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.
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
Has broken ev’ry barrier down;
Now, to be Thine, yea, Thine alone,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
“Just As I Am”, by Charlotte Elliott (1789–1871)
an English evangelical, poet, hymn writer, and editor.
Is this you? Fighting with Mom to get your ears clean.
Or maybe you’ve heard this phrase
a well-known proverb that having a clean and tidy environment is a virtue.
While this not a direct biblical quote, the root is in ancient religious and moral traditions, honing in on a ritual of purity and good moral conduct. Which in today’s world are becoming very hard to find.
You’ve heard of “leprosy”. Leprosy is a very ugly condition caused by bacteria on the skin, in nerves, the respiratory tract and the eyes. It is still found around the world but can be treated successfully with today’s medicines. But I want to tell you about a man in Jesus’ day who had this disease.
This poor man was full of leprosy. It was a painless hell. When he want into a market place with people around, he had to announce himself as “Unclean, unclean!” As this man was in desperation, he had heard of a man named Jesus and the things He was doing and he knew instinctively that Jesus was the one who could help him. He boldly approached Jesus and “…fell on his face and implored Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean. Then He (Jesus) put out His hand and touched him saying, “I am willing, be cleaned. Immediately the leprosy left him.” Luke 5:12-13 It was a supernatural intervention, that only Jesus could do with His physical touch.
We may not have such a disease as leprosy, but ours is called “sin”. We don’t have to go about yelling “Unclean, Unclean!”, but we know Jesus is drawn to the weak and ostracized. The only one who can pull us into a new life. It’s a spiritual leprosy that eats at us and needs to be healed. It’s a life changing application.
To be cleaned, we need the blood of Jesus to wash over us. Not literally, but by faith. When we seek Him and ask Him into our hearts and ask for forgiveness for our transgressions, the things we do wrong, He makes us clean. He removes the grime and muck of our lives and cleans us up. It’s a supernatural intervention.
Just as Jesus was willing to heal the leper in our story, He is ever so willing to heal our hearts and minds and make us a new creation. 2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV states, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”. A completely new self, cleansed from the old life of sin and renewed by the Holy Spirit to reflect God’s righteousness, with the old desires and ways of living passing away.
In the story of the leper, Jesus told him not to tell anyone but show the priests and make an offering for his cleansing, but as usual when someone tells you not to do something, you inevitably go and do it anyway, as did the leper. But how could he not spread the news of being the cleanest guy around, by the most awesome Jesus. Which of course spread like wildfire and great multitudes came together to hear and be healed by Jesus.
The heart of Jesus, when we cry out to Him is always there for you. Let Him take you from being mired to clean. Then follow Him, trust Him with your life, to be cleaner. Rejoice in His abounding love for you that your life will be the cleanest it’s ever been for eternity to come. Isaiah 1:18 says, “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.” Psalm 51:7, David says “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.”
If you don’t know Jesus as your personal Saviour but want to, simply pray this little prayer with an open heart. Let Him in to love you forever. Trust Him in all that you do. Read God’s Word and inscribe it on your heart and let Him direct your feet.
“Wash me Lord and I shall be whiter than snow.”