At every Billy Graham crusade, the closing song of the worship service was always, “Just As I Am.”
In the early 1800's a preacher by the name of Cesar Malan was asked to leave his church in Switzerland because of his evangelistic zeal. He traveled to England and preached there. In England, he met a young woman by the name of Charlotte Elliot. He told her that the greatest news he had ever discovered was that the blood of Jesus Christ had cleansed him from his sin.
Miss Elliot was attractive and gifted, but she was a bitter person because of poor health. She told him, “I cannot believe in the goodness of God, and I don’t need the blood of Jesus Christ to forgive me for anything.”
The preacher said to her, “I didn’t mean to be offensive. I only meant to tell you that God loves you and God has forgiven you at a great cost.”
Later that night, Charlotte Elliott couldn’t sleep. She kept thinking about the words of the pastor. She finally got on her knees and committed her life to Christ. Several years later, she wrote these words: “Just as I am, without one plea, but that Thy blood was shed for me.” (Billy Graham, “Where I Am,” page 19-20)
This is the historic teaching of Christianity. We come to God with nothing to offer but our faith. We cannot earn God’s love or ever deserve it. We receive it just as we are.