Just As I Am is a hymn written in 1834 by Charlotte Elliott, an English woman who spent most of her life as an invalid. Each stanza says the same thing in a new way: I come to Christ with nothing to offer but His blood shed for me, and He receives me as I am. It became famous as the invitation hymn of Billy Graham's crusades. Its promise rests on the words of Jesus in John 6:37: him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.
Charlotte Elliott was in her early thirties, bitter about the illness that had left her unable to live an ordinary life, when a Swiss pastor named Cesar Malan visited her family in 1822. When he asked about her soul, she said she did not know how to come to Christ. His answer, as she remembered it, was that she should come just as she was. Twelve years later, left alone at home while her family raised money for a school for the daughters of poor clergy, she felt useless and wrote down the reasons she still had to trust God. The result was this hymn, published in 1835 in a book for invalids. It has since been sung at the close of countless sermons, and Billy Graham used it as the title of his autobiography. Here are Elliott's six stanzas and the 12 KJV passages that stand behind them.
Just As I Am: the words
Verse 1
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!
Verse 2
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!
Verse 3
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!
Verse 4
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!
Verse 5
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!
Verse 6
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!
Words: Charlotte Elliott (1789-1871), written in 1834 and first published in 1835; music: William B. Bradbury, WOODWORTH (1849). Stanzas 1-5 copied from Gospel Hymns Nos. 1 to 6 Complete (1894), hymn 682, checked against Hymns Consolation (Bliss); stanza 6 from Bradbury's Devotional Hymn and Tune Book (Philadelphia, 1864), hymn 43, which prints the final line as O, Lamb of God, I come! (all three Internet Archive scans). Capitals for Thee and Thy follow the 1894 book. Elliott's seventh stanza, Just as I am, of that free love, appears in some later hymnals and is not printed here. The 2005 song Just As I Am (I come broken) and the country songs of the same name are different, copyrighted works. Public domain.
Without one plea: coming with nothing but His blood
1. 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."
All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. Bliss's Hymns Consolation printed exactly this verse above Elliott's words, and it is the promise the whole hymn stands on. In no wise means in no way, under no circumstances. Jesus does not set a standard of goodness that a person must meet before coming. He sets only one condition: come to Him. Elliott's fifth stanza says it plainly: Thou wilt receive, wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve; because Thy promise I believe. Faith is simply taking Jesus at His word.
2. Hebrews 10:19-22
"Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; And having an high priest over the house of God; Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water."
The first line, without one plea but that Thy blood was shed for me, is an exact summary of this passage. We have boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way. In the temple only the high priest could pass the veil into the Most Holy Place, and only once a year with blood. Jesus opened the way permanently. So the writer says, Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith. We have no plea of our own, no argument for why God should accept us, except the blood of Christ. That plea is enough.
3. Romans 5:8
"But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. The hymn's second stanza refuses to wait until the soul is clean of every dark blot. That is not presumption; it is the gospel. God did not wait for us to improve before Christ died. He died for us while we were sinners, enemies and helpless (Romans 5:6, 10). If God loved us at our worst, we do not need to clean ourselves up before coming to Him. The cleaning is His work: to Thee, whose blood can cleanse each spot.
4. John 1:29
"The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world."
Every stanza of the hymn ends with the same cry: O Lamb of God, I come. The title comes from John the Baptist, who saw Jesus walking toward him and said, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. For Jews of that day, a lamb meant sacrifice, the Passover lamb and the daily lambs offered in the temple. John announced that Jesus was the final sacrifice, the one every other lamb had pointed to. Coming to Christ as the Lamb means coming to Him as the One who carries our sin away.
Waiting not: come now, come as you are
5. John 7:37
"In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink."
In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. At the Feast of Tabernacles, priests poured out water at the temple each day to remember God's provision in the wilderness. On the last day Jesus stood up and shouted His own invitation. The only qualification was thirst. Charlotte Elliott, worn out by illness and feeling useless, was exactly that kind of thirsty person. Jesus does not say, Come once you are strong. He says, Come and drink. For a related invitation, see our page on Matthew 11:28-30.
6. Psalms 34:6
"This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles."
This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles. David wrote Psalm 34 after escaping from the Philistine king of Gath by pretending to be mad (1 Samuel 21). It was not his finest hour. He had no dignity left and nothing to offer, only a cry. And the LORD heard him. The singer of Just As I Am comes the same way: without one plea, poor, wretched, blind. God does not wait for us to present ourselves well. He hears the poor man's cry, and He saves out of all troubles, not only some.
7. Revelation 22:17
"And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely."
The Bible's final invitation sounds like the hymn's final line. And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. Whosoever will is as wide as it can be. It is no accident that churches sing Just As I Am at the end of a service, while the preacher invites listeners to come forward. The hymn is the congregation's way of joining the Spirit and the bride in saying, Come.
8. 2 Corinthians 6:2
"(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)"
Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation. The second stanza begins, Just as I am, and waiting not. Many people intend to come to God someday, once they have sorted out their lives. Paul says the time to come is now. The invitation is open today, and none of us is promised tomorrow. Elliott's hymn has been used so widely in revival meetings because it removes every reason to delay. There is nothing to fix first. Today is the day.
Poor, wretched, blind: all I need in Thee
9. Revelation 3:17-18
"Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see."
Jesus' letter to the church at Laodicea uses the same three words as the fourth stanza. The church thought it was rich and needed nothing, but Jesus said, thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked. Then He offered the cure: gold tried in the fire, white raiment, and eyesalve so they could see. Elliott's line, sight, riches, healing of the mind, answers that offer point by point. The first step to receiving what Christ gives is admitting, as the hymn does, that we are poor without Him.
10. Mark 9:24
"And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief."
The third stanza is honest about doubt: though tossed about with many a conflict, many a doubt. A father whose son was tormented by an evil spirit came to Jesus with that kind of mixed faith. When Jesus said all things are possible to him that believeth, straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief. Jesus did not send him away for doubting. He healed the boy. We do not need perfect faith to come to Christ, only enough to come.
Sing it: Pass Me Not, O Gentle Savior, lyrics and meaning.
11. Luke 15:20
"And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him."
The parable of the prodigal son is Just As I Am in story form. The younger son comes home in rags, rehearsing a speech about being made a hired servant. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. The father does not wait for the son to clean up or finish his speech. He runs. That is the picture of God's welcome in the fifth stanza: Thou wilt receive, wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve. Read more in our prodigal son verses.
Sing it: Softly and Tenderly Jesus Is Calling, lyrics and meaning.
12. Ephesians 2:13-14
"But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;"
The sixth stanza speaks of Christ's love unknown, a love so great it has broken every barrier down. Elliott borrowed the picture from Paul: ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us. In the temple a stone wall kept Gentiles out of the inner courts. Christ's death tore down every wall between God and sinners and between people who were once divided. The singer who came with nothing finishes the hymn belonging to Him: now, to be Thine, yea, Thine alone. See also our verses on the love of Jesus.
A short prayer
Lamb of God, I come to You just as I am. I have no plea of my own, only that Your blood was shed for me. I will not wait until I have fixed myself, because I cannot. You know my doubts and fears, my blindness and my poverty; give me sight, riches and healing in You. Thank You for the promise that You will never cast out anyone who comes. I believe it. Take me, and let me be Yours alone. Amen.
Go deeper: a SOAP study prompt
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Print the free Romans Road printable · Download our free SOAP study page · Memorize John 6:37 with Scripture memory cards
Frequently asked questions
Who wrote Just As I Am?
Charlotte Elliott (1789-1871) of Brighton, England, wrote the hymn in 1834. She was an invalid for most of her adult life and edited hymn collections for people with illness. The words were first published in 1835. The tune most Americans know, WOODWORTH, was written by William B. Bradbury in 1849.
Why was Just As I Am sung at Billy Graham crusades?
Billy Graham ended his sermons with an invitation to come forward and receive Christ, and the choir sang Just As I Am while people walked to the front. Graham recalled that it was sung when he himself responded at a revival meeting in 1934. He later used Just As I Am as the title of his 1997 autobiography.
What Bible verse is Just As I Am based on?
The hymn rests on John 6:37, him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out, which was printed above it in early hymnbooks. Its lines also echo Hebrews 10:19-22 (boldness through the blood of Jesus), John 1:29 (the Lamb of God), Revelation 3:17-18 (poor, wretched and blind) and Mark 9:24 (help thou mine unbelief).
Is Just As I Am in the public domain?
Yes. Charlotte Elliott's words (1835) and Bradbury's tune (1849) are in the public domain in the United States and may be printed and sung freely. Modern songs that share the title, such as the worship song with the line I come broken and the country songs of the same name, are different works protected by copyright.
Sources: All Scripture quotations are from the King James Version (KJV), public domain in the United States. References were checked against the KJV text from bible-api.com.
Related: Amazing Grace · Rock of Ages · Jesus Paid It All · The Romans Road · Come As You Are · Salvation · Repentance · God's Love · Thou Didst Leave Thy Throne (lyrics)
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