Just As I Am
GodTube Staff
Original Lyrics from Charlotte Elliot, 1835
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!
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!
Just as I am - though toss'd about
With many a conflict, many a doubt,
Fightings and fears within, without,
-O Lamb of God, 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!
Just as I am - Thou wilt receive,
Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve;
Because Thy promise I believe,
-O Lamb of God, I come!
Just as I am - Thy love unknown
Has broken every barrier down;
Now to be Thine, yea, Thine alone,
-O Lamb of God, I come!
Just as I am - of that free love
The breadth, length, depth, and height to prove
Here for a season, then above,
-O Lamb of God, I come
The Story Behind Just As I Am
Charlotte Elliot wrote this hymn about how to find salvation through Christ. It has been used by many as the call to the altar at the close of services, as it brings a quite simple message of sin, forgiveness, and salvation to all that turn from sin and trust in Jesus.
John Brownlie described the hymn's story in his book The Hymns and Hymn Writers of the Church Hymnary: Charlotte's brother, the Rev. H. V. Elliott planned to hold a charity bazaar designed to give, at a nominal cost, a high education to the daughters of clergymen supported by St Mary Church:
The night before the bazaar she was kept wakeful by distressing thoughts of her apparent uselessness; and these thoughts passed by a transition easy to imagine into a spiritual conflict, till she questioned the reality of her whole spiritual life, and wondered whether it was anything better after all than an illusion of the emotions, an illusion ready to be sorrowfully dispelled. The next day, the busy day of the bazaar, she lay upon her sofa in that most pleasant boudoir set apart for her in Westfield Lodge, ever a dear resort to her friends." The troubles of the night came back upon her with such force that she felt they must be met and conquered in the grace of God. She gathered up in her soul the great certainties, not of her emotions, but of her salvation: her Lord, His power, His promise. And taking pen and paper from the table she deliberately set down in writing, for her own comfort, "the formulae of her faith." Hers was a heart which always tended to express its depths in verse. So in verse, she restated to herself the Gospel of pardon, peace, and heaven. "Probably without difficulty or long pause," she wrote the hymn, getting comfort by thus definitely "recollecting" the eternity of the Rock beneath her feet. There, then, always, not only for some past moment but " even now " she was accepted in the Beloved "Just as I am".
Popular Hymn Lyrics with Story and Meaning
Day by Day and With Each Passing Moment
Jesus Loves Me
What a Friend We Have in Jesus
Blessed Assurance
Nearer My God to Thee
Abide with Me
His Eye is On the Sparrow
Be Thou My Vision
Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God Almighty
Amazing Grace
Today's Devotional
A Prayer for Peace around the World This Christmas - Your Daily Prayer - December 3
As Christ's followers, we must also be FOR those who are in need, not content to live comfortably and blind to the spiritual war going on around us.
Top Music Videos
The Statler Brothers 'Til the Storm Passes By' The Statler Brothers Live Performance
Gaither Vocal Band Gaither Vocal Band - Mary, Did You Know? [Live]
Anne Wilson Anne Wilson Captivates with Heartfelt 'My Jesus' Live Performance
CCM Magazine 3 Doors Down’s Brad Arnold Shares Message of Faith During Nashville Concert
CCM Magazine Randall Goodgame’s ‘Scripture Hymnal’ | ‘In The Beginning’