<TITLE>09. Par 71-82</TITLE>L-71 "Well, his papa and mama were born the same way, and they were born the same way, and his grandma and grandpa and on back." It's sin, to begin with!

L-72   So who can say that this is holy and that is holy? There is only one thing holy, that's Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God, Who has been made Perfect. And our requirement is to be perfect. Now, how we going to be it? Try it, yourself. I'd hate to try to get to Heaven on the merits of, "I was born five minutes ago, and going out of the world right now." I'd be lost. If I never had an evil thought in my life, if I never spoke a bad word in my life, if I never looked at anything evil, never thought anything evil, or nothing, I'm just as rank and black as the smutty walls of hell. I'm a sinner.

L-73 I could come through life and stay locked up in a room, and like some of the Carmelite sisters or something, and never see the world, stay in there and pray all, my life, do good, born a multimillionaire and give to the poor everything I got, and I'm still a sinner and will go to hell. Yes, sir.

L-74   I might join the Lutheran church, Baptist, Pentecostal, Presbyterian, when I'm on the cradle roll, and live faithful to that church until a hundred years, and my life is took, and no man could point their finger at me and say "He ever even as had as much as a bad thought," I'll go to hell just as sure as I'm standing.

L-75 I'm a sinner. That's correct. I have nothing. There's no way, at all, I could find any--any price to be paid. God required death. And if I give my own life, if I give my life, then how can I repent? Cause, you... The debt has got to be paid, first. And God was the only One who could lay His life down and take It up again. So He could become sin, and lay His Life down and pick It up, and call it "justice," and the debt is paid. There you are.

L-76   Now let's turn to Matthew, about the 8th chapter, I believe it is, 7th or 8th chapter. We'll see what Jesus says over here. All right. It's Matthew, the 5th chapter. And the... Jesus, preach, preaching in the beatitudes, the 47th verse.
And if you salute your brethren only, what do you more than others? do not even the publicans...? (Watch.)
But be ye therefore perfect,... (What?)
Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
That was Jesus' commandment, "Be ye so."

L-77 They say, "Nobody can be perfect, the Bible said, 'There is none perfect.' There's your contradiction." Is it? All right.

L-78 You cannot be perfect in yourself. If you're trusting in what you done, you're lost. "So be ye perfect, even just as perfect as God is perfect." Now:
Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father... in heaven is perfect.

L-79 "Therefore..." Now the 5th chapter, 6th chapter of Hebrews.
Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on to perfection;...

L-80   Now, you, Branham Tabernacle. Oh, I know, "We have healings." That's wonderful. "We have visions." Oh, that's--that's fine. And you have spiritual dreams, and sometimes they're not spiritual dreams. And--and sometimes you... "We, we try to help the poor. We do what we can." Oh, that's all right, but that's not what we're talking about now. We're entering into another phase.
... leaving... the doctrine...

L-81 "Oh, yes, we got the doctrine of Christ. We believe He was the Son of God, is virgin-born. We believe that, with all these things." That is just wonderful.

L-82   But, "Leaving that, let's go on to perfection." Oh, my! Wish I had the voice of an archangel now, to bring this to a place where you could see it. Now he says, "Leaving all the doctrine of Christ," all the--the theologians, and all the theology that we know, all about the Deity of Christ, how He was God made flesh, all these other things.


<A HREF="P10">Next Page</A>