If you were to ask me my favorite hymn, i would tell you without any hesitation that it is Amazing Grace – but more specifically the more modern version released by Chris Tomlin in 2006 (lyrics below). i would also tell you that i am a fan of the movie of the same name (also released in 2006) which tells the compelling stories of William Wilberforce and John Newton. Both men were driven to action by the amazing grace that they came to realize had been extended to them by God. Both men were compelled by the reality that grace is not to be kept; it is to be passed on.
As i felt impressed to write this post, i looked up the word “amazing”. Forgive my redundancy – but i was “amazed” by the list of synonyms: astonishing, astounding, surprising, stunning, staggering, shocking, startling, stupefying, breathtaking, perplexing, awe-inspiring, phenomenal, unbelievable – and more.
We all know that grace cannot be earned. If it could be earned by our efforts, our works, our wealth or our abilities, it wouldn’t be grace. There is nothing i can do to merit grace, or measure up to grace. i can’t purchase grace – though it comes at a cost – and most often, great cost. The cost of grace cannot be borne by the recipient – only by the giver.
Two weeks ago i was standing at a sales counter waiting to pay for my purchase, when the customer in front of me said to the sales clerk, “Add his purchase to my bill” (referring to me). Immediately i thought, “i don’t need you to pay my bill. i am quite able to do so. Thank you for your kindness. But no thanks!”
But before i expressed those words, gratefully i paused and thought better of my response. The young woman told me that someone had recently done the same for her. She wasn’t extending this kindness because i deserved it – she didn’t even know me. She was extending it because she had received grace that she needed to “pay forward”. And she encouraged me to do the same.
In the days since then, i have continued to be watchful for opportunities to do the same. Not out of a sense of indebtedness, but out of an awareness that i was entrusted with a gift and i have the ability and – if you will permit, the responsibility – to “pay it forward”. And i need to do so in such a way that i do not keep score. i am not to be limited by the dollar amount of the gift that was given to me or the number of gifts that i received. Grace deserves to be passed on and extended repeatedly – and continuously. And if that is true of the kind gesture that was extended to me two weeks ago, how much more is it true related to the amazing grace that has been extended to me by my Savior.
Wilberforce and Newton both knew that they could never match the grace they had received. It truly is amazing, astonishing and staggering. They knew that they could invest the rest of their lives in “paying it forward” and they would never come close to exhausting the gift they had received.
There are four ways we can respond to grace when it is extended to us. First, we can reject it – which is what i almost did two weeks ago. We can be too proud or too self-reliant to receive what has been offered. Sometimes, we reject it because we believe we are too unworthy. The irony is that we are all unworthy of grace. If we were worthy, it wouldn’t be grace; it would be recompense. We can never be too unworthy – only unwilling.
Second, we can receive it and keep it for ourselves. By doing so, we are demonstrating that we never really understood – or valued – what was being given to us. We believed we were receiving what was due us – no more than we deserved, and perhaps less than we thought we deserved. We were content to enjoy the benefits while at the same time belittle its value.
The third response somewhat parallels the second. We acknowledge the grace we have received but we limit the grace we extend to others. We place stipulations and limits on the grace we extend based upon our measurement of what the recipient of our “grace” deserves. Obviously we aren’t extending grace; rather, we’re extending a counterfeit – something less and something of our own making – and most assuredly not amazing grace.
The fourth possible response is that which we see through the lives of Wilberforce and Newton – grace that cannot be exhausted and knows no bounds. That is the grace that God has amazingly extended to each one of us. It is a saving grace, a purifying grace and a cleansing grace. It is the grace that can save even a sinner like me.
And today, i have again been reminded of just how astonishing, astounding, surprising, stunning, staggering, shocking, startling, stupefying, breathtaking, perplexing, awe-inspiring, phenomenal, and unbelievable that is. For by grace {i} have been saved through faith. And this is not {my} own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that {i cannot} boast (Ephesians 2:8-9). Now that’s amazing grace!
Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)
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
'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear
And grace my fears relieved
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed
My chains are gone
I've been set free
My God, my Savior has ransomed me
And like a flood His mercy rains
Unending love, Amazing grace
The Lord has promised good to me
His word my hope secures
He will my shield and portion be
As long as life endures
My chains are gone
I've been set free
My God, my Savior has ransomed me
And like a flood His mercy rains
Unending love, Amazing grace
(Repeat)
The Earth shall soon dissolve like snow
The sun forbear to shine
But God, Who called me here below
Will be forever mine
Will be forever mine
You are forever mine
Songwriters: Stan Roto Walker / Traditional / David Pritchard-blunt / Chris Tomlin / Louie Giglio
Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone) lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC