The full text of this gospel tract is shown below in the NKJV version. (It is also available in KJV. Select the one you want to order using the “Version” buttons above.)

Lost at Sea

Raging waves threatened to drown the ship and its crew in the ocean’s depths. John, a 22-year-old sailor, went below deck, and the man who took his post was tragically washed overboard. Stunned, John cried out, “the Lord have mercy on us!” Through the night they attempted to save the battered ship and John reflected on his way of life.

Lost in Sin

Born in England in 1725, John Newton had a heartbreaking childhood. His mother died when he was just a boy and his father, a sailor, spent most of his time on long voyages at sea. For John’s eleventh birthday, his father introduced him to sailing and they made several trips together. However, sailors weren’t the best role models, and young John began a life of profanity and immorality.

During his rebellious teenage years, John also adopted a philosophy that denied the existence of God. This brought some peace to his troubled conscience, because if God didn’t exist, then there could be no judgment for his sins.

Even though he tried to forget about God, God did not forget about John. In fact, God spared his life on several occasions. Desiring to live a better life, John made several failed attempts at reforming his ways.

Found by the Father

After being forced into military service, deserting, being captured, and then being transferred to the crew of a slave ship, John nearly died from malaria and brutal mistreatment by slave traders in Africa. Eventually, he was found by a ship captain who was sent by John’s father to bring him home. God, the heavenly Father, was also seeking John Newton, and was about to get his attention.

It was during this trip back home to England where our story began. During the violent storm, John cried out for the Lord’s mercy to save him. He later wrote, “I concluded at first that my sins were too great to be forgiven. But I began to understand the security of the covenant of grace, and to expect to be preserved, not by my own power and holiness, but by the mighty power and promise of God through faith in an unchangeable Savior.”

In that moment, John Newton experienced God’s amazing grace—the undeserved favor that flows from God’s heart of love. John realized that he was a great sinner, but that Christ is a great Savior! This led him to pen the lyrics of his famous hymn:

Amazing grace! How sweet the sound,
  that saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found,
  was blind, but now I see.

This same amazing grace that saved John Newton is available to you today. Like him, you might think your sins are too great and too many to be forgiven. Or, you may not yet understand that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Either way, God's word teaches that we are slaves of sin (John 8:34), and that “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). Like Newton discovered, self-reform is hopeless and trying to live a better life is powerless. You and I need a Savior.

Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is the One we need. He lived a sinless life and then died on the cross as the sacrifice for our sin. His gift of forgiveness and everlasting life is offered to everyone who turns to God in repentance and puts their trust in His finished work. “By grace you have been saved through faith … it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8). Will you turn to God and accept His amazing grace today?

The full text of this gospel tract is shown below in Spanish. (It is also available in NKJV. Select the one you want to order using the “Version” buttons above.)

The full text of this gospel tract is shown below in the ESV version. (It is also available in NKJV. Select the one you want to order using the “Version” buttons above.)

The full text of this gospel tract is shown below in the NIV version. (It is also available in NKJV. Select the one you want to order using the “Version” buttons above.)