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Just as I am, without one plea, But that Thy blood was shed for me, And that Thou bid’st me come to Thee, O Lamb of God, I come! I come! |
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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! |
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Just as I am, though tossed about With many a conflict, many a doubt; Fightings within, and fears without, O Lamb of God, I come, I come! |
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Just as I am, poor, wretched, blind; Sight, riches, healing of the mind; Yes, all I need, in Thee to find, O Lamb of God, I come, I come! |
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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! |
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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, I come! |
We should simply come to the Lord without any way. Hymns, #1048 says, "Just as I am ... / O Lamb of God, I come! I come!" Every morning come to the Lord: "Lord, I come just as I am. I do not know how to pray. I come as I am, in my situation, not knowing. You know. It does not matter how I feel; it is up to Your leading." Every day come to the Lord in this way.
God is Spirit; hence, our contacting and absorbing Him do not depend on our words. Some people utter many words when they pray, but their words are like sounding brass or clanging cymbals; they do not have much value before God. We may not say anything when we come to God, but our whole being, including our heart, should face God. While we look to God, we may sigh and confess that we are incompetent, weak, unable to rise, unpresentable, and thirsty and that we lack words for the gospel and are not inclined to fellowship with the saints. We should lay our inner condition before God and even tell Him that we are short in every matter. No matter what our inner condition is, we should bring it to God. There is a hymn that says, "Just as I am" (Hymns, #1048). This means that we should come to God just as we are without trying to improve or change our condition. Our attitude when we come to God should be to come just as we are.
In England in the early 19th century there was a woman who had Christian parents and who for years had longed to be saved. She went to hear this and that preacher and visited churches and chapels in her search for salvation, but all in vain. One day she wandered into a little chapel with no real expectation in her heart, for she was almost in despair. She sat down at the back. The speaker was an elderly man. Suddenly in the middle of his address he stopped and pointing his finger at her said: 'You Miss, sitting there at the back, you can be saved now. You don't need to do anything!' Light flashed into her heart, and with it peace and joy. Charlotte Elliott went home and wrote her well-known hymn: 'Just as I am, without one plea ... O Lamb of God I come.' Those words have pointed to countless sinners the way of humble access to God through the blood of Christ. Yes, we dare to say to-day, to every one of the inhabitants of Shanghai or of any other city, that they can come to Him and be saved just as they are.
I repeat these incidents just to emphasize that what the sinner cannot do the Saviour is at hand to do for him. It is for this reason that we can tell people that they need not wait for anything, but can come to Him immediately. Whatever their state, whatever their problem, let them bring it and tell it to the Friend of sinners.
I like the song we sang today. It says, "Just as I am...I come! I come!" [Hymns, #1048]. I have told you before that this hymn was written by a woman in her twenties. She said that she had the sense of sin since she was very young. She wondered how a person like herself could face God. To her this was impossible. She visited many churches and talked with many pastors. She asked them questions and tried to find out from them how she could be saved. This went on for seven or eight years. Many told her that she had to do better before she could believe in Jesus. Others told her that she should pray more and study the Bible more. Still others told her to do good and perform noble deeds, or to do this or do that before she could believe in the Lord Jesus and be saved. As time went by, she found herself worse than before. In the end, she met an old preacher. She asked the old man what she must do before she could be saved. The old man put his hand on her back and said, "Go to God just as you are." She jumped up and asked, "Do I not have to do better, make more progress, and improve more before I can believe in the Lord Jesus?" The old man said, "There is no such need. You can come just as you are." On that day, she became clear and realized that she could come to the Lord just as she was.
God knows that we are sick. This is why He sent us the Doctor. Friends, have you ever been sick? Suppose I have a fever of one hundred five degrees. If I ask the doctor to come, will he say that he will come when the temperature drops to one hundred three? The sicker I am, the faster the doctor will come. If a person's temperature is ninety-eight degrees, the doctor may say that since it is only ninety-eight degrees, there is no need to go. The more serious your illness is, the faster the doctor will come. The woman admitted that she was a sick person and that Jesus Christ is the Physician from God who came to heal her. Not long after she returned home, she wrote this hymn: "Just as I am...I come! I come!"
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Ireland
The Blessedness of Blindness?
John 9
The blind man said to Jesus, "Lord, I believe!" And he worshipped Jesus. Jesus said, "I came into this world for judgment, so that those who do not see may see, and so that those who see may become blind." Some of the Pharisees who followed Him around heard what He said, and said to Him, "We are not blind as well, are we?" Jesus said to them, "If you were really blind, you would not be guilty of sin. But since you claim that you can see, your sin remains."
Blind beggar, born blind for the purpose of this very encounter with Christ. Makes fools out of the religious elite by having common sense in seeing God's hand in his own healing (was that not the unpardonable sin in Matthew: the twistedness of those who saw in the work of the Spirit the mark of Satan himself?). Is cast out for his troubles. Jesus seeks him out (Shepherd seeks the lost sheep---very next chapter!) Jesus identifies Himself, speaks of faith. The man believes and worships. What does his faith and worship produce? Jesus explains that He has come for a purpose, and it is not what you normally hear about during the 4th verse of Just As I Am. He has come for judgment, and the judgment involves sight. The blind are made to see, the seeing are made blind. Obviously, though He has healed a blind man, the action was metaphorical in the sense that it pointed to a greater reality: the physical healing pictured a spiritual reality (just as in John 11 and the raising of Lazarus!). The blind man could see what the Pharisees could not. They who thought they could see were, in reality, blind, and when Jesus says this, the little group of spies who followed Him around, trying to catch Him in His words, reporting to the big-wigs back in Jerusalem, knew He was talking about them, and so they ask Him bluntly if His words applied to them. He just as bluntly says yes: since they claim to see (and in fact do not), their sin abides or remains.
We need to be reminded, often, of the powerful Christ, the Christ who walks the pages of the gospels, but whose presence is often muted by our traditions and our fear of the faces of men. The Jesus of the Gospels tramples all over the canons of political correctness.
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
I love this hymn because it was a large factor in me committing my life to Christ some 30 odd years ago. It was played during communion this
morning and reignited such deep deep feelings of love for what God has done for me and my love for Him.
Lagos, Nigeria
This is my favorite hymn among all other hymns. It's a real song of concentration to the Almighty GOD. Thanks for making it accessible online.
Los Angeles, CA, United States
What a beautiful hymn! I've always loved this hymn since my mom sang it for me as a child and I knew I was saved in Jesus Christ. A Billy Graham revival video from the '60s that was shown on TBN led me to this site this morning. They played this hymn for the alter call and many hearts were touched and many responded. Praise God! May many many more come to know Jesus as their Lord and Saviour in year 2012 and beyond.
Seoul, South Korea
Thank You Lord for Your love! Sometimes it is hard to come to the Lord, because of our sins and weakness, but when I sing this hymn, I can touch the Lord. Whatever we are, and what circumstances we have, the Lord loves us, always! Praise the Lord.
Kansas City, KS, United States
This is one of my favorites because it reminds me to stay humble -- especially before God.
United States
The church I attended in my youth sang this song every Sunday for the altar call. Thank you for posting. This hymn means so much to me.
Gainesville, Florida, United States
God finds ways to use us all, no matter how weak and poor we are, whatever problems we have, regardless of our stumbling ways. He knows us just as we are and through Jesus we all are made right in God's eyes. Thank You God for finding the good in me and for finding ways for me to serve You. I wish I could do a better job, but I know You love me just as I am.
Hualien, Taiwan
Lord, I come. 照我本相,無需任何掩飾. Thank You.
Jakarta, Indonesia
Just as I am, I come .. Oh, He love us, whatever we are.