Few songs have touched the human heart the way Amazing Grace has. You hear it in churches, at funerals, in moments of grief, and in celebrations of hope. Its words carry something timeless—a message of redemption that feels as fresh today as when it was first sung. But what makes the hymn so remarkable isn’t only its beauty. It’s the story of the man behind it, John Newton.
John Newton’s Troubled Past
Newton wasn’t born a saint. He came into the world in 1725, the son of a sea captain, and his early years were marked by rebellion and reckless living. As a young man, he joined the British Navy, only to desert it later. His path eventually led him into one of the darkest trades of his time: the slave trade.
Newton worked aboard slave ships, and later became a captain himself, overseeing the capture and transport of enslaved Africans. He would later admit that he sank into moral and spiritual corruption so deep that he barely recognized the man he had become.
But God was not done with him.
A Storm at Sea
In 1748, while sailing off the coast of Ireland, Newton’s ship was caught in a fierce storm. The waves tore into the vessel, and death seemed certain. In desperation, Newton cried out to God for mercy. He survived that night, but more than that something inside him shifted. That prayer marked the beginning of a long road to faith.
Though he stayed in the slave trade for a few years after, his heart was softening. He began to read Scripture and wrestle with its truth. Slowly, he came to realize that the chains he was dealing in were a reflection of the bondage in his own soul and that only God’s grace could set him free.
From Slave Trader to Minister
In 1754, Newton left the slave trade for good. Ten years later, he became an Anglican minister, preaching the gospel he had once scorned. But his most lasting contribution came not from a pulpit, but from his pen.
In 1773, for a New Year’s service, Newton wrote the words to a hymn that told his story in simple, unforgettable lines:
“Amazing grace, how sweet the sound That saved a wretch like me…”
Newton never hid from his past. He called himself a “wretch,” and his honesty about his own brokenness gave power to his testimony. The hymn became an anthem for anyone who knew the weight of sin and the wonder of forgiveness.
A Voice for Abolition
In 1788, long after he had left the sea, Newton wrote Thoughts Upon the Slave Trade. In it, he confessed his shame for his role in the trade and described its horrors in detail. His words fueled the growing abolition movement in Britain.
Newton also became a mentor to William Wilberforce, the man who led the fight in Parliament to end the slave trade. Their efforts bore fruit in 1807 with the passage of the Slave Trade Act just months before Newton died.
The Legacy of Grace
The reason Amazing Grace has endured is because it’s more than a song. It’s a testimony. It’s the cry of a man who knew he deserved judgment, yet was overwhelmed by mercy. It tells us that no one not even a slave trader turned preacher is beyond the reach of God.
Newton’s story is proof that grace is not just an idea it’s a force that changes lives. The man who once shackled others in chains became a voice for freedom. And every time we hear Amazing Grace, we hear his story echoed in those words:
“I once was lost, but now am found / Was blind, but now I see.”
That is the power of grace. Not a concept, not a song, but a person Jesus Christ who still redeems and transforms today can rewrite even the darkest chapters of our stories.