Nestorianism

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• Did William Branham Teach Oneness?
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• Did William Branham teach Nestorianism?
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Nestorianism is basically the doctrine that Jesus existed as two persons, the man Jesus and the divine Son of God, rather than as a unified person. William Branham's teaching on the nature of Christ was clearly tainted by Nestorianism. It is even more clearly exhibited in the teachings of Lee Vayle.

History

Nestorianism is identified with Nestorius (c.AD 386-451), Patriarch of Constantinople. This view of Christ was condemned at the Council of Ephesus in 431, and the conflict over this view led to the Nestorian schism, separating the Assyrian Church of the East from the Byzantine Church.

The Nestorians denied the real union between the divine and the human natures in Christ, making it rather a moral than an organic one. Nestorianism holds to no real incarnation—only to an alliance between God and man.

The motivation for this view was an aversion to the idea that "God" suffered and died on the cross, be it God himself, or one of the persons of the Trinity. Thus, Nestorians would say, Jesus the perfect man suffered and died, not the divine Son of God, for such is an impossible thought -- hence the inference that two "persons" essentially inhabited the one body of Jesus. Nestorius held that Mary was the mother of Christ only in respect to His humanity. The council at Ephesus (431) accused Nestorius of the heresy of teaching "two persons" in Christ.

The problem with Nestorianism is that it threatens the atonement. If Jesus is two persons, then which one died on the cross? If it was the "human person" then the atonement is not of divine quality and thereby insufficient to cleanse us of our sins.

Nestorianism in William Branham's teaching

Here are a few quotes that clearly demonstrate the Nestorian leanings within William Branham's teachings:

When He was—last cry, "Eli, Eli. My God, My God," That was a man. "Why hast Thou forsaken Me?" In the garden of Gethsemane, the anointing left Him, you know, He had to die as a sinner. He died a sinner, you know that; not His sins, but mine and yours. That's where that love come in, how He took mine. Oh, hallelujah, how He took mine.

The Spirit left Him, in the garden of Gethsemane. He had to die, a man. Remember, friends, He didn't have to do that. That was God. God anointed that flesh, which was human flesh. And He didn't… If He'd have went up there, as God, He'd have never died that kind of death; can't kill God. But He didn't have to do it. 242 But, remember, He went there with you in Him. See, God had never separated the Bride from the Groom, yet. So when God looked down upon the body of Christ, He saw both male and female. It was all redeemed in that one body. See? They are one, same, same Word. The same Word, spoke of the Groom, speaks of the Bride.

Now, how many knows that Christ is the Spirit of God? We all know that. He's the anointed One. Jesus was the anointed. There's where people who believe that there's three or four different Gods, get all mixed up. See? God is a Spirit. Jesus was the body that the Spirit of God dwelled in, made Him Emmanuel, God, tabernacled on earth. He was God. Jesus Christ was God, yet He was the Son of God. His flesh was the Son of God 'cause God created it, but inside He was God. "It's not Me," said Jesus, "does the works, it's My Father that dwelleth in Me. And that day you'll know that I'm in the Father, the Father in Me, I in you, and you in Me."

At the day of the baptism, when He received the Holy Ghost on the day when John baptized Him, John said, "I beheld and saw the Spirit of God like a Dove descending from heaven, and a Voice saying, 'This is My beloved Son in Whom I'm pleased to dwell in.'" Jesus said that God was with Him, "I and My Father are One. My Father dwells in Me." Not Jesus, and being one with God; but Je—God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself. 143 And you Oneness brethren, many of you get off the wrong track when you try to think that God is one like your finger is one. He can't be His Own Father. He can't be. But He is God. God is Jehovah, the Spirit; Christ was the House that He dwelt in.

That's the reason people couldn't understand Him. Sometime it was Christ speaking… or was the Son speaking. Other times it was the Father speaking. He was a dual Person. He was one Man, the Son. God was in him, which was tabernacling in Him. But what did He do? Did He go around saying, "I'm the Healer." Very contrary, He said, "I'm not the Healer." He said, "It isn't Me that doth the works; it's My Father that dwelleth in Me." And in Saint John the 19th chapter when He was questioned for pasting a whole bunch of crippled, lame, withered, halt, blind people, healed one man laying on a pallet, the Father showed Him to go there and heal. Walked away and left the rest of them laying there, they questioned Him. A man packing his bed on the sabbath. Listen to what He said. Saint John 5:19: "Verily, verily, I say unto you: The Son can do nothing in Himself, but what he sees the Father doing, that doth the Son likewise." Is that what He said? "I do nothing till the Father shows Me a vision first what to do."

"He was more than… God was in Him. He was a man, but He was a—a dual Person. One, He was a man; the Spirit in Him was God." I said, "God was in Christ." She said, "Aw, no." I said, "Look, lady, I'll take your own Scripture. He was a man, but He was a God-man. When He went down to the grave of Lazarus, He did weep like a man. That's true. But when He stood there, straightened His little stooped shoulders up, and said, 'Lazarus, come forth,' and a dead man, that'd been dead four days come to life. That was more than a man. Man couldn't do that. That was God in His Son."

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