A hymn and its story
Just As I Am
Just As I Am was written by Charlotte Elliott, an English invalid, in 1834 and published in 1835. It says that a person comes to Christ with nothing to offer but His blood shed for them and His call to come. It later became the invitation hymn of Billy Graham's crusades.
Words by Charlotte Elliott, 1835 · music commonly Woodworth, by William B. Bradbury
A woman who believed she had nothing to offer God wrote the hymn that has told more people than almost any other that nothing is exactly what you bring.
Just As I Am at a glance
- Words
- Charlotte Elliott, 1834
- First published
- 1835
- Tune
- WOODWORTH, by William B. Bradbury
Who wrote Just As I Am, and why?
Charlotte Elliott was an invalid for much of her adult life. In 1834, while her family was busy preparing a fundraising bazaar and she was left behind by her own weakness, she was overtaken by a sense of her uselessness. Out of that came the words published in 1835, beginning 'Just as I am, without one plea.'
The hymn's later life is unusual. It became the standard invitation hymn of Billy Graham's crusades, sung while people walked forward, and through those meetings it has probably accompanied more public professions of faith than any other hymn in English.
The words of Just As I Am
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.
The Scripture behind Just As I Am
What does Just As I Am mean?
Almost everyone who hesitates to come to God hesitates for the same reason: they think they should be better first. The hymn refuses that idea line by line. It does not ask the singer to clean themselves up, or to wait until the doubt has gone, or to bring anything at all except the fact that Christ's blood was shed. 'And him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.' is the promise underneath it.
Sing it, and mean it
A hymn is a prayer you can carry in your chest. The people who wrote these did not write from a stage; they wrote from shipwreck and sickbeds, from ordinary faithful mornings, and handed us words for the days we cannot find our own. You do not have to sing well. You only have to lift it, and mean it, to the One it is about.
Meet the One these hymns are aboutWorship in The Living BreadCome to ChristWhen you feel unworthyJesus Christ is Lord.
Frequently asked questions
- Who wrote Just As I Am?
- Charlotte Elliott wrote the words in 1834, published 1835. She was an invalid and wrote them out of a sense of her own uselessness to God.
- Why was Just As I Am sung at Billy Graham crusades?
- It became the standard invitation hymn of his meetings, sung while people came forward. Through those crusades it has accompanied more public professions of faith than almost any other English hymn.
- What does 'just as I am' mean?
- It means coming to God without first making yourself acceptable. The hymn's argument is that the only plea a person needs is that Christ's blood was shed for them and that He has told them to come.
Sources
Dates and attributions are checked against these sources. The reflections are our own words.
