Pastor Buddy’s Blog

I am a great sinner. Christ is a great Savior - John Newton

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Journal,

The statement, ‘I am a great sinner. Christ is a great Savior,’ isn’t original with me though it could easily have been. This statement was made by a former slave trader.

Betty and I watched the movie ‘Amazing Grace’ last evening. The song Amazing Grace  was written by John Newton. It was he who said ‘Christ is a great Savior.’ When I saw what John Newton said, I thought to myself, ‘What an indispensable testimony to the gospel of Jesus Christ.’  

The movie was really great. It told the story of how William Wilberforce became the driving force behind the abolition of the slave trade throughout the United Kingdom.

As for John Newton, he was a slave trader who had come to faith in Jesus Christ. His ’Amazing Grace’ became the resonating hallmark song of the abolitionists during that time. It has become one of the most beloved of Christian hymns of all time.

After becoming a Christian, Newton wrote volumes of Christian hymns. But he always carried a sorrow in his heart for having been involved in slave trade. Perhaps like Paul, Newton must have considered himself to be the chief of sinners.

To the right is a picture of John Newton -

Have you ever felt like a John Newton?

If you have, then you are in very good company.

The apostle said it well enough; “It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all.” (1Ti1:15)

But Paul was not saying this as a former sinner. Though he had been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, and though he had the very Spirit of Jesus dwelling in his heart, Paul never lost sight of his constant need for a Savior. 

He will save His people from their sins… 

Yes, I consider myself on the same page as John Newton. When I think about how Jesus saved me from my sins, there are two Scriptures that always come to mind. One is where an angel of the Lord spoke to Joseph in a dream, saying,

“Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” (Mt1:20,21)

Well, I’m one of His people who has been saved from my sins. This is why I love the statement which says, ‘Jesus saved me. Jesus is saving me. Jesus will save me.’ Jesus is my Savior, past, present and future.

The other Scripture that always intriques me is where Paul wrote, “The Law came in so that the transgression would increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more.” (Rm5:20)

If grace isn’t amazing, it isn’t grace. The apostle John tells us that there is an increasing flow of grace that comes to each believer, and that before one grace can have fulfilled its purpose, it is overtaken and replenished by a fresh supply of grace. Perhaps this is what the sage meant when he said that God’s mercies are new every morning.

Grace replenishing grace is what John 1:16 means. Hear it in the Amplified Translation;

“For out of His fullness (abundance) we have all received [all had a share and we were all supplied with] one grace after another and spiritual blessing upon spiritual blessing and even favor upon favor and gift [heaped] upon gift.”  

The Amplified Bible brings out the shades of meaning in both the Hebrew and in the Greek language.

Grace is always for the undeserving…

The problem with humankind is that men prefer not to think of themselves as sinners.

Ask any person in prison, regardless of their crime, and they will tell you that they are basically a good person.

Of course this flies in the face of what God says — “There is none righteous, not even one; there is none who understands, there is none who seeks for God; all have turned aside, together they have become useless; there is none who does good, there is not even one.” (Rm3:10,12 nasb)

This is why in order to be saved a person must be awakened to their lost state, in that “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” One of the greatest purposes of the gospel is in its power to awaken the sinner to life. Just as the writer said, “Awale, sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” (Eph5:14)

The point is that no one will ever be saved because they became good enough. The message of the cross is plain: “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Eph2:8,9

No one gets saved because they are good enough. We are saved because we are bad enough.

And grace is not permission to sin. Grace is God’s love in action in helping to restore the fallen man and woman. When we fail, we are told to look to the throne of grace for help.

Ok, enough on that. Guess that movie struck a deeper chord that I realized.

How about this…

Happy birthday Uncle Charley…

Yep - Sunday afternoon Uncle Charley’s kids had an 80th birthday celebration for him. It was a treasured moment for all of us. Uncle Charley and Aunt Vallie are the two youngest siblings of my dad. They are the only ones still on this side of heaven.

That’s Uncle Charley to the right.  

And I would be amiss if I didn’t show a picture of one of the most beautiful ladies this side of heaven, Aunt Vallie.

Here she is.

It was such a wonderful time to get together with cousins galore, along with other members of the family. Wish I could have stayed a bit longer for the guitar and fiddle playing, but, alas, I had a meeting to attend to.

How I love these family get-togethers.  :) 

Guess its time to sign off for now.

May the Lord’s richest blessings and the fullness of His grace overflow your life.

Buddy