Scripture Verse

Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! John 1:29

Introduction

portrait
Charlotte Elliott (1789–1871)

Words: Char­lotte El­li­ott, 1835. These words first ap­peared in The Chris­tian Re­mem­branc­er, whose ed­it­or El­li­ott be­came in 1836. The last verse is from El­li­ott’s Hours of Sor­row Cheered and Com­fort­ed, 1836.

Music: Wood­worth Will­iam B. Brad­bu­ry, Men­dels­sohn Col­lect­ion, or Third Book of Psal­mo­dy (New York: 1849) (🔊 pdf nwc).

Alternate Tunes:

portrait
William Bradbury
(1816–1868)

Origin of the Hymn

Miss Char­lotte El­liott was vis­it­ing some friends in the West End of Lon­don, and there met the emi­nent min­is­ter, Cé­sar Ma­lan. While seat­ed at sup­per, the min­is­ter said he hoped that she was a Chris­tian. She took of­fense at this, and re­plied that she would ra­ther not dis­cuss that ques­tion. Dr. Ma­lan said that he was sor­ry if had of­fend­ed her, that he al­ways liked to speak a word for his Mas­ter, and that he hoped that the young lady would some day be­come a work­er for Christ.

When they met again at the home of a mu­tu­al friend, three weeks lat­er, Miss El­li­ott told the min­is­ter that ever since he had spo­ken to her she had been try­ing to find her Sav­iour, and that she now wished him to tell her how to come to Christ. Just come to him as you are, Dr. Ma­lan said. This she did, and went away re­joi­cing. Short­ly af­ter­ward she wrote this hymn.

Sankey, p. 186

About these words, her bro­ther said: In the course of a long min­is­try, I hope I have been per­mit­ted to see some of the fruit of my la­bor, but I feel that far more has been done by a sin­gle hymn of my sis­ter’s.

Evangelist Bil­ly Gra­ham said he was saved in 1934 in a re­vi­val meet­ing in Char­lotte, North Ca­ro­li­na, led by Mor­de­cai Ham, af­ter hear­ing Just as I Am. This be­came an al­tar call song in the Bil­ly Gra­ham Cru­sades in the lat­ter half of the 20th Cen­tu­ry. Gra­ham al­so used it in the ti­tle of his 1997 book, Just as I Am: The Au­to­bi­og­ra­phy of Bil­ly Gra­ham.

Lyrics

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.

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—though tossed about
With 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 ev­ery bar­ri­er down;
Now, to be Thine, yea, Thine alone—
O Lamb of God, I come, 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, I come!