Choosing to Accept an Unlikely Rescue

For as far back as I can remember, I have known the words to the old hymn: Amazing Grace. But the truly amazing thing is how long it has taken me to understand them. The lyrics were written by John Newton, an Anglican minister, on New Year’s Day 1773. They were part of a sermon he gave describing his conversion to Christ. He captained a slave ship in his younger years and almost died in a storm crossing the Atlantic in 1748. His tribute to the grace of God saving a wretch like himself was set to music a few years later. One of the most enduring hymns of all time then came into being.

In my mind, it was most meaningful for those “wretches” that had done unspeakably terrible things. I didn’t see myself as that bad.

Because of my self-righteous attitude, it was difficult for me to appreciate “grace.” To be honest, the word always felt a bit flimsy and fluffy. It seemed to be for those who couldn’t make mature decisions, who needed to have their hands held to get through the day. It didn’t fit my subconscious picture of personal strength and manliness (it was a girl’s name after all). And while I didn’t outright reject the idea, I did push it to the back of mind, never really examining it.

It’s Scandalous

I read a book as an adult called What’s So Amazing About Grace?. It shook me. In it, Philip Yancey unpacked the word “grace,” making a case that it is a very pleasant and, at the same time, a shocking and offensive concept. He pointed out that, like me, most people view grace as a nice soft religious word . . . until it is seriously proposed.

Grace is what allows slave traders to be forgiven, and then to live their lives in peace, joy, and with purpose. Does that even seem right? Grace gives hope to the dirtiest and most rotten sinners, murderers, liars, cheaters who deserve only condemnation. Should they be given such confidence that their future can be good? Grace is this mysterious spiritual substance that appears delicate and tender at first glance. Yet it is as hard and enduring as diamonds once people dare to fully put their faith in it.

But is it Just?

Looking at my own life and many with whom I have worked over the years, I have observed that grace is not only difficult to give to an undeserving soul but also terribly hard to receive. The only way I have been able to make sense of this is to realize how hardwired we humans are for fair play. That dirty, rotten slave trader deserves to be miserable his entire life and die in his despair. That’s fairness! But, the same demand comes back to bite me hard when I realize that I have done and thought some pretty bad things in my life. Most of them I have been able to hide. I deserve to pay for it all somehow. It gets even rougher when it dawns on me that just like the slave trader, there’s nothing I can really do to make up for the bad stuff. Something like grace doesn’t feel strong enough to wipe everything clean.

I was recently reading about something called “nano threads.” These are a type of chemical chain that was developed in a laboratory a few years back. They are extremely hard and strong; yet they are 300,000 times thinner than a human hair. Even a few thousand of these filaments woven together would be invisible to the naked eye. But what would they be able to carry and support in contrast to the nothingness of their weight and appearance? The only way to find out would be to put it to the test.

Grace is like a nano thread. What appears to be weak religious fluff on the surface contains a strength that is unnatural and disconcerting. It not only can carry a greater weight than is imaginable, but it is also a powerful cleanser when rightly applied. And what is the correct application? It seems to have its greatest effect when approached with humility and applied through faith.

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so no one may boast” Ephesians 2:8-9 ESV.

It’s at the Heart of the Good News

What must happen inside someone in order to receive grace? Radical humility that morphs into trusting the one offering it is all that is really needed. It is the pathway to be given a new start. But it goes against our sense of what is right and proper. “I have to somehow earn my way forward” is my thought. Yet all God is really asking of me is to accept His love in the form of grace – an undeserved gift – and then work out my salvation into a lifestyle of gratitude and obedience.

This is the cornerstone of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is more than just moral guidance or instructions for right living. We are ready for the Gospel (Good News) once we realize we don’t deserve it. A way has been made for us to be given that which we do not possess for ourselves. We just have to humble ourselves enough to ask for it.

In the end, the old hymn deserves its place of honor. It declares an eternal truth that offers hope for all of us. What is required is for us to lay down our pride and trust the One who came to rescue us from our sin and from ourselves. The way it has been made available is so unlikely and so amazing.

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.

Response:

• What is my understanding and emotional response to the word “grace”?
• Under what circumstances do I struggle to give others grace and truly forgive?
• What are instances where I have struggled to accept grace and forgive myself?
• Who is the Good News of the Gospel for, if not for the person who has sinned against me and for me who has sinned against others?
• Jesus, thank you for your justice and your unexpected grace.