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From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

Q: Some of the new worship music is void of correct theology, singing about the scandalous grace of God. Scandal means irresponsible, dishonorable, etc. Is this another example of people today changing the meaning of words? How can anyone exchange the word amazing with scandal? Wasn’t it the “Amazing Grace” of God that saved the soul of the man who wrote the song? – S.G.

A: At a church cemetery in Olney, England, is the grave of John Newton. It reads, “John Newton, clerk, once an infidel and libertine, a servant of slaves in Africa, was by the rich mercy of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, preserved, restored, pardoned, and appointed to preach the faith he had long laboured to destroy.”

John Newton was the son of a sea captain who was engaged in the Mediterranean trade. His mother died when he was 6, and after two years of informal schooling, he joined his father’s ship. Newton’s early life was one of immorality, debauchery, and failure. He was rejected by his father, in trouble with employers, and finally jailed and degraded.

This miserable seaman was brought to salvation as a result of a violent storm in which he almost lost his life. At the age of 39, he became a minister and gave the rest of his life to serving God in the church.

Newton wrote many hymns, including “Amazing Grace,” which seems his own testimony. It was God’s grace that reached out to Newton and made him conscious that he was a sinner and then assured him that his sins were forgiven. So it is with all of us. We are all sinners because we fall short of God’s standards, but by confession and repentance, God forgives us and receives us as His very own. We can say as John Newton, “I am a great sinner, and Christ is a great Savior.”

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(This column is based on the words and writings of the late Rev. Billy Graham.)

©2024 Billy Graham Literary Trust. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

(c)2024 BILLY GRAHAM DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC.