Book Review: Captured by Grace

Captured by Grace: No One is Beyond the Reach of a Loving God by David Jeremiah

You may know John Newton wrote “Amazing Grace,” but you may not know his life story. He continued as a slave trader after his conversion, but as he grew in understanding scripture and God’s grace to him, he turned abolitionist. In this book, Author David Jeremiah compares Newton’s life and conversion to the life of Paul the Apostle with profound insights for our own lives.

A favorite chapter for me was “The Comforting Provision of Grace” in which Jeremiah explained Romans 5:1-11 by assigning symbols to the verses. For instance a key symbolizes “access to faith” and a music box symbolizes “rejoicing.” Quite insightful to understanding the passage. I especially appreciated the “Moments of Grace,” that wrapped up each chapter.

Jeremiah helps us understand suffering and how “outward pain helps us accelerate inward progress.” “Negative events have positive purposes.” He illustrated some points by including poems by one of my favorite poets, Annie Johnson Flint.

A “Select Bibliography” and six pages of reference notes conclude the book. Although published in 2006, the book is especially relevant today as both John Newton and Paul faced hardship and learned to persevere. This is one book I want to reread.