Most Christians are familiar with the famous hymn written by John Newton called, “Amazing Grace”. According to several biographies, this Christian hymn (published way back in 1779) was written in 1772 by Newton (1725–1807). It remains a hugely popular hymn and often features in Christian worship, but also in many secular settings, as well. Such is the incredible anointing that is still on it.
John Newton wrote the words of this great hymn from personal experience. He grew up without any particular religious convictions, but his life's path was shaped by a variety of twists and turns that were often caused by other peoples’ reactions to what they took as his recalcitrant insubordination. He was pressed-ganged into service in the British Royal Navy at 17 years of age. He would not become a happy sailor at all. But God had other plans for a young man shunned as “the worst of the worst,” and he was changed into a man of God who helped turn the heart of England against the evil slave trade.
After leaving the Royal Navy, Newton got himself involved in the slave trade. In 1748, a violent storm battered his vessel off the coast of Ireland so severely that he called out to God for mercy. This very moment was the beginning of his spiritual conversion, but he would continue slave trading until 1754, whereupon he ended his sailing days for good. Newton began studying Christian theology and later became an abolitionist assisting William Wilberforce, a British member of parliament, campaigning for the abolition of slavery.
Concluding his studies, Newton was ordained in the Church of England in 1764, and became a minister at the church at Olney, Buckinghamshire. He also began to write hymns with eminent poet of the day, one William Cowper. “Amazing Grace” was written to illustrate a sermon on New Year's Day of 1773.
In one of the lines of this great hymn are these words and they reveal the specific moment when Newton became aware of his sinful condition before God – he saw reality from God’s perspective, and this truth so convicted him that he began to repent and seek the face of God. “I once was blind, but now I see.” Once, Newton was blind to the horrors and evil of his sin and perpetration of evil against others – but then God opened his eyes to see things as they really were. He did not like what he saw. He was shocked by what he realised and instinctively knew that he was far, far from God, and heading for hell.
In recent years, say, the last two decades, the world in which we have been living has seemed to be relatively OK, even though we know that it hasn’t been, and the devil has been hard at work behind the scenes deceiving, manipulating and scheming. (In this sense I am an unashamed conspiracy theorist – in total agreement with Jesus Christ). Most of us have kind of ‘known’ this to some real extent but, of late, I think God is opening our eyes to really see what is going on in our world. We believers are now seeing things – critically important things – that are just so evil and so wrong as to be intolerable and which require us to speak prophetically in response. (No, not judge, but speak prophetically what God would have us speak as the salt of the earth; because that is what we are!). There are critical things now being revealed by God to which we simply must speak. Just as God opened Newton’s eyes to see sinful realities in his day, so God is, right now, opening the eyes of His people to see the greater evil before us in our day, that we may prophesy and intercede for our cities, our nation.
I am, not speaking here of the immoral lifestyles of people who reject God’s righteous ways – that has always been with us. I am speaking about the systemic evil and the anti-Christ agendas that for the last ten years have been gradually incorporated into the social fabric and psyche of our nation – and there is more coming. What was once completely unacceptable on every level, is now so sinfully normal. It is an individual choice to live a certain way; to love righteousness and walk humbly with our Holy God, or eschew God’s righteous wisdom and do your own thing (which is the essence of sin). That is an individual choice, and this has always been the situation throughout human history since Noah.
These things are plain enough for Christians to see. But what we have not always seen – yet have probably suspected for some time – is the systematic imposition of sinful agendas upon the righteous. Concerning many of these, God is opening our eyes. And when God does so, it is a signal for His people to speak prophetically for righteousness’ sake. Last week we all read of state MP Fiona Patten’s (Reason Party) agenda to force all Christian Hospitals in the state to carry out abortions on demand like other hospitals do. Like, there is not enough other hospitals and clinics who already do so, and which have no qualms about it? This agenda is not about abortion. No! It is about the systematic extermination of the prophetic Christian voice and righteous stance in our state and nation. And this is but one of many examples of agendas that will create systemic evil to which God is opening our eyes.
This is not the time or season to turn a blind eye. It is the season to say, as Newton once did, “I once was blind but now I see”, and to do as Newton did – spoke prophetically and insistently without wilting until the legislatures of his day overturned the evil that had become so normalised. Now is the time to write your letters with intelligent grace and truth, to call your local MPs, to pray and be part of other prophetic efforts … or we will lose our saltiness, and very sense of purpose in being here as God’s people.
Matthew 5:13 (NIV)
[Jesus] "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.”
Once we were blind, but now we see …
Think on these things.
Ps Milton
Sources: “John Newton: The Angry Sailor” by Kay Marshall Strom; “John Newton: Amazing Grace” (autobiography); Wikipedia; Churches of Christ Hymn Book (1914 ed.).