God’s Masterpiece

For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.
– Ephesians 2:10 

Amazing grace! how sweet the sound,
That save a wretch like me!
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind but now I see.*

The gift of forgiveness is often best appreciated by those who need it the most. The Reverend John Newton (1725-1807) experienced this truth firsthand. His tombstone tells the story of God’s masterpiece in his life:

“John Newton, clerk, once an infidel and Libertine, a servant of slavers in Africa, was, by the rich mercy of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, preserved, restored, pardoned, and appointed to preach the faith he had so long labored to destroy.”

These words were written by Newton himself, a testimony to God’s transforming power. After years as a hardened slave trader, that “wretch” met Jesus Christ and abruptly turned to defend the gospel he had so long despised.

Throughout Newton’s years of ministry, God’s amazing grace remained central to Newton’s thinking. When it was suggested he retire (at age eighty-two!) due to poor health and a failing memory, he responded, “My memory is nearly gone, but I remember two things: that I am a great sinner, and that Christ is a great Savior!”

Dear friends, you may not feel like God’s masterpiece as you read this today but remember this promise from the apostle Paul, which reflects the totality of God’s love for us, “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6).

‘Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears relieved:
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed.*