Rai-Elle Williams, from Croydon, was forced into a sing off after Sharon Osborne struggled on her decision of who to take through to the 'Judge's Houses' round.
Three artists were asked to sing a song of their choice acapella in front of thousands gathered at Wembley arena.
While the two other contestants blasted out mainstream pop hits, Rai-Elle shocked the judges by singing the words 'there is power in the name of Jesus' from the song made famous by Tasha Cobbs.
Her performance saw judge Nicole Scherzinger rise to her feet along with many in the audience.
Sharon Osborne, who is mentoring the girls' category of the ITV show said: "You are fearless for a sixteen-year-old - you're unbelievable."
X Factor continues next Saturday at 8.15pm where Rai-Elle will compete with five other girls for a chance to perform on the live shows.