QUESTION:
Why Is Holiness Needed In Us?
ANSWER:
“Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” [2 Corinthians 7:1]
“For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.” [1 Thessalonians 4:7]
“What does a woman do it for? What? To appear before men; that's the same thing Jezebel does. She likes to hear the boys go, "whee whew" [Brother Branham imitates a wolf whistle--Ed.] that hound dog call or wolf call. That's right. It's because the pastor has let down. And you wouldn't have an old-fashion, God-sent minister; you got some little Hollywood type of a guy that likes to beat on a drum, and jump up-and-down, and holler, "Hallelujah." The devil can do the same. HOLINESS becometh the Lord. “And if you love the world, or the things of the world, the love of God's not even in you.” That's what the Scripture said.” [Life, Everett, MA 58-0512 ]
“It used to be a long time ago that all of our fashions come from Paris. Now it don't come from Paris. Paris comes to Hollywood to get it. It used to be it was wrong for you to go to picture shows, you HOLINESS people, and see those bad plays; but the devil beat you to it. He put it on the television and set it right in your own house. It's right. No wonder you got little children out that police officers are being shot at, and stabbed to death, and everything standing on the corner with two guns and everything. They see that stuff. They're raised into it. It's time the church took its position and come out of the things of the world. You know it. It used to be that it was wrong for Christian women in the HOLINESS groups to wear short hair. What happened? I can remember when you couldn't be taken into the church with short hair. It was wrong in the first place; it's wrong yet. The Bible said that if a woman cuts her hair her husband has a right to divorce her and get away from her. That's exactly right. What do you do it for? To follow fashions. Now, you're not going to like me after this, but at the judgment bar, you're going to find out something. The Bible said if a woman cuts her hair, she dishonors her head, which is her husband. If she's a dishonorable person, she should be put away. It used to be wrong, but something happened.” [Life, Bangor, ME 58-0519]
“HOLINESS women wearing these little bitty old clothes and getting out here in the yard, mowing their yard, walking up and down the streets with shorts on, letting your children do it! Then you say, "God, send us a revival." How would God ever put a revival on a bunch of filth? Can't do it. Now you're going to find out why we haven't got a revival. Why did you do it? You see, the world begin to seep in. Many people that call themselves Christians will stay home on Wednesday night from prayer meeting to hear this old, "We Love Sucy" or all kind of nonsense like that, instead of going to a church. Shows what's on the inside of you, what you're thirsting. That's your character, your conduct. And you women, at ten o'clock at morning when you ought to have prayer meeting, you listen to some old ungodly thing like Arthur Godfrey with his old dirty jokes and things with that bunch of women and then call your selves Christians. Go on. That's the truth. You say, "Brother Branham, I don't wear shorts. I wear slacks." That's worse. The Bible said that a woman that'll put on a garment pertaining to a man it's an abomination in the sight of God; and God doesn't change. And you wear these little old skirts that's so tight, going down the street so tight till the skin's on the outside, and you call yourself, "HOLINESS women." Is that the way a daughter of God would act? Listen. You say, "Preacher, that's the only kind of clothes they sell." But they still make sewing machines and sell them. You ain't got no excuse. And besides that, they still sell goods that you can make your clothes. I know that hurts, but it's good for you. It's the truth. It's what the Bible says.” [Life, Bangor, ME 58-0519]
“The Bible said Jesus had done so many things, they called Him Beelzebub and so forth, because they, the prophet said, "They got eyes but they can't see." And the Scripture here, Jesus speaking, said the Church would be in that condition in the last days...?... people that set here, got good churches, you got smart men. You got plenty of money and well dressed, but you're blind, naked. There's hardly no Blood, no sanctifying grace upon you. Living in the world. If you--if you were sanctified by the Spirit of God (I believe in HOLINESS, His HOLINESS.), you'd act different, live different than people does today. I'm not talking about maybe just the individuals setting here. You know who, where it's hitting, where it isn't. I'm just responsible for telling it.” [Jesus At The Door, New Haven, CT 58-0529]
“When God gets a hold of a man, the first thing He does in the church is bring it from worldliness to HOLINESS. And He brings it from death unto Life. It's born again. It's new. Its ideas are new. What we need is a revival like that today. Really is true. Oh, we've had a dip of the Spirit. We've had spiritual blessings and spiritual uprises. But we don't need that no more; we need a revival of the Spirit of the living God in the hearts of the people. We don't need so much of the dips of the Spirit, or spiritual awakening; we need a revival. Let's revive what we've got, not a spiritual awakening. Sometimes that causes mixed multitudes. But we need a revival that'll sift down, shake down, and will cull out all the things, like standing by the seashore.” [What Does Thou Here, Jeffersonville, IN 59-0301e ]
“And all that the pastors had give in, so they let the--they'd had a social Gospel, no doubt. And so, but there was one who didn't give in. There was a little old prophet in the land in that day. He didn't bow down to any of their idols for he knowed that Jehovah was a holy God; and He required HOLINESS, and cleanliness, and decency. For he knowed that Jehovah could not change. And if Jehovah, to bring the children out of Israel, had to cleanse them and sanctify them. And when they walked disorderly according to His commandments, He placed judgment upon them. He knowed that Jehovah was the same yesterday, today, and forever. Therefore, he would not give in. Oh, Jezebel hated him, and all of her company hated him. But God loved him and respected him, because he never let down on the Word of God. He stayed with It. God give us more Elijahs in this cruel evil day of corruption that we're living in, that's not a scared to preach what's the truth, what the Bible says. "Without HOLINESS, no man shall see the Lord." You must be cleansed from your sins by the Blood of the Lord Jesus.” [Be Certain Of God, Los Angeles, CA 59-0412a ]
“You've got so much of it out here on this West Coast, so much glamour. And I noticed it's creeped into the churches, trying to glamour the church. The church is not glamour, it's a place to preach righteousness, HOLINESS, and purity, and the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit in the human life. Oh, it's a disgrace.” [Thirsting For Life, Los Angeles, CA 59-0414]
“The Holy Spirit speaking in the Scriptures tonight, said that we might serve Him all the days of our life in HOLINESS before Him; that's cleanliness, HOLINESS. But today, you can mention the word, "holy," and people laugh at it. See how Satan's got it all wrapped up? But you are a slave. And if you are a Christian, you're a slave. You're a bond slave of the Lord Jesus. If there's two people of you, both spirit and body... And if you cater to the flesh, you're a slave of the devil, and you'll crucify the soul that's in you. For the Bible said, "The soul that sinneth, that soul shall die." And you have to crucify the flesh in order to be a bond slave in your flesh to be a servant of Jesus Christ. So, you're a slave any way you take it. And you'll, you can't get away from it.” [All The Days Of Our Life, Chicago, IL 59-0612]
“Well she said, "Then aren't we Americans?" I said, "As citizenship of our flesh, we are. But we are pilgrims and we are strangers here; and we are seeking a City to come." I said, "That's the reason that one American is different from the other. Our spirits has been born from above. And in that land where we come from, the nature and the habits of that land is HOLINESS, cleanliness, godliness. And if the Spirit of that Land moves into us, then this land is strange to us." 'Cause your soul and your spirit motivates you; it makes you what you are. And you'll never be able to join churches and get that out of you; you'll still be a church member and make fun of people who preach against such immorals.” [Balm In Gilead, Cleveland, TN 59-0707]
“I said that to a woman one time. She said, "That's the way they make clothes. That's the only way they make." I said, "They still got goods and sewing machines. You don't have to do that." That's true. You don't have to. It's a spirit that gets on you through television programs, newspapers, advertisements. That's the reason people smoke. They say it makes them slim. They see these movie stars smoking cigarettes. Well, because she does it...If you're born of the Spirit of God, you don't have that kind of spirit. Your Spirit come from Above, where HOLINESS and purity, and cleanliness! O God, why can't I make people see that? You have to be born from Above. And when your Above comes here on earth, you're a pilgrim. This is not your home. You don't belong here. You're just sojourning here. But our home is Above; we seek a city to come whose builder and maker is God. That's the reason we're peculiar to the world. That's the reason the Spirit of God gets into the meeting and makes peculiar things happen, because it's a peculiar people. They're not of this world.” [Balm In Gilead, San Jose, CA 59-1124]
“I said that to a woman one time. She said, "That's the way they make clothes. That's the only way they make." I said, "They still got goods and sewing machines. You don't have to do that." That's true. You don't have to. It's a spirit that gets on you through television programs, newspapers, advertisements. That's the reason people smoke. They say it makes them slim. They see these movie stars smoking cigarettes. Well, because she does it...If you're born of the Spirit of God, you don't have that kind of spirit. Your Spirit come from Above, where HOLINESS and purity, and cleanliness! O God, why can't I make people see that? You have to be born from Above. And when your Above comes here on earth, you're a pilgrim. This is not your home. You don't belong here. You're just sojourning here. But our home is Above; we seek a city to come whose builder and maker is God. That's the reason we're peculiar to the world. That's the reason the Spirit of God gets into the meeting and makes peculiar things happen, because it's a peculiar people. They're not of this world.” [Balm In Gilead, San Jose, CA 59-1124 ]
“The nation had thought, as long as they were eating good and were well clothed, that everything would be all right. But there was one who still was old fashion, that believed that there was a God that was old fashion, believed that there was a God that kept His Word, believed that the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, was holy and required re-… complete surrender to His HOLINESS. But Jezebel and her modernistic crew hated him. He was their pastor, but they didn't believe it. So he had to hide for his life.” [ Elijah And The Meal Offering, Phoenix, AZ 60-0310]
“The nation had thought, as long as they were eating good and were well clothed, that everything would be all right. But there was one who still was old fashion, that believed that there was a God that was old fashion, believed that there was a God that kept His Word, believed that the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, was holy and required re-… complete surrender to His HOLINESS. But Jezebel and her modernistic crew hated him. He was their pastor, but they didn't believe it. So he had to hide for his life.” [Elijah And The Meal Offering, Phoenix, AZ 60-0310]
“They don't, nobody, don't want the Holy Spirit to judge them. Now, if you get the Holy Ghost and can still live that way... You come to me and tell me you got the Holy Ghost and living like that, I--I can't be your judge, but according to the Word you've missed the line somewhere, brother. That's right. That's exactly what the Spirit says. See? That's right. We need back HOLINESS again, brother. We need... Come back to God. Yes, they reject It, certainly they do. They don't want to do it, know how that they don't want to come under the jurisdiction of the Holy Spirit. They don't want the Spirit to--to guide them.” [The Rejected King, Chautauqua, OH 60-0610 ]
“My poor dejected friend! The devil might've took you, sister, out yonder to a place where you never do desire to let your hair grow. Might get you to a place where you think that some pastor is nonsense when he's preaching you pure HOLINESS, the way you should dress. Some of you men out there that goes around and does these things you ought not to do... And you men that'll let your wife do a thing like that, and smoke cigarettes, I got little respect for you even as a man. Now, that's exactly right. You know, a man's the head of the house, as long as he takes his place. But we--I--I don't--I like to see a man a man. A man's not judged by how many muscles he's got; that's beast. A man's not judged by the brawny muscles, but he's judged by the bags in the knees of his pants where he's been praying. That's what takes a man.” [The Rejected King, Chautauqua, OH 60-0610]
Bible References: 2 Corinthians 7:1; 1 Thessalonians 4:7
[Answer provided by Bro. Ken Andes, Minister, Lynden, Washington, USA]