Does the Bible say "come as you are"?

Many there are who hold up before the eye of the “heavy laden” sinner, the yoke of Christ as something which he must “take on” before his burdened heart can taste of that blessed rest which Christ gives to “all” who simply “come to Him” just as they are. The passage before us does not teach this. It puts Christ first and His yoke afterwards. It does not hide Christ behind His yoke, but rather places Him, in all His attractive grace, before the heart as the One who can meet every need, remove every weight, hush every guilty fear, fill up every blank, satisfy longing desire. He is able to do as He says He will, even to “give rest.” There are no conditions proposed, no demands made, no barriers erected. The simple, touching, melting, subduing, inviting, winning word is “Come.” It is not “Go,” “Do,” “Give,” “Bring,” “Feel,” or “Realize.” No, it is, “Come.” And how are we to “Come?” Just as we are. To whom are we to “Come?” To Jesus. When are we to “Come?” Now.

Most welcome news, sweeter than water to those parched with desert thirst! A man that receives sinners, casting out none that come — invites all men to Himself, because all are sinners. "Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest." Whatever your experience, whatever your feelings, or your life. What can a sinner have but bad feelings and bad experiences? What is a sinner but a person of bad life?

This is what many are doing. They desire to enter by the saint's door, instead of the sinner's door. They try to give up this, that, and the other sin and bad habit. They vow and resolve that they will act differently in the future from what they have done in the past. In other words, they are seeking to better themselves and make themselves fit for God's presence. All the while they are turning their back on the door by which they are to enter. The Lord Jesus did not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance. He came to seek and to save that which was lost (Luke 19:10.) So long as you seek to do, or bring some meritorious thing for salvation, you will find a closed door. Come as you are, come to Jesus with your sins, and accept the sinner's Saviour. Your need is your claim. Come to Christ as a sinner — not as a saint.

The blessing that he got, all may have, for the Saviour says, "Come to Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." The drunkard, the gambler, the profligate, all may come, and Jesus will receive them, for He says, "Him that comes to Me I will in no wise cast out." And those who have not indulged in these vices need to come to Him too, for "All have sinned." They are no exceptions to this sweeping rule. How glad we should be that "whosoever will" may come.

No one was afraid of Jesus. No one was too timid to approach Him. His terror made no one afraid. Jesus was accessible to all. However vile and degraded the poor sinner might be, he had the consciousness in the presence of Jesus that he was welcome there. The words might be read in every act of the Son of God, "Him that comes to me I will in no wise cast out."

Is there anybody here who can say, Oh that I could hear such a word tonight! If you are in company with *Joshua now, those words will apply to you as well as him. Christ's death can cover you; God's mercy is for you. Still He says, "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Are you such? Perhaps, with doubt and perplexity, and all that sort of thing. Well, will you come? No right or wrong way of coming, if to Him. But, will you come? "I will give you rest." "I WILL give you rest." No uncertainty about it; not "perhaps," not "probably," I will give you rest, but I WILL give you rest. No doubt or uncertainty about Christ; He is the "yea and amen." "I will give you rest." He has made Himself responsible about it. Will you put that responsibility upon Him tonight? You cannot help answering as to whether you will come or not. You have answered it already to Him. You may reverse your decision; but you have either said "I do," or "I do not, want it." It is as simple as can be, beloved friends. Nobody can come right, in one way; nobody can come wrong, in another. That is, you know, a sinner cannot come in a right state, with right thoughts and feelings. He comes a sinner; but he comes right if he comes to Christ; for whosoever comes to Him He will in no wise cast out. Christ says, "Come unto me;" but He does not say in any particular way. Oh, beloved friends, if your hearts answer to Him now, He says, "I will give you rest." Just take your place with Joshua; confess your sins — nothing else; and He is faithful and just to forgive you your sins and cleanse you from all unrighteousness.

John 6:37. If, then, blessing depends upon man's responsibility, all is over; none will be blessed. But, as ever, when man is thoroughly exposed, God falls back on the counsels of His own heart. He will not allow all to perish; nor will He allow that the coming of the Son of Man shall be all in vain. There are those whom the Father has purposed to give to the Son; and, as the Lord can say, "All that the Father gives Me shall come to Me". Seeing that the Father gives them, the Son will receive them; "Him that comes to Me I will in no wise cast out". Whatever their nationality or their character, be they Jews or Gentiles, fallen women or hardened thieves, Pharisees or publicans, if they but come to Christ they will be received, for their coming is the proof that they are the gift of the Father to the Son.

I was told last night that I ought to tell sinners to forsake their sins. Alas! how are they to forsake their sins? I was told that I was misleading sinners, as they must forsake their sins to come to Christ. How can they do that when they are dead? God comes down to sinners, meeting them where they are — in their state of condemnation and death — and His message is, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ;" and wherever a sinner comes to the feet of Christ, and takes the place of a sinner, and looks to Him, instantly that soul passes from death unto life. It is God's own word: "He that heareth my words, and believeth on him that sent me, shall not come into judgment, but is passed into life."

Man, however, objects. "Their scribes and the Pharisees murmured at his disciples, saying, Why do ye eat and drink with the tax-gatherers and sinners?" They had not the honesty to complain to Jesus, but vented their spleen against His disciples. But the Lord answers for His people. "Jesus answering said to them, They that are in sound health have not need of a physician; but those that are ill" — a simple but most satisfactory and impressive answer. Grace always enables even a man, a believer, to speak the whole truth; it is the only thing that does. How much more did He, Who was full of grace, speak in the power of truth! Granted that they were sick; they were just the persons for the physician. It is not even said that they were conscious of their sickness. At least God knows the need, and God seeks the needy, and Jesus was God Himself as man presented in grace. As He said, "I am not come to call righteous [persons], but sinful ones to repentance."130 It is instructive to observe that in the parallel passage of Matthew and of Mark the best authorities omit "to repentance." How far from the truth is it that repentance is a Jewish thing! Luke, according to the deep moral design of his Gospel, has these words.

64 "Levi made him a great feast in his own house, and there was a great company of publicans and of others that sat down with them; but their scribes and Pharisees murmured." It was a terrible sight and blow to such. But Jesus answers, "They that are whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." They mistook the Lord altogether: He came to shew how grace could deal with those who had no righteousness.