PODCAST

Avoid Sinning Together

July 15th, 2023

James 4:11-17

Charlotte was bitter, feeling depressed and useless. Then on May 9, 1822, under the counsel of evangelist Cesar Malan, she gave her life to Christ. Her focus now turned to Scripture and living the Christian life. She wrote and published Christian poetry, especially for people who were also invalids.

Sometime around 1834, her minister brother and other family members were busy preparing for a fund-raising bazaar for a charity. As usual, Charlotte was confined to bed. She struggled through the night with a sense of worthlessness. By morning, she decided to write out “the formulas of her faith” in verse form. “Just as I Am” was the result.

By the time the poem was put to music in 1849 by William B. Bradbury (1816-68), it already had a wide audience. Although Charlotte wrote the poem as a confirmation of her faith, we know it better as a hymn of invitation. Either way, it demonstrates that the Christian life begins and continues with a yielded heart.

Author: Karen Hiner