Amazing Grace
I found this really fascinating. I never knew that John Newton didn’t compose the music; just the words. It’s definitely fitting that the slave would compose the melody, and the slave master the lyrics. It was, after all, the slave master who needed even more amazing grace.
Knowing this about this great hymn only increases my attachment to it. Amazing Grace is by far the greatest hymn, song – whatever – ever created. To me, it embodies the substance of my faith in a simple and moving way. I don’t think I’ve ever heard this hymn without some degree of emotional reaction to it.
I’ve noticed that some renditions of this hymn replace the word “wretch” with “soul” or some other word. You take “wretch” out of this song – that’s like taking Jesus out of Christianity, essentially leaving you with New Age, which is the principles of Jesus (self-actualization) without the person of Jesus (salvation).
We who believed were all wretches before we believed. Many of us still are wretches because we don’t fully believe.
I especially enjoyed what Wintley Phipps had to say about the black keys on the piano. Imagine the piano without the black keys. I, personally, have always relied heavily on the black keys when I would make stuff up.
PREVAIL OUT
~ Jesus died for your sins. Believe it.
