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Just as I am, without one plea
But that Thy blood was shed for me,
And that Thou bidd'st me come to Thee,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Just as I am, and waiting not
To rid my soul of one dark blot,
To Thee, whose blood can cleanse each spot,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Just as I am, tho' tossed about
With many many a conflict, many a doubt,
Fightings and fears within, without,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Just as I am, poor, wretched, blind:
Sight, riches, healing of the mind,
Yea, all I need in Thee to find,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Just as I am, Thou wilt receive,
Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve;
Because Thy promise I believe,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Just as I am Thy love unknown
Hath broken ev'ry barrier down;
Now to be Thine, yea, Thine alone,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Story:
It must be true to say that no sacred song or hymn has been more
used to bring sinners to the feet of Jesus, than this one.
Sung by grand choirs in vast crusades as hundreds have come or by
congregations, large and small, as one's and two's have come; this
hymn has moved the hearts of multitudes.
"Just As I Am," rings with a clear, positive note. It invites the
sinner, just as he is, with all his sin, in all his unworthiness,
despite his fears, though poor, wretched and blind, to come to the
Saviour.
That's an invitation which is absolutely scriptural! We don't need to
wait until our lives have been straightened out before we come to
Christ. There's nothing we can do which will ever make us more
acceptable in God's sight. The Bible clearly teaches that God loves
the sinner, just the way he is, and wants him to come like that.
Only Jesus Christ can deliver us from the guilt and penalty of sin.
Only He can solve all the problems of life. Only He can give us peace
and joy and hope for the future. It was out of her feelings of
frustration and hopelessness that the daughter of an Anglican minister
in Brighton, England, wrote the words of this fine hymn.
One day in 1833, when Charlotte Elliott was in her forty-fourth year,
she was feeling unusually depressed and alone. The other members of
her family had gone off to a church function while she, an invalid and
bedridden, remained at home.
Before her illness she had lived a happy, carefree life enjoying its
many pleasures and gaining a measure of popularity, as a portrait
artist.
Now, all of this past and stricken with the sickness which was to
plague her for the rest of her life, she felt utterly useless and cut
off. In addition, although she had been a Christian for many years,
she began to have doubts about her relationship with the Lord. How
could she be sure that all was well with her soul?
In her distress she began to list scriptural reasons for believing
that she was, indeed, a child of God. She recognised the power of the
Saviour's precious blood. She remembered His promise to receive all
who come to Him by faith; and His ability to pardon, cleanse and save.
As she meditated on these great truths her heart was warmed and very
soon Charlotte Elliott, who was also fond of writing poetry, was
putting down her thoughts in verse:
Just as I am, without one plea,
but that Thy blood was shed for me,
And that Thou bidst me come to Thee,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
It's just here that we encounter a new slant to the story.
Charlotte Elliott's brother was anxious to start a school to benefit
the children of poor clergymen, and had organised a bazaar to raise
funds.
It seemed that everybody in the town had helped with the project.
Everybody, that is, except Charlotte, who was so stricken with
paralysis that she could barely drag herself around her room.
So she published her new poem "Just As I Am," in the hope that from
its sale she could contribute something to her brother's school fund.
The poem was instantly successful and was soon selling all over
England in large numbers as well as being translated into a number of
foreign languages.
Charlotte Elliott never did enjoy good heath for the rest of her life.
She remained bedridden until the Lord, at last, called her home when
she was eighty-two years old.
However, before her death she received more than a thousand letters of
thanks and compliments from people who were grateful that she had
written "Just As I Am."
Just as I am, Thou wilt receive,
Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve;
Because Thy promise I believe,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Bible Verses
John 6:37
- All that the Father giveth me shall come to
me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.
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