It’s not another holiday in the calendar but a commemoration of the sacrifice of God’s beloved son on the cross. The escalating events that followed and surrounded Holy Friday were significant. Why? On top of the breaking of bread, the intense prayer that caused Jesus wept tears of blood, the arrest at the Garden of Gethsemane was the act of God’s love for humanity. To know how much God loves us is to see how much God have to endure watching His own beloved son suffered on our behalf. God, who made Jesus who had no sins to be sin for us, so that in Jesus we might become the righteousness of God as stated in 2 Corinthians 5:21.
Like in John Newton’s famous Christian’s hymn entitled, Amazing Grace, written in the year 1772. The hymn talked about grace so amazingly given to us, despite our unworthiness as wretched sinners. In Ephesians 2:4-5, “But God is so rich in mercy, and He loved us so much that even though we were dead because of sins, He gave us life when He raised Christ from the dead.” No one knew better than John Newton on God’s Amazing Grace.
John Newton was not a pious or a God-fearing man to begin with. Prior to his return from backslide, he was brutish and vulgar, and would consider himself to be an atheist at times. Unknowingly, his Christian mother’s faith and beliefs did have some influence on him, in spites of his waylaid lifestyle as a seafarer. It was not until the near-death experience close to the coast of Ireland that began to change him. God did not abandon him for all the bad things that he did. God’s stubborn love left the ninety-nine to pursue this one lost sheep.
Like so many who were saved in the bible and those in the present, this song captured our sincere gratitude and appreciation for God the Father. God gave His only beloved son to be sacrificed so that we might have eternal life through Him. We do not deserve it, and we can never claim that we love God first too to own it. It was God who is rich in mercy that bought us our redemption through Christ while we were dead in sins. He did this because of the great love that he has for us. We are saved by God’s Amazing Grace as stated in Ephesians 2:4-5 and definitely, not by the works of Law.
The song or hymn does not have to be sung only during church services or at funeral services. We can always sing the hymn and meditate on the lyrics to appreciate its rich contents of ABBA Father’ love for us. We are all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on Jesus the iniquity of us all. For that, the perfect and blessed Lamb of God was crucified on this day to appease the wrath of God for the sins on our behalf. It is Amazing Grace indeed that saved a wretch such as us! Let’s slowly absorb its “luxurious spiritual nutrients” as we worship the Lord with this beautiful hymn.
Amazing grace how sweet the sound
that saved a wretch like me
I once was lost, but now I’m found
was blind but now I see
‘Twas grace that taught my heart to fear
and grace my fears relieved
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed
Through many dangers, toils, and snares
I have already come
This grace that brought me safe thus far
And grace will lead me home
When we’ve been here ten thousand years
Bright, shining as the sun
we’ve no less days to sing God’s praise
than when we first begun
Amazing grace how sweet the sound
that saved a wretch like me
I once was lost, but now I’m found
was blind but now I seeas