Andrew Murray was the second child of Andrew Murray Sr. (1794—1866), a Dutch Reformed Church missionary sent from Scotland to South Africa. Andrew Murray was born in Graaff Reinet, South Africa. His mother, Maria Susanna Stegmann, was of French Huguenot and German Lutheran descent.

Andrew was sent to Aberdeen in Scotland for his initial education together with his elder brother, John. Both remained there until they obtained their master's degrees in 1845. From there, they both went to the University of Utrecht where they studied theology. The two brothers became members of Het Réveil, a religious revival movement opposed to the rationalism which was in vogue in the Netherlands at that time. Both brothers were ordained by the Hague Committee of the Dutch Reformed Church on May 9, 1848 and returned to the Cape.

Murray married Emma Rutherford in Cape Town, South Africa, on July 2, 1856. They had eight children together (four boys and four girls).

Andrew pastored churches in Bloemfontein, Worcester, Cape Town and Wellington, all in South Africa. He was a champion of the South African Revival of 1860.

In 1889, he was one of the founders of the South African General Mission (SAGM), along with Martha Osborn and Spencer Walton. After Martha Osborn married George Howe, they formed the South East Africa General Mission (SEAGM) in 1891. SAGM and SEAGM merged in 1894. Because its ministry had spread into other African countries, the mission's name was changed to Africa Evangelical Fellowship (AEF) in 1965. AEF joined with SIM in 1998 and continues to this day.

He died on January 18, 1917, four months before his eighty-ninth birthday. Over the years he has influenced many, including Jessie Penn-Lewis, a key figure in the 1904-1905 Welsh Revival.

Murray authored over 240 books, including:

• Abide in Christ
• Absolute Surrender
• Be Perfect
• Divine Healing
• God's Will: Our Dwelling Place
• How to Raise Your Children for Christ
• The Journey Toward Holiness
• Let Us Draw Nigh
• Like Christ
• Money
• The Deeper Christian Life
• The Lord's Table
• The Master's Indwelling
• The Holiest of All: An Exposition of the Epistle to the Hebrews
• The Power of the Blood of Christ
• The Prayer Life
• The Spirit of Christ
• The True Vine
• The Two Covenants
• Thy Will Be Done
• Waiting on God
• With Christ in the School of Obedience
• With Christ in the School of Prayer
• Working for God!
• Humility & Absolute Surrender