Perfect Faith

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William Branham believed that he had "pure faith". He believed his faith was perfect.

And he believed that magicians have the same kind of faith.

But is that biblical faith?

What is New Testament faith?

William Branham’s view of faith was that if you have enough faith God has to heal you. If you have faith that you will be healed, it will come to pass.

But that is not the New Testament version of faith.

For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. 20 He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. 21 Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.

We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. 9 Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. 10 He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us again. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, 11 as you help us by your prayers.

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. 10 I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Biblical faith is saying, “God I have confidence in you, and whatever you choose to do or not do, I trust you."

New Testament faith is not faith in an outcome. Rather it is having confidence in the one who controls outcomes.

William Branham believed in the faith of outcomes

If you have faith God must heal you:

Now, how many in here doesn’t have a prayer card and wants the Lord Jesus to heal you tonight, raise up your hand. Everywhere in the building, wants the Lord Jesus to heal you. Now, I’m going to say this. If the Holy Spirit does come, and if He comes in His power to work, if you’ll just only look this way and believe that it is the Gospel truth, then God’s under obligation to heal you.

You could lose your healing through a lack of faith:

Like the cataract, tumor, or whatever it may be, they feel fine for a few days, and then the first thing you know it begins to swell, swell. And then if the patient isn’t truly instructed in the Word of God, they’ll lose their healing as sure as anything, because they get sick and get twice as bad as they ever was. And that’s the best sign you ever had that you’re healed, certainly, is swelling. It’s gone away.

Quotes of William Branham

When a human body dies… An undertaker here would know that. Well then, a hunter knows. You shoot a deer tonight and wait. Throw it on the scales and tell the boys how much it weigh. In the morning throw it back on the scales, and see how much it went off through the night. Let it lay there a few days, and then throw it on the scale, and look how much more it weighed than it did in the first place. That’s how I tell the patients: watch about seventy-two hours; corruption sets in. And that body begins to swell like a little dog laying on the street. He begins to swell after he lays there so long. The patient then, that the evil has gone out of the patient, the cancer is dead. For a few days they feel fine. Like the cataract, tumor, or whatever it may be, they feel fine for a few days, and then the first thing you know it begins to swell, swell. And then if the patient isn’t truly instructed in the Word of God, they’ll lose their healing as sure as anything, because they get sick and get twice as bad as they ever was. And that’s the best sign you ever had that you’re healed, certainly, is swelling. It’s gone away.

So then this girl, she said, "Oh, I believe, I believe, Brother Branham." Well, she thought she believed. Now, look, she had hope. But faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. You see what I mean? Now, I said, "Sister, an ordinary case," I said, "I could have a little time and let you have time, maybe to take about that much faith and go out with it. But you've got to have immediate attention, right now. For I'm going to be honest with you. You'll not live to see the hospital." Now, the parents didn't appreciate that very much at that time. But I'd rather be honest with you, let you know the truth... Wouldn't you rather I'll be honest with you? And remember, friends, I'm not wrestling with flesh and blood; it's spiritual power. I must be honest before Almighty God. See? And because I realize the danger of my own life, and not only mine, but yours. And so she said she would--she believed, but she did not. "Well," I said, "now, look." Now, I want you to notice this, and I want you to be real careful now and take up every word so you can divide it, of a little something that God permitted there. And I'll--I'll see if you've got faith. I said, "Sister, you do not have faith." She said, "Oh, Reverend Branham, I have faith to believe anything."

[End of record--Ed.]... If you have faith, I want to ask you and show you, rather, that--that you do not have faith. Now, listen and catch every word of it. Hanging in the room from a chandelier was a string, and on the end of that string was a little bracelet, and it had... It was a white bracelet with little red sets in it where a child probably been playing with it, you know, swinging it in the room. Maybe some of you have your own babies to be pacified that way, swinging something around like that to play with it, to amuse them.

And I seen that little bracelet hanging down. It was... I said to the young lady; I said, "How far are you away from that bracelet?" She said, "Prob--approximately fifteen feet." I said, "Now, all you other adults here, all you people, just turn your back right around to me." I said, "Now, there's nothing going to be done to hurt anyone. I just got to speak to this girl, because she's got to catch the idea now." And that's the reason I'm getting into these things with you tonight. We got two more nights, and something's got to be done. You see? Now, I don't want you to go away and say anything wrong about this, because you might have to answer at judgment for it. And so I said, "Something has to be done immediately." And I said, "Now, you parents, you just turn your back." And some of the neighbors was setting up with her, and they all turned their backs to me and turned their chairs around. I said to the young lady; I said, "Now, you tell me you've got faith to believe for all things." She said, "I have, sir." [Blank.spot.on.tape--Ed.]

I said, "How long has it been since you've eaten?" And she said, "About three days," said, "I can't even keep water on my stomach." And you know what appendix is and fever on her also.

And I said, "Now, if you believe with all your heart, and you prove to me now that you've got faith... Now, you look right directly at that bracelet," and it hanging there in mid-air, "and you make that bracelet swing around and around in the room. Then you make it swing back and forth in the room, and then stop it, and I'll believe you have faith." She said, "Oh, Brother Branham," said, "my, why ask me something like that?" I said, "I wanted to see if you had faith." I said, "Jesus said, 'All things are possible if you believe.'"

Now, that's just pure faith, friends. Magicians use it many times to play pranks and so forth, burst glasses and things. It will, if you believe. But I'm trying to base your--the thought on faith so you know what I'm talking of. And I want you to set still now so you'll catch this. Wake yourself up, so when I get through with it you'll know what it's all about.

And when I can get that patient up to a place till their faith comes to this, that's what gives me a perfect faith. I've never seen it fail. And it never will fail. It can't fail.

Now, I've prayed for thousands of people, just as a routine of praying for people. But yet, I don't know what's going to happen, till He shows me what's going to happen. Then I have THUS SAITH THE LORD. Then the Lord has brought His Word in confirmation, then I know just exactly what He's going to do. When He tells me what He's going to do, then it makes a perfect faith.

Now, now we see, at first the disciples didn't have this Perfect Faith. They didn't have it, because they'd had Christ, walking with Him; but then afterwards, Christ was in them. And so, you see, it's hard then to have this Perfect Faith without the Holy Spirit; It has to bring it, It does. Now, you say, "The disciples didn't have Perfect Faith?" No; for they had an epileptic child there, that they were trying to cast this devil out of him, and they couldn't do it.

...I've seen it, friend. Here's this Bible laying open before me. I've seen it happen, and I know it's the Truth. I know, God in Heaven knows, that I might not live through to finish this message, but I--I know that it happened. I've seen it myself. I'm a witness of that Word being fulfilled, that I know It is the Truth: say it, and stand there and see the Creator bring a living creature into existence, right in presence of your eyes; you shake your head and wonder; and then look around and seen Him bring another one, just exactly like it, because you said so; and turn over here and say, "There'll be another one there," and look, and there it is! Now, that's the truth.

Oh, where should we be? There's Perfect Faith. No vision, "Just speak the Word," never saw the squirrel. He just said this Scripture, what it was, and "Speak it, and don't doubt it; but what you say, it'll be there." And I took God at His Word, and it was there. That's right. That's just as powerful... And friend, as your pastor, that's just as powerful as it was when Joshua stopped the sun; because the sun was already there, the elements was moving, and he stopped the movement. But this, He brought something there that wasn't there, He created! I'm so glad to be acquainted with the God that can take the dust of the earth, some day, without anything, and call me back to life again, that same faith, after I been planted in the grave. Oh, my! There it is.

I charge you in the Name of Jesus Christ, that you come not in this line unless you feel that you got that Perfect Faith, 'cause you're only taking their time, somebody else's time. Don't you do it! And by... as long as I've preached to you, have I ever said one thing to you but what it happened? Exactly! The Lord did that. He did it not for me, I believe. He did it for you, that you might believe that what I'm telling you is the Truth. Now you believe it, it'll be all right, and it... you'll get well. When you come by here, drop your unbelief right in this... a spiritual pocket down here. You won't see it, but it's there. When that oil touches you, drop your unbelief right there. Deposit that and walk away with Perfect Faith that you're well. Will you do it? The Lord bless you, then.

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