Beauties of Holiness by Sadhu Sandar Selvaraj

Beauties
Of
Holiness
1
Beauties of Holiness
Unless otherwise indicated, all scriptural quotations are taken

from the New King James Version, copyright 1979, 1980, 1982,
Thomas Nelson Inc., Publishers.
The Amplified Bible, New Testament.

Copyright @ 1954, 1958 by the Lockmann Foundation.
Used by Permission.
First Edition: 2005

This Reprint: 2009
BEAUTIES OF HOLINESS
ISBN: 981-04-0530-8
Published by: Jesus Ministries Pte Ltd

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Copyright © 2005 by Jesus Ministries Pte Ltd. All rights reserved

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Cover Design: Johnny Lim, Jesus Ministries

DTP/Typesetting: Johnny Lim, Jesus Ministries
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DEDICATION
This book is worshipfully dedicated

To the Heavenly Father for His grace and mercy
To the Lord Jesus Christ for revealing these precious truths
And the Holy Spirit for His inspiration and teaching
And
To all precious and beloved brothers and sisters

Who greatly desire to learn
How to live
Holy like the Lord God.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I want to humbly express my deep and

profound gratitude and thanks, and acknowledge
the sacrifices of labour and love that the
following dear brothers and sister have rendered
to make this book a reality:
Johnny Lim – for his beautiful artcover.

Amutha Arnasalam – for her tireless and sacrificial
labours of love in typesetting this book.
Bernard Lee – a dear brother and friend who has
meticulously edited this book.
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CONTENTS
Preface

1. The Holy God 9

2. The Beauty of Holiness 21

3. Do We Need Holiness? 39

4. Holiness Unto God 51

5. The Essence of Holiness 73

6. The Fountain of Holiness 83

7. A Holy Living 107
8. Holiness in Christ Jesus 129
9. The Pathway of Holiness 141
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PREFACE
God has only one intended destiny for

mankind -holiness. His only goal is
to produce saints. He did not come to
save us out of pity - He came to save
us because He created us to be holy
A.W. Tozer

Once I was praying with some friends in South India

in September 1983. The presence of God came very
powerfully into our midst. A certain brother, being filled
with the Holy Spirit, looked at me and said, “Brother, I see
the Lord Jesus giving you a white flag. By this the Holy Spirit is
signifying that God would use you to call the Church to God’s
standard of holiness.” Over the past 26 years, indeed the
Holy Spirit has used this little vessel to blow the trumpet
calling the church to holiness.

The Lord has told me to “Cry aloud, spare not; lift up
your voice like a trumpet; tell My people their transgression,
and the house of Jacob their sins” (Isa. 58:1). Such a call is
not an easy and pleasant one because most Christians and
churches do not like their sins to be exposed. Sometimes
comments like these are made: “Brother, you must be
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sensitive to others’ feelings so that they do not get hurt” or
“Brother, if you openly expose the sins of our Church, or if you
preach too strongly, people would not come to the church.” But
God has only one standard of holiness, which is to be holy
like Him.

As the coming of the Lord Jesus is approaching fast the
Holy Spirit is hastening to put the final finishing touches
of holiness on the Bride of Christ. My dear brothers and
sisters, the Bridegroom is coming for a pure and chaste
Bride. To be the Bride of Christ, there is only but just one
standard. It is written, “He who is unjust, let him be unjust
still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous,
let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still”
(Rev. 22:11).
I humbly trust in Christ Jesus that through this book

every believer can learn that a lifestyle of holiness is
not impossible and that we do not need to engage in an
impossible struggle in order to live holy. All struggles will
cease when we learn to rest in Christ, holding His hands
and walking with Him. Such a walk will be a walk of
holiness.

Sundar Selvaraj
May 2005
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Chapter 1
The Holy God
Science tells us that different kinds of atmospheric

conditions exist in our solar system because of the
thermonuclear energy of the sun. The planets Mercury
and Venus, which are closest to the sun, are so hot that
life cannot exist. This speaks of the awesomeness of God
who is glorious in holiness, unto whose presence nobody
could approach or behold His face (Ex. 33:20; 1 Tim. 6:16).
The other planets Mars, Saturn, Uranus, Jupiter, Neptune, and
Pluto are so far away from the sun that life could not exist.
This speaks of a life cut away from the face and grace of
God. Without God, life becomes cold and unfruitful. Only
our planet Earth is at the right proximity to the sun in all
relations. As a consequence, we are blessed with favorable
conditions for the sustenance of life. The relationship
between the sun and the earth speaks of the relationship
between God and the Christian. The standard of holiness is
found in the “right proximity” between the individual and
his God.

God is holy. He did not command us to be all-knowing,
all-powerful, and present everywhere at once like Him
in His supernatural attributes. But God has called us to
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partake of His holiness so that we could be like Him

in His divine nature (Heb. 12:10). God loves holiness
(Mal. 2:11). We are commanded to be holy and it is
possible to live a holy life because God is holy. Though
it might be the passionate pursuit of every believer to be
holy, yet somehow all our striving seems to be in vain
and fruitless. The secret to living holy, however, lies in
recognizing the source and product of holiness itself. From
such a recognition would dawn the comprehension
of the composition and by products of holiness. This
understanding would enable us to live holy like God.
Consider a tree. Before he sows the seeds, every wise

farmer would carefully and laboriously till the ground
first. After which, he plants the seeds in that good
ground. The goodness and life-giving qualities in the
ground would cause the seeds to germinate and grow into
saplings and then into full-grown trees. These trees would
remain healthy and productive as long as they simply
remain planted in the ground. Herein lies the secret for
us to live holy. The Lord Jesus, who is without sin, is that
good ground. If we remain in Him, His righteousness,
perfection, and holiness would be infused into us so that
we would eventually grow up bearing His likeness. There
is a spiritual purpose and lesson for us here in Moses’
striking of the rock and letting out the flow of water. The
Israelites in the wilderness needed that water to sustain
their physical lives. We need to drink continuously from
the life-giving, pure river of life that flows from the Lord
Jesus to keep ourselves holy and to remain holy (Jer. 2:13;
1 Cor. 10:4; Rev. 7:17).

This crystal-clear pure river of life, flowing all over and
within us, would purify and cleanse us of every filthiness
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The Holy God
of the spirit and flesh, sanctifying, transforming, and

perfecting us in the holiness of God.
The Divine Constitution Of Holiness

ISAIAH 43:3a
3a For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel.

The Hebrew word “Yahweh–M’Kaddesh” means I am
who I am your Sanctifier. Holiness is regarded as one of
the attributes of God. The attributes of God are the
qualities and perfections, which belong to Him and are
forms and expressions of His Being as revealed to man.
Theologians classify these attributes as incommunicable
and communicable. The incommunicable attributes of God
reveal Him as the Absolute Being, an infinite and rational
Spirit who is self-existent, Omnipotent, Omnipresent, and
Omniscient. The communicable attributes of God reveal
His personal nature as a conscious, intelligent, free, and
moral Being. These attributes as revealed are Holiness,
Righteousness, Justice, Goodness, Love, Grace, Mercy, and
Truth. The very essence of God’s absolute being is Holiness.
This Holiness makes God uniquely as The Lord God.

The Lord God is the God of holiness (Ps. 99:9). The
theologian Gustav Aulen has very beautifully written,
holiness is the foundation on which the whole conception of God
rests (The Faith of the Christian Church). Louis Berkhof, the
respected theologian writes, It [holiness] is some thing that
is co-extensive with and applicable to, everything that can be
predicated of God (Systematic Theology).

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The scriptures reveal the holiness of God in two

ways. Firstly, it denotes that God in His infinite majesty is
distinct from His creation. His holiness is revealed in His
goodness, grace, justice, and wrath. It can be termed as
the “majestic-holiness” of God. Secondly, it denotes that
God, in His holiness, is ethically separated from moral evil
or sin. He cannot have communion nor co-habit with
sin (Job. 34:10; Hab. 1:13). This could be regarded as the
“majestic-purity” of God.

The Significance of God’s Holiness

Let us examine macroscopically the exhibition of God’s
holiness.

i. Majestic-Holiness

God’s holiness is composed of His awesomeness and
majesty. It is the awesome and majestic nature of God,
which overwhelms man and evokes in him a reverential
fear for God. When Jacob in a dream beheld the Lord
and the angels of God, he exclaimed, How awesome is this
place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the
gate of heaven (Gen. 28:17).
In 1987, a saintly prophet of God and I were fasting

and praying for seven days in Madurai, South India. On
the seventh day, we had a visitation from God. We beheld
the similitude of the Lord Jesus face to face. The Lord Jesus
appeared as a person ablaze with fire. His very being was
composed of fire, which seemed devouring (Ezek. 1:27).
We immediately recalled the scriptures, which stated that
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The Holy God
God is a consuming and devouring fire (Deu. 4:24; Ps. 50:3;

Heb. 12:29). The Holy Spirit then signified to us that the
holiness of God is manifested as a consuming or devouring
fire. Like Joshua, we fell on our faces, awed by the fear of
God and began to worship His majesty (Jos. 3:15).
It is because of this manifestation of God’s majestic-

holiness as consuming and devouring fire that God’s
presence is always seen enshrouded within a cloud
(Ex. 14:24, 19:9, 34:5; Num. 11:25). The Shekinah Cloud is
the tangible manifestation of the Holiness of God.

The Being of God is parabolized in workings of the
sun. Scientists tell us that the sun generates energy by
turning hydrogen to helium through a process called
nuclear fusion in its interior core. This gives the sun the
appearance of a burning furnace. Likewise, the Holiness of
God is manifested as a consuming and devouring fire.

The energy that is radiated from the sun as a result of
the burnings within appears to the naked eye as visible
infrared light. Due to the spectral intensity radiated by
the surface gases of the sun, this light appears yellow in
colour. Once in 1991, I was caught up in a vision and I
saw the heavens open before me. I saw a door open and,
looking within (Rev. 4:1), I saw billows of soft white cloud,
which appeared goldish-yellow in colour. The Holy Spirit
then signified that this is the manifestation of the Shekinah
Glory of God. It seems that the glory light that shines forth
from the Holiness of God also appears yellow in colour.

In Isaiah 6:3, we read, And one cried to another and said:
‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of
His glory!’ and Revelation 4:8 says, The four living creatures,
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each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And
they do not rest day or night, saying: ‘Holy, holy, holy, Lord
God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come! Why did the
seraphim and the four living creatures praise and worship
God’s holiness thrice?

The sun’s structure is composed of three regions.
Likewise the Holiness of God is composed of three
components. These three components are Righteousness,
Justice, and Love. How did we arrive at this? God has
always revealed Himself, specifically, His attributes and
natures in His Name. The Bible says Exodus 34:6,7, And
the Lord passed before him and proclaimed, ‘The Lord, the
Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering and abounding
in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving
iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the
guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and
the children’s children to the third and the fourth generation
(Ex.34:6,7).

In proclaiming His Name, God revealed to Moses the
glory of His Holiness (Ex.15:11). The Name of God consists
of three parts, which exemplify the three components of
holiness.

1. “The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious”
speaks of Righteousness (Ps. 85:10).

2. “Slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness
and truth” speaks of Love (Ps. 30:5; Jer. 31:3).

3. “Keeping mercy and forgiving iniquity” speaks of
Justice. A scriptural example for this could be found
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The Holy God
in Genesis 3:14-21. Because God’s justice required

judgement on sin He cursed man and did not clear
man’s guilt but instead visited his iniquity. In His
mercy, however, God forgave their transgression,
covering them with coats of skins and promising
man a Messiah.
It is for this reason that the heavenly hosts praise and

worship God’s holiness thrice, declaring God’s absolute
holiness in His Righteousness, Justice, and Love.

God’s righteousness is established in total integrity
and uprightness (Ps. 25:8). This divine character in
God is absolute. It is not in God’s nature to do wrong
(Ps. 85:13). Righteousness is an aspect of God’s holiness
which makes manifest His moral nature. God’s justice is
closely related to God’s righteousness. In His justice God
is fair in all His ways and shows no partiality to any of
His creation (Rom. 2:11; Col. 3:25). The scriptures in
Romans 2:7,8 further elucidate the justice of God: To
those who by patient persistence in well-doing [springing from
piety] seek [unseen but sure] glory and honour and [the eternal
blessedness of] immortality, He will give eternal life. But for
those who are self-seeking and self-willed and disobedient to the
Truth but responsive to wickedness, there will be indignation and
wrath (Amp.).

Let me unveil a spiritual mystery of the ark of the
covenant. The ark of the covenant is the parabolic
representation on earth of the throne of God in heaven
(Heb. 8:5, 4:16, 10:19; Rev. 11:19). By the ark is a cherub
each on the left side and the right side with their wings
stretched out as if to provide a cover over the ark. On
the ark is also the mercy seat. The two cherubim speak
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of righteousness and justice because the Bible says that

Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your
throne; mercy and truth go before Your face (Ps. 89:14,
97:2). Righteousness and justice is Holiness exhibited in
divine government.

The mercy seat speaks of love. The mercy seat points
to the finished work of Christ’s redemption, which is
a demonstration of God’s love (Jn. 3:16). Just as water
is used to extinguish fire, likewise, from the mercy
seat, love flows out to appease the fiery emanation of
righteousness and justice from God’s holiness (Amos 5:24;
Rev. 22:1). Righteousness, Justice, and Love are therefore
the composition of Holiness upon which God is enthroned
and where He inhabits (Ps. 47:8; Isa. 63:15).

ii. Divine Purity

HABAKKUK 1:13a
13a You are of purer eyes than to behold evil, and
cannot look on wickedness.

The Bible tells us that God dwells in unapproachable light
(Dan. 2:22; 1 Tim. 6:16). This bright and brilliant light is
the manifestation of the purity of His holiness. In order
to show man that God’s holiness is pure, God specifically
commanded Moses to make all the furniture in the Holy
Place and the Most Holy Place not just with gold but pure
gold. Gold speaks of holiness while pure gold speaks of the
purity of holiness.

There is nothing impure nor anything unclean in
God. All things in heaven are of greater purity and
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The Holy God
perfection. Holiness permeates all things. So purified and

holy is that state that all things are transparently open.
Nothing, no spiritual being, has anything to fear or hide
from in heaven. Neither is there any hiding place in heaven.
Not the slightest trace of evil could abide in that place.
Holiness is manifested in every being - whether angel or
redeemed saint - from the lowest to the highest order.

It was for this reason too that the conception of the
Lord Jesus was supernatural. Let’s study the creation of a
new baby more closely. During sexual intercourse, the
male sperm has to pass through a tube called urethra
in the male sexual organ. Urine from the bladder is also
released through the urethra, making this tube unclean. On
the other hand, the fertilized ovule of the female is kept
on the walls of the womb, clean from defilement. If the
Lord Jesus is the biological son of Joseph, He would not be
pure and without sin. It was for this reason that the Holy
Spirit, who is a quickening Spirit (Rom. 8:11), quickened
life in the ovule of Mary, causing it to become fertilized and
alive supernaturally. Thus the Lord Jesus, though born of a
woman, was pure and clean and without sin (2 Cor. 5:21;
Heb. 4:15; 1 Pe. 1:19; 1 Jn.3:5).

It is written, God is Light, and there is no darkness in Him
at all [no, not in any way] (1 Jn. 1:5b, Amp.). This is the
radiance of purity in which God dwells. The components
of righteousness, justice, and love reveal the glory of
God’s holiness. It was this realization that made Moses
sing, Who is like You, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like
You, glorious in holiness, awesome in splendour, doing wonders?
(Ex. 15:11, Amp.)

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Holiness Enshrined In the Tabernacle

EXODUS 25:8 (Amp.)
8 Let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell
among them.

EXODUS 40:34 (Amp.)
34 Then the cloud [the Shekinah, God’s visible presence]
covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of the Lord
filled the tabernacle!
Parabolized in the holy furniture of the tabernacle is not

just God’s essential holiness but the beautiful truth that
the Holy God desires to sanctify His people. Consider the
pattern of the tabernacle. The tabernacle consists of three
sections, namely, the Most Holy Place, the Holy Place, and
the Outer Court.

i. The Outer Court houses two furniture - the Brazen
Altar and the Laver of Washing. This speaks of
the cleansing work of God (Ezek. 16:4,9, 36:25;
Eph. 5:26; Heb. 10:22).

ii. The Holy Place houses three furniture - the
Lampstand, the Table of Shewbread and the Altar of
Incense. This speaks of the purifying work of God
(Ps. 12:6, 119:9; Mal. 3:3).

iii. The Most Holy Place houses only one furniture
- the Ark of the Covenant. This speaks of the
sanctifying work of God (Ex. 34:29; Rom. 15:16;
1 Cor. 6:11; 2 Thes. 2:13; 1 Pe. 1:2).

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The Holy God
Holiness is not only enshrined in the tabernacle—it

is the very shrine of God (Ps. 93:10). Holiness adorns the
house wherein resides the holy God. The throne upon
which God sits upon is also declared as holy (Ps. 47:8).
When the high priest entered the Holy Place, he could

see only by the light of a golden lampstand (Ex. 25:31-40).
When we come before God in prayer the light of God’s
holiness will convict us of sin. When we kneel before
the Holy God and spread our hands to Him in humble
surrender, that same light of God’s holiness will sanctify
us. Without holiness, man cannot come before God nor
see God (Heb. 12:14). In commanding man to be holy
like Him, the Lord God Himself demonstrated through
types and foreshadows in the tabernacle that He alone is
the Sanctifier of His people. God is holiness. Because He
is holy, He requires His chosen and redeemed people to be
holy (Lev. 11:44, 19:2, 20:7; 1 Pe. 1:16). Having declared
Himself holy, God requires that same holiness from us, so
that we could commune and fellowship with the holy God.
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Chapter 2
The Beauty of Holiness
I was once in Darkhan, Mongolia, in 1996. One morning,

while ministering unto God, I sang Holy, holy, holy is
the Lord. Let my prayer to you be as incense. As I kept on
repeating this sentence, the presence of the Holy Spirit
came upon me, and He spoke these words to me: Holiness
in your heart will enable you to see the holy God. Purity in your
heart will enable you to lift up clean hands to worship and
pray to God. A walk of righteousness will enable you to walk
up to and stand before God in his glory (Ps. 15:1-5, 24:3,4;
Isa. 33:14-17).
LEVITICUS 19:2
2 “Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel,
and say to them: ‘You shall be holy, for I the LORD
your God am holy.’”

1 THESSALONIANS 4:7
7 For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness.

Having declared Himself holy, God now calls His
people to be holy like Him. The word “call” in Greek is
kaleo, which means to call anyone, invite, summon. It is used
particularly of the divine call to partake of the blessings of
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the kingdom. Just as Adam was found with iniquity and

became sinful and unclean when he transgressed God’s
commandment, thereby disqualifying him from partaking
of the blessings of God, likewise if we are in a position of
uncleanness we cannot partake of every spiritual blessing
in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus (Eph. 1:3). It must
be understood that to live holy is not an option but a
command - a summon from the throne of God.
What Is Holiness?

There are two words used in the Bible on this subject,
namely, Holiness and Sanctification. Let us analyze these
words in their original languages to get a firm grasp of their
root meanings.

1. Sanctify, Sanctification

a) In Hebrew, qadash mean to sanctify, be holy. This verb
also appears in the Phoenician, biblical Aramaic,
and Ethiopic languages. In the old Babylonian
language, qadasu means shine. Qadesh appears about
170 times in biblical Hebrew. Qadesh signifies a state
wherein people or things are set aside, consecrated,
and declared holy for use in the worship of God.

b) In Hebrew, qodesh means holy thing. This noun
occurs about 470 times in biblical Hebrew and also
in Ugaritic. It is used of things or people belonging
to God (Ex. 30:31). It is also used of what God
makes a person, place, or thing to be (Ex. 3:5). It
is also used to describe God’s majestic holiness
(Ex.15:11).

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c) In Hebrew, qadosh means holy. This adjective

emphasizes ritualistic, ceremonial holiness
(Num. 5:17). This word is also used of what God
claims for Himself (Ex. 29:31). When applied to
people, it means ritualistically separated to Him
(Ex. 19:6) and thoroughly purified and perfected by
Him from all moral evil (Isa. 4:3).

d) In Greek, hagiasmos means sanctification. It signifies
a separation to God from evil things and ways
(1 Cor. 1:30, 2 Thes. 2:13; 1 Pe. 1:2). This noun
occurs 10 times in the New Testament.
e) In Greek, hagiazo means to sanctify. This verb is used

of (a) the gold adorning the Temple (Mt. 23:17,19);
(b) food (1 Tim. 4:5); (c) the unbelieving spouse of
a believer (1 Cor. 7:14); (d) ceremonial cleansing of
the Israelites (Heb. 9:13); (e) the setting apart of the
believer for God (Acts 20:32); (f) separation of the
believer from the world in his behaviour.

Some theologians are of the opinion that the word
qadash is/may be related to chadesh, which means to
shine. This meaning is in line with the biblical concept
of purity. There are other theologians who have come
to the conclusion that the word qadesh may have
derived from the root qad, meaning to cut. Cutting
would imply separation. In order to emphasize this
spiritual requirement, God instituted circumcision.
Circumcision involves the cutting off of the foreskin
of the male sexual organ as a sign of separation
(Gen. 17:10,11). In the Old Testament, Israel was called
holy because they were separated from all other nations,
set apart for God alone (Deu. 7:6). Likewise in the New
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Testament the redeemed people are also distinctively

called holy by virtue of their belonging uniquely to God
(1 Pe. 2:9).

Sanctification could therefore be defined as a condition
or state of being separated from all moral and evil ways,
set apart and declared holy by God.
2. Holy, Holiness

a) In Hebrew, qadosh means holy. The Semitic
languages have two separate original forms of this
root word. The Akkadian word qadistu means pure
and devoted. In Arabic, it is al-qaddus, meaning
the most holy or most pure. This word has about
116 occurrences in the Old Testament. This word
specifically describes an object or place or a person
as devoted to being holy.
b) In Hebrew, qadesh or qadash means to be holy, to

sanctify. This verb occurs about 175 times and can
mean to be holy (Ex. 29:37; Lev. 6:18) or to sanctify
(2 Chr. 29:5).
c) In Hebrew, qodesh means holiness; holy thing,

sanctuary. This noun is mentioned about 469 times
in the concepts of holiness (Ex. 15:11); holy thing
(Num. 4:15); and sanctuary (Ex. 36:4).
d) In Greek, hagiasmos means holiness. This noun

appears 10 times in the New Testament. This
word signifies (a) separation to God (1 Cor. 1:30;
2 Thes. 2:13); (b) the resultant state, the conduct
befitting those so separated (1 Thes. 4:3,4,7).

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e) In Greek hagiosune denotes the manifestation of the

quality of holiness in relation to (a) the absolute
holiness of Christ Jesus; (b) the believer’s holiness
in perfection (2 Cor. 7:1); (c) unblamable in holiness
(2 Thes. 3:13). This word is more particularly used to
mean a growing toward perfection in Christ Jesus.

f) In Greek hagios means separated. It signifies a
state of moral and spiritual significance, separated
from sin and therefore consecrated to God. This
word characteristically depicts god-likeness and is
employed in an ethical sense to describe the quality
that is necessary to stand in relation to God and to
serve Him acceptably (Eph. 1:4; Col. 1:22).
g) In Greek, hagiazo means separation. This verb is

used in regard to (a) persons or things (Mt. 6:9;
1 Pe. 3:15); (b) the setting apart for sacred purposes
(Mt. 23:17,19; 2 Tim. 2:21); (c) the operation of
God’s work in man (Jn. 17:17; 1 Cor. 1:2).

h) In Greek, hosios means a person or thing free from
defilement or wickedness (1 Tim. 2:8; Ti. 1:8).
i) In Greek, hagnos means free from impurity and

defilement in an ethical sense (1 Tim. 5:22; Jas. 3:17).
Holiness can therefore be defined as a state of being

separated from sin, consecrated in purity, and devoted to
the service of God.
It can further be stipulated that Sanctification denotes

a state into which God in grace separates sinful men unto
Himself and declares them holy. Sanctification is that state
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of position with God into which man has positionally

entered by faith in Christ. Holiness is the gracious and
continuous operation of the Holy Spirit, by which
He separates the justified sinner from the defilements
of sin, renews his whole nature in the image of God,
thus enabling him with Christlike attributes. Holiness
is that state of relationship with God into which men
progressively matures into by faith in Christ.

Three States Of Holiness

The Bible teaches about three states of holiness by which
every believer comes to be known of and by God.

1. Positional Holiness

HEBREWS 10:10 (Amp.)
10 And in accordance with this will [of God], we have
been made holy (consecrated and sanctified) through
the offering made once for all of the body of Jesus
Christ (the Anointed One).
By virtue of God’s grace and election, Israel of the Old

Testament was separated and made a holy people unto God
(Ex. 19:6), whereas the believers of the New Testament were
made holy by virtue of the redemptive work of Christ Jesus
(Heb. 10:10,14), which separates and purifies us from sin
(Ti. 2:14).
The Lord Jesus Christ is the author of this work of

sanctification by virtue of His sacrificial death on the cross
and the shedding of His blood (Heb. 10:29). I once read in
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the book Angels on Assignment of a beautiful revelation that

a certain pastor in the United States received from the angel
Gabriel. In it, the angel explains from a spiritual perspective
how we have been made holy by the Lord Jesus. The angel
Gabriel told the pastor that the prophet Zechariah had
already written of this truth thousands of years ago.
ZECHARIAH 3: 1-7
1 Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing
before the Angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at
his right hand to oppose him.
2 And the LORD said to Satan, “The LORD rebuke you,
Satan! The LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke
you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?”
3 Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and
was standing before the Angel.
4 Then He answered and spoke to those who stood
before Him, saying, “Take away the filthy garments
from him.” And to him He said, “See, I have removed
your iniquity from you, and I will clothe you with rich
robes.”
5 And I said, “Let them put a clean turban on his
head.” So they put a clean turban on his head, and
they put the clothes on him. And the Angel of the LORD
stood by.
6 Then the Angel of the LORD admonished Joshua,
saying,
7 “Thus says the LORD of hosts: ‘If you will walk in
My ways, And if you will keep My command, Then you
shall also judge My house, And likewise have charge of
My courts; I will give you places to walk Among these
who stand here.’”

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This pastor saw in a vision the Lord Jesus (the word

“Jesus” is a transliteration of the Hebrew word Joshua,
meaning Jehovah is salvation, i.e., “Jehovah is the Saviour”)
entering heaven bearing the sins of the whole world
(2 Cor. 5:21; Heb. 9:28). The Lord Jesus stood bowed
down, his priestly garments torn and splattered with mud,
filthy with the rot and the stench of the world (Isa. 53:3-5;
Heb. 5:5,6). He came with His shoulders bowed into the
presence of God (Isa. 53:10,11). Then as the Lord Jesus
stood there, bowed, with God’s back turned towards Him
(Isa. 59:2), Gabriel the angel of the Lord spoke in a loud
voice and said, Take those filthy garments from Him, remove
them to a place where they will never be found (Isa. 38:17;
Mic. 7:19; Heb. 10:17) and put on Him now the new kingly
robes, the royal priestly robes (Rom. 8:34; Heb. 2:8-12;
7:25,26).

The angels who were standing before the Lord Jesus
then placed the priestly robes over Him. A crown was also
put on the Lord’s head. There was a message written across
the crown: Holiness to the Lord! Count all of those people who
follow Me as holy. Accept them because of what I have done
(Ex. 39:30; Heb. 2:9-11). Thus, through the redemptive
work of the Lord Jesus by dying for our sins, we have been
washed, sanctified, justified, and purified (1 Cor. 6:9-11;
Heb. 9:13,14).
All believers are thus sanctified in Christ Jesus

(1 Cor. 1:2; Heb. 2:11; Jude 1). Being sanctified, they
are now called saints (Rom. 1:7; 1 Cor. 1:2; 2 Cor. 1:1;
Eph. 1:1; Phil 1:1; Col. 1:2). The word “called saints” in
Greek is kletois hagios, which literally means called saints. A
saint is any Christian who is in Christ Jesus, sanctified by
His blood.
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Therefore, when we were born-again, the Lord Jesus

washed us clean (made purified by a complete atonement
for sin and made free from the guilt of sin), sanctified
us (set apart, hallowed), and justified us [pronounced
righteous] in Christ Jesus (1 Cor. 6:11, Amp.).
2. Relational Holiness

1 THESSALONIAN 5:23,24 (Amp.)
23 And may the God of peace Himself sanctify you
through and through [separate you from profane things,
make you pure and wholly consecrated to God]; and
may your spirit and soul and body be preserved sound
and complete [and found] blameless at the coming of
our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah).
24 Faithful is He Who is calling you [to Himself] and
utterly trustworthy, and He will also do it [fulfill His
call by hallowing and keeping you].
After having been sanctified in our spirit at the new birth,

we need to be continually sanctified in our everyday life. In
the Old Testament, though Israel was called and set apart
as holy, yet in order for them to have a continual holy
relationship with the holy God, they were commanded to
live a life of holiness through ceremonial sanctifying by the
offering of sacrifices (Lev. 11:44, 19:2).
The New Testament believers, too, were commanded to

live a life of holiness. It is written in 1 Peter 1:15,16, Like
the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all
your behaviour, because it is written, ‘YOU SHALL BE HOLY,
FOR I AM HOLY’ (NASB). The word “behaviour” in Greek
is anastrophe meaning way of life, conduct, behaviour. In the
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Amplified Bible this scripture reads, be holy in all your conduct

and manner of living, clarifying further for us that a life of
holiness is a continual and progressive process.
The reason why we are being commanded to live holy,

though being already sanctified in Christ Jesus, is because
although sin has ceased to reign in our spirit, it still
dwells in our flesh (Rom. 6:6, 12-14, 19,22). An analytical
examination of two particular scriptures would enable us to
understand the necessity of continual sanctification.

The Bible says, My little children, these things I write
to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we
have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous
(1 Jn. 2:1). The phrase, “you may not sin” in Greek is
hamartete, which means commit sin. And 1 John 3:9 says,
Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed
remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of
God. The phrase, “does not sin” in Greek is hamartian ou poiei,
which is in the present tense meaning does not practice sin. And
the phrase, “cannot sin” in Greek is ou dynatai hamartanein,
which means, cannot go on sinning.

A believer may fall into sin but should not dwell nor
continue in sin nor practice sin. The Amplified translation
has beautifully translated 1 John 3:9 as No one born
(begotten) of God [deliberately, knowingly, and habitually]
practices sin, for God’s nature abides in him [His principle of
life, the divine sperm, remains permanently within him]; and he
cannot practice sinning because he is born (begotten of God).
Therefore, sanctification is a lengthy and continual

process, which progressively continues throughout a
30
believer’s life. We are, then, to strive and pursue after

holiness (Heb. 12:14).
3. Ultimate Holiness

EPHESIANS 5:27 (Amp.)
27 That He might present the church to Himself in
glorious splendour, without spot or wrinkle or any such
things [that she might be holy and faultless].

1 JOHN 3:2 (Amp.)
2 Beloved, we are [even here and] now God’s children;
it is not yet disclosed (made clear) what we shall be
[hereafter], but we know that when He comes and is
manifested, we shall [as God’s children] resemble and
be like Him, for we shall see Him just as He [really] is.
Finally, the ultimate or complete sanctification of a believer

will be fulfilled at the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. The
New Testament teaches very clearly and simply about the
completion of sanctification in a believer’s life from the
moment of the new birth, up to the coming of the Lord
Jesus (Phil. 1:6,9-11; Jas. 1:4; 2 Pe. 3:12-14).

As much as the Lord Jesus is the author and finisher
of our faith (Heb. 12:2), so is He the author and finisher
of our sanctification. At the new birth, He sanctified
us and at the consummation of the end times at His
coming, He would forever sanctify us like Him (Col. 1:22;
1 Thes. 3:12,13; 1 Jn. 3:2,3).

I was once in Southern California in 1997 conducting
meetings for several Chinese churches. One morning, while
31
waiting on God, I fell into a trance and saw a vision. I

saw myself, in an instant, totally covered with purity and
holiness. My whole body was covered in the purest white,
like a blanket of fresh snow on a street pavement, and I was
translated into heaven.
Likewise, at the coming of the Lord Jesus, when the

trumpet of God is blasted, the ultimate sanctification of
all believers will be completed. How will this take place? A
certain man of God in India was graced by the mercies of
God to see this event in a vision. He saw the glorious Lord
Jesus standing in the mid-heavens and beholding all the
resurrected and raptured saints who were gathered unto
Him (1 Thes. 4:14-17).
The Lord Jesus graciously gazed at everyone and smiled.

At that moment a beam of pure light came forth from
the eyes of the Lord Jesus and shone upon those saints.
All the resurrected and living saints were instantaneously
transformed into the glorious image of the Living Christ.
The perishable and mortal nature of ours will one day
be transformed, just as the Bible says. We will put on an
imperishable, immortal, and glorified body, which is like
the Lord Jesus’ in all His perfection, completeness and
sanctification (1 Cor. 15:51,54; 2 Cor.3:18).
The mystery of this truth is enshrined in a passage in

the Bible: And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the
Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy at
the brightness of His coming (2 Thes. 2:8). The brightness of
the glory of God will destroy the wicked on the one hand,
but will purify and completely sanctify the believer on the
other.
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The Composition Of Holiness

The inner core components of holiness, as we have stated
earlier, consist of righteousness, justice, and love. The
outer core components of holiness consist of purity and
cleanliness.
1. Pure

MATTHEW 5:8
8 Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.
Holiness is not just a cutting-off from other people and

being set apart unto God, but it also means a separation
from all things that are impure and evil. As God Himself is
“of purer eyes then to behold evil” (Hab. 1:13), He calls His
people to be pure.
The word pure has the following meanings in the

Hebrew and Greek languages.

i. Hebrew drowr means spontaneity of outflow; pure.

ii. Hebrew bar means pure, clean.

iii. Hebrew barar means cleanse (be clean); purity.

iv. Hebrew zak means clear-clean, pure.

v. Greek hagnos means pure from defilement, not
contaminated (from the same root as “hagio”,
“holy”). It appears as “pure” in Phil. 4:8, 1 Tim. 5:22;
Jas. 3:17; 1 Jn. 3:3).
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vi Greek katharos means pure (as been cleansed). This

adjective appears in Mt. 5:8; Titus 1:15; Heb. 10:22;
1 Pe. 1:22.

vii Greek eilikrines means unalloyed, pure. This adjective
is used of moral and ethical purity (Phil. 1:10;
2 Pe. 3:1).

Therefore, to be pure means to be cleansed from
contamination and defilement of the spirit (the inner man).
2. Cleanliness

LEVITICUS 16:30b
30b that you may be clean from all your sins before the
LORD.
Since the fall of Adam, man is not clean in the eyes of

the holy God (Job 4:17; Pro. 20:9). Not only man, even
the stars in heaven are not pure and clean in God’s eyes
(Job 25:5). However, by virtue of the grace of God, He
has cleansed us from every impurity and has had made us
clean before Him (Jer. 33:8; Ezek. 37:23). Let us examine
this concept in its original languages.

The word “clean” has the following meanings:

i. Hebrew taher means to be clean; pure. The root of this
word appears over 200 times in various forms.

ii. Hebrew tahor means clean; pure. This adjective
denotes the absence of impurity, filthiness,
defilement, or imperfection.

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iii. Hebrew zakah means to be translucent; be (make) clean;

cleanse; count pure.

iv. Hebrew naqiy means blameless; clean.

v. Hebrew tamam means to complete; be clean.
vi. Greek katharos means free from impure admixture;

without blemish; spotless.
vii Greek katharizo means to make clean; to cleanse. This

verb signifies, a cleansing from defilement of sin
(Acts 15:9; 2 Cor. 7:1; Heb. 9:14; Jas. 4:8).

Therefore, to be clean means to be free from the
filthiness and impurity of the flesh and to be without
blemish.

Cleansing might be achieved by the physical removal
of the object of defilement (2 Chr. 29:16). The holy God
demands that His consecrated people be spiritually and
morally pure.

Purity is the inward holiness of the heart, while
cleanliness is the outward holiness of the flesh. It was to
illustrate this concept that God commanded Moses to
make the ark of the covenant with gold laid within and
over it (Ex. 25:11, 37:11,26; 2 Chr. 3:4). Consider the Bride
of Christ. The scriptures say that she has been permitted to
dress in fine (radiant) linen, dazzling and white - for the fine
linen is (signifies, represents) the righteousness (the upright, just,
and godly living, deeds, and conduct, and right standing with
God) of the saints (God’s holy people) (Rev. 19:8, Amp.). White
35
speaks of purity while clean speaks of cleanliness, a holiness

of inward and outward beauty.

Let us meditate on a spiritual mystery. I know of a
saintly man of God in South India. Once, when he was
caught up in the Spirit to heaven, the Lord Jesus took him
to a secluded place in heaven, which was perfect in stillness
and peace. There seemed to be a snow-covered mountain
and it was covered with a marvelous bright light (Ps. 48:1;
Dan. 2:22). The Lord Jesus then told him that what he saw
was the abode of the Father God (Dan. 7:9).
The snow-covered mountains that are found in

the Himalayas and elsewhere are just but a parabolic
representation of the mountain of holiness in heaven. The
snowy whiteness speaks of purity of holiness. In June
1986, I was led by the Holy Spirit to go t o evangelise the
Tibetans. To reach this place, I had to walk for four days
in the wilderness, surrounded by the Himalayan snowy
mountains. I walked on these mountains at an altitude of
15000 feet. While walking, I mused upon the majesty of
the snowy mountains. A sense of awe came over me as the
realization swept over me concerning the awesomeness of
the Almighty God. At midday, when the sun was high, I
suddenly found that my skin had turned black in colour. I
was shocked. But after coming down to the valley, the
colour slowly turned back to its normal colour.

As I was pondering over this phenomena, I perceived
in my spirit that when we come before the pure and
holy God, the blackness and deceitfulness of our heart is
exposed (Jer. 17:9). As we wait on God and abide in His
presence, His purity would create in us a clean heart
(Ps. 51:10).

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I was in Batang, Tibet in August 1995. As I was waiting

on God that night, by the immeasurable grace of God, I
beheld the similitude of the Lord Jesus in the Spirit
(Num. 12:8). During that visitation, the Lord Jesus revealed
the following to me: When we keep our heart clean and
pure from the lusts of the flesh, we could see the Lord God
(Pro. 22:11; Mt. 5:8; Heb. 12:14). As God dwells on a holy
mountain, so must the heart be holy.
In the Old Testament, when God’s glory presence came

down upon Mount Sinai, animals were not permitted
to come near or touch the mountain (Ex. 19:12,13;
Heb. 12:20). Likewise, when God the Father and the Lord
Jesus come and make their abode in our hearts (Jn. 14:23)
it is like the glory presence coming down upon Mount
Sinai. Just as animals were commanded to be kept away
from that holy mountain, so must the heart be cleansed
from every contamination, defilement, and uncleanness
(2 Cor. 7:1). We could then see the King in His beauty
(Isa. 6:5, 33:17).
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38
Chapter 3
Do We Need Holiness?
LEVITICUS 11:44
44 For I am the LORD your God. You shall therefore
consecrate yourselves, and you shall be holy; for I am
holy. Neither shall you defile yourselves with any
creeping thing that creeps on the earth.

Some years ago, workmen were building a bridge across a
portion of the New York harbor. While seeking a base for
one of the supporting towers, they hit a submerged barge
full of stone that had sunk deep into the mud at the
bottom of the bay. Divers attached chains to the barge, but
no crane was powerful enough to lift it.

When it became what seemed like an impossible task,
a special engineer was called in to solve the problem. He
ordered two barges to be brought to the spot. Cables were
then fastened to them and tightly secured to the sunken
barge when the waters were at low tide. As the water rose
higher and higher, the two floating barges began to rise
with it. Eventually, the submerged boat shook, breaking
free of the mud on the harbor floor. It had been released by
the power of the Atlantic Ocean!

39
Likewise, like the special engineer, the Lord Jesus came

to rescue us who were submerged in the horrible pit of sin
(Ps. 40:2). Like the Atlantic Ocean, God’s matchless love
has delivered and drawn us to Himself out of the control and
dominion of darkness, and has transferred us into the kingdom
of the Son (Col. 1:13, Amp.). Having delivered us from and
washed us of sin, the Lord Jesus, who is the exact likeness
of the unseen God [the visible representation of the
invisible] (Col. 1:15a, Amp.), is stretching out His Hand to
hold ours and saying, Now, let us walk together in purity and
holiness, so that you may walk with me in white and be like Me
(2 Cor. 3:18; Rev. 3:4).

Let us examine the scriptures for some of the reasons
why we need to live in holiness.

1. We Are Called And Chosen To Holiness
1 THESSALONIANS 4:7
7 For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness.

This is the first reason why we need holiness. It is because
we have been called into it. Not only were we called,
but also chosen, dedicated, consecrated, and set apart to
be a holy people to God (Ex. 19:6; Lev. 20:26; Eph. 1:4;
1 Pe. 2:9).

2. We Are His Temple

1 CORINTHIANS 3:16,17
16 Do you not know that you are the temple of God and
that the Spirit of God dwells in you?
17 If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy
him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.
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The word “temple” in the Greek is naos, which means a

shrine or sanctuary. The reason why God commanded
Moses to build a tabernacle was for Him to dwell among
His people (Ex. 25:8). It was a foreshadow of the tabernacle
taught in the New Testament, where we learn that our
body is the temple of God. It is written very beautifully in
2 Corinthians 6:16, What agreement [can there be between]
a temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living
God; even as God said, I will dwell in and with and among
them and will walk in and with and among them, and I will be
their God, and they shall be My people (Amp.).
The Bible says that when King Solomon was building

the temple, no hammer or chisel or any iron tool was heard
in the temple while it was being built (1 Kg. 6:7). This was
because King Solomon had considered the temple to be
holy. As God’s presence would be dwelling inside it, he
did not allow any dirt to fall to the ground to defile the
temple. How much more then should we keep our body,
which is the temple of the Living God, pure and clean from
every filthiness and defilement?

Some years ago, I was fasting and praying for three
days in the Himalayas. On the third day of my fast, while
in deep prayer, I fell into a trance (Num. 24:4; Acts 10:10,
22:17). My spiritual eyes were opened and I looked on
the inside of my body. It was just like looking down into
a microscope at the specimen under examination. What
I saw on the inside of my body greatly shocked me and
would even baffle anatomical biology. I could not see any
of my organs - no heart, no lungs, and no stomach ...
nothing. My inside appeared empty and hollow.
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God, as it is written, inhabits eternity (Isa. 57:15). The

emptiness inside my body is a type of eternity. I saw the
Glory of God shining very brilliantly inside the hollow of
my body and even from within the skin. The Shekinah
Glory Cloud was enveloping all within me. This is the
spiritual mystery foreshadowed in Genesis 1:2, when
the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. Does not
science tell us that our body consists of 75% of water? As
I was pondering over this vision, the Holy Spirit spoke in
a still small voice, saying, This is that which is written in the
Word that you are the temple of God in whom the Glory of God
resides (1 Cor. 6:19; Eph. 2:22). As it is written that holiness
adorns the house of God, we need to be holy because we
are that house in which God dwells (Ps. 93:5).
3. We Are His Children

JOHN 1:12
12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the
right to become children of God, to those who believe in
His name.
MATTHEW 5:48
48 Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in
heaven is perfect.

The Bible says that as a child of God, we are seated together
with the Lord Jesus Christ in the heavenly places, which
is also at the right hand of God (Mk. 16:19; Eph. 2:6;
1 Pe. 3:22). To sit beside the holy and awesome God, we
too need to be holy. Furthermore, the scriptures tell us that
we have been predestinated and adopted by God to be His
children (Gal. 4:6; Eph. 1:5). If an evil father would want
his children to be good and be better than him, how much
42
more would a holy God desire His children to be holy like

Him.

4. We Are Members Of His Body

1 CORINTHIANS 12:27
27 Now you are the body of Christ, and members
individually.

EPHESIANS 5.30
30 For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of
His bones.

The Bible says that Christ Jesus is the head and we are
His body (Eph. 1:22, 4:15; Col. 1:18). How could then
the Head, which is holy, have a body that is unholy? It
cannot be. It is beautifully written in Romans 11:16, For
if the first fruit is holy, the lump is also holy; and if the root
is holy, so are the branches.There was no sin in Christ Jesus
(2 Cor. 5:21; Heb. 4:15; 1 Jn. 3:5). As such, we should
present our members as slaves of righteousness for holiness
(Rom. 6:13,19,22).

5. We Could See Him

HEBREWS 12:14
14 Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without
which no one will see the Lord.

In His Sermon on the Mount, the Lord Jesus said that
the pure in heart could see God (Mt. 5:8). Every ordinary
believer who is washed by the blood of the Lord Jesus and
has kept his heart clean and pure can see God.

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In 1993, I was invited to minister in the Czech

Republic. A certain sister came up to me during the meetings
to ask some questions. She said, Brother, I heard from my
friend that you have seen Jesus. How many times have
you seen Him? To which I replied, Many times, my dear
sister. I noticed a certain sadness come on her face and
tears welling up in her eyes. I then asked her, Do you like
to see Jesus? Her eyes brightened up and she said, Yes! The
very next second she again became saddened said, I am
not as holy as you are and I don’t think I can see Jesus. I
asked her to open her Bible and showed her Matthew 5:8
and Hebrews 12:14. After reading those scriptures, a new
hope came upon her and she was brightened. I then told
her, You don’t have to be like me. All that is needed
is for your heart to be pure and holy. The Lord Jesus
would then manifest Himself before you.

The Word of the Lord once came unto me, saying, The
desire to manifest Himself to His people is more than
the people’s desire to see Him (cp. Jn. 14:21). When we
love purity and walk in holiness, the Lord Jesus would
become our friend and we could then see Him face to face
(Deu. 34:10; Pro. 22:11).

6. We Are A Royal Priest

1 PETER 2:9
9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood,
a holy nation, His own special people, that you may
proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of
darkness into His marvellous light.

Every priest who was called to minister unto the Lord
should be clean. In the Old Testament, God gave Moses
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specific instructions for the cleansing and sanctification

of priests (Ex. 40:12-15). Likewise, the New Testament
believer-priest should also be clean, pure, and holy,
worshiping God in the beauty of holiness by the offering of
spiritual sacrifices (Ps. 96:9; Heb. 13:15; 1 Pe. 2:5).
7. Fearsome Second Coming
2 PETER 3:10-12
10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in
the night, in which the heavens will pass away with
a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent
heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be
burned up.
11 Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved,
what manner of persons ought you to be in holy
conduct and godliness,
12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of
God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being
on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?
At the second coming, the Lord Jesus’ holiness will burn

up all things. If our works and lives are as insubstantial
as wood, hay, or straw, they will be burned to ashes. We
are therefore exhorted to live a holy life so that instead
of being consumed we would be purified further at the
brightness of Christ’s coming.
8. We Are The Bride Of Christ
REVELATION 19:7-8
7 Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for
the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has
made herself ready.
45
8 And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen,

clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts
of the saints.
The Lord Jesus washed us clean so that He could receive

us as His perfect Bride, a glorious and splendorous church
without stain or blemish. Since He so desires us, if we love
Him, we should strive to be holy and faultless before God
(Eph. 5:25-27).
9. We Are Surrounded By A Cloud Of Witnesses
HEBREWS 12:1
1 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great
a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and
the sin, which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with
endurance the race that is set before us.
The Living Bible has aptly translated the clause “we are
surrounded by so great a cloud of witness” as “we have
such a huge crowd of men of faith watching us from the
grandstands.” The word “cloud” in Greek is nephos, which
denotes a cloudy, shapeless mass covering the heavens.
Metaphorically, it suggests a multitude or a throng. Since
the redeemed saints and angels in heaven are all dressed in
white (Rev. 6:11, 7:9, 15:6, 19:7,8), a multitude of saints on
a grandstand might look like a cloud, wouldn’t it?
Heavenly beings are holy. When the prophet Moses

approached near the burning bush to see the glory
of God, he was commanded to remove his sandals
(Ex. 3:5). Likewise, Joshua too was commanded to remove
his sandals when he stood before a holy angel (Jos. 5:13).
Several years ago, I was ministering one Sunday at a church
46
in Regina, Saskatchewan, in Canada. After the message,

as I was praying for the congregation, an angel with a
fiery appearance appeared at the doorway of the church.
Looking at me with piercing eyes, he said, Ask everyone to
remove their shoes. They are standing on holy ground. After
the entire congregation had removed their shoes, the angel
came to the front of the church and stood beside me. He
then proceeded to give a word for the pastor of the church.
When the Lord Jesus Christ was praying on the Mount

of Transfiguration, He was visited by two Old Testament
saints, namely Moses and Elijah. The Bible says that they
appeared in glorious splendor (Lk. 9:31). The Lord Jesus
cloaked Himself with dazzling glory light so as to confer
with those two holy, glorious saints (Lk. 9:29). Since
a multitude of glorious saints and angelic beings are
constantly watching us, it is of paramount importance that
we live a holy life.
10. We Can Be Partakers Of His Nature

HEBREWS 12:10
10 For they indeed for a few days chastened us as
seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may
be partakers of His holiness.

Finally, we need to be holy because we are partakers of
God’s nature in us. The Bible says Whoever has been born of
God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot
sin, because he has been born of God (1 Jn. 3:9). The seed
mentioned here is the Word of God (1 Pe. 1:23). God’s
word is pure and clean (Ps. 19:8, 12:6, 119:140).
Furthermore, the scriptures say that every believer
who hopes for the coming of the Lord Jesus purifies
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himself, even as Christ Jesus is pure (1 Jn. 3:3). Therefore,

the “seed” signifies the impartation of the spiritual life of
Christ, thereby enabling a believer to partake of His Nature,
as a child would drink milk from its mother’s breast.

The Bible says, But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as
in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the
same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord
(2 Cor. 3:18). There are two key words in this scripture. Let
us examine them a little deeper, to grasp the spiritual
meaning.
a) beholding: The word behold in the Greek is

kataptrizo, deriving from kataptron, meaning a mirror
(kata “down”, ops “an eye or sight”), which signifies
to make to reflect, to mirror -to reflect as a mirror.

b) same image: Is the very image or likeness of the
Lord Jesus Christ.

Some years ago, as I was meditating the Word of God
and praying, I was allowed to look into heaven in the
Spirit (Rev. 4:1). I saw the Lord Jesus standing in front of
a full-length mirror. On seeing me, the Lord Jesus invited
me to come and stand beside Him. As I did so, I saw the
image of the Lord Jesus reflected in the mirror but could
not find mine. When we sit on a barber’s chair, we would
see our image reflected infinitely from the mirrors facing
each other. Likewise I saw my image being one with the
Lord Jesus reflected into infinite images. I then understood
the meaning of this scripture-that we are being made to
conform and be transformed into the image of Christ Jesus
from glory to glory (Rom. 8:29).
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11. We Might Save Others
JOHN 17:19
19 “And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also
may be sanctified by the truth.
The Roman governor Pilate testified thus of the Lord Jesus:

I find no fault in Him (Jn. 19:4,6). The Lord Jesus lived a
pure and holy life when He was in this world (1 Pe. 2:22).
He even boldly challenged - “Which of you convicts Me of
sin?” (Jn. 8:46). Since the Lord Jesus is the holy God in the
flesh, why does He need to sanctify Himself?
The primary purpose of the Lord Jesus coming to

this world was to offer Himself as the ultimate and
supreme sacrifice for sin (Heb. 10:5-7). Nevertheless,
He was tormented with the fear of death and suffering.
He had to endure much abuse and pain on the cross
(Mt. 26:38; Mk. 14:33; Heb. 5:7). But the moment He
overcame His flesh and surrendered His will to the will of
Father, He gained sanctification through the sufferings.
By offering Himself without spot to God after willingly
enduring great suffering, the Lord Jesus became the perfect
sacrifice that sanctified us all (Heb. 10:10).
Likewise, the apostle Paul said, I now rejoice in my

sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking
in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is
the Church (Col. 1:24). Why suffering is necessary for the
salvation of others is a divine mystery. But suffering makes
us holy. Surprised? The Bible says, Therefore, since Christ
suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same
mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin,
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that he no longer should live for the rest of his time in the flesh
for the lusts of men, but for the will of God (1 Pe. 4.1,2).
When we have suffered and been tested, we shall come

forth as pure gold, so (Job 23:10). According to Scriptures
also, countless souls can be turned from the evil clutches
of sin through the power of a holy and sanctified life
(Job 22:30; Dan. 12:3; Rom. 11:16).
These are the reasons why we need to be holy. As the

Lord our God is holy, we should be holy and walk in the
light as He is in the light and be perfect and worthy of the
Lord (Gen. 17:1; Isa. 2:5; 1 Thes. 2:12; 1 Jn. 1:7).
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Chapter 4
Holiness Unto God
1 THESSALONIANS 5:23 (Amp.)

23 And may the God of peace Himself sanctify you
through and through [separate you from profane
things, make you pure and wholly consecrated to God];
and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved
sound and complete [and found] blameless at the
coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah).

2 CORINTHIANS 7:1
1 Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse
ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit,
perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

According to Jewish customs, after a woman had been
betrothed to a man, she was then considered totally
sanctified and separated unto her bridegroom. The virginity
of the bride was her greatest possession. She would spend
almost a year in preparation for her wedding, which would
include cleansing and purification rituals.

Let us consider a similar pattern in the life of Esther. It
is written, Now when the turn of each maiden came to go in to
King Ahasuerus, after the regulations for the women had been
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carried out for twelve months-since this was the regular period
for their beauty treatments, six months with oil of myrrh and
six months with sweet spices and perfumes and the things for
the purifying of the women (Est. 2:12).

It can be observed from this scripture that the cleansing
and purification rituals consisted of two things:
i. six months with oil of myrrh for purification

ii. six months with sweet spices and perfumes for
cleansing

These natural principles are but a foreshadow of
spiritual principles. When the apostle Paul wrote his epistle
to the Thessalonian believers, he wrote, may your whole
spirit, soul and body be preserved blameless (holy). Later, when
writing to the Corinthian believers, he further categorized
the trichotomy of man into two parts and said, let us
cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit.

Just as Esther purified and cleansed herself to appear
before King Ahasuerus, let us now examine these two kinds
of filthiness from which we need to cleanse and purify
ourselves to be holy unto the King of Kings.

1. Filthiness of the Flesh

JUDE 1:7,8
7 as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them
in a similar manner to these, having given themselves
over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh,
are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of
eternal fire.
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Holiness Unto God
8 Likewise also these dreamers defile the flesh, reject

authority, and speak evil of dignitaries.
2 PETER 2:10
10 and especially those who walk according to the flesh
in the lust of uncleanness and despise authority. They
are presumptuous, self-willed; they are not afraid to
speak evil of dignitaries.

Let us examine the words “filthiness” and “flesh” in the
Greek language to get a broader understanding.
a. Filthiness/Filthy

i. Greek, aischrotes means baseness (from “aischos,”
meaning shame, disgrace), is used in Ephesians 5:4,
of obscenity, all that is contrary to purity. Aischrotes
signifies whatever is disgraceful.

ii. Greek, rhuparia means dirt, filth. This word is
used metaphorically of moral defilement as in
James 1:21. Rhuparia signifies moral impurity.

iii. Greek, molusmos means a soiling, defilement. This
word is used in 2 Corinthians 7:1. Molusmos signifies
that which is defiling by soiling the clean.

iv. Greek, aselgeia means wantonness, licentiousness,
lasciviousness. Aselgeia signifies that which is an
insolent disregard to decency.

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b. Flesh

The Greek word sarx for the word flesh has the following
meanings:

i. the substance of the body (1 Cor. 15:39)
ii. the weaker element in human nature (Mt. 26:41;

Rom. 6:19).
iii. the unregenerate state of men (Rom. 7:5, 8:8)
iv. the seat of sin in man (2 Pe. 2:18; 1 Jn. 2:16)
v. the lower and temporary element in the Christian

(Gal. 3:3, 6:8)

Therefore, the term filthiness of the flesh can be defined
as the defilement of the baser passions in the Christian,
resulting in moral impurity.

Once, a certain believer came to me for prayer. He
requested prayer for a certain matter. As I began praying
for this brother, in the Spirit, I saw him wearing a garment,
which was filthy and moth-eaten (Jas. 5:2; Jude 23). The
Holy Spirit then revealed to me that the root cause of his
problem is the filthiness of the flesh, which had defiled
him. What causes the filthiness of the flesh? It is the
WORKS OF THE FLESH.

GALATIANS 5:19-21
19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are:
adultery, fornication, uncleanness, licentiousness,
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Holiness Unto God
20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts

of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies,
21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of
which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in
time past, that those who practice such things will not
inherit the kingdom of God.

In these three scriptures, the apostle Paul listed
seventeen kinds of the works of the flesh. He concluded
by warning that “those who practice such things will not
inherit the kingdom of God.” Why is it so? It is written in
Revelation 19:8, And to her it was granted to be arrayed in
fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous
acts of the saints. The Bride of Christ is one who is dressed
in a clean and white dress. We could not sit beside the
Bridegroom at the marriage supper of the Lamb in a defiled
and soiled garment.
It is our solemn responsibility to guard the

garments of salvation and robe of righteousness, which
we received when we were born-again from every
defilement, indecency, and filthiness (Isa. 61:10; Jude 23;
Rev. 16:15). The commercial world has produced all kinds
of powerful detergents to keep our bodies and clothes
clean. We purchase them and give great attention to the
cleansing of our bodies and clothes. How is it then that
we have failed or overlooked to cleanse ourselves from the
filthiness of the flesh?

In the many visitations which I had of looking into
heaven or being in heaven by the multitude of God’s
matchless mercy, I noticed that the saints in heaven were
generally dressed in white (Rev. 3:5, 4:4, 6:11). Once I saw
in a vision the prophet Enoch. Not only was his garment
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glistering in brilliant white, but his face too was shining

gloriously bright. I came to understand that it was because
of his close walk with God that he appeared so glorious. As
we develop and cultivate an intimate loving relationship
with the Lord Jesus, His holiness which was imparted into
us by His blood of redemption would sanctify and cause us
to walk with Him in white (Rev. 3:4, 7:14).
Manifestations of the
Works of the Flesh

It is expedient for us to know in practical reality how the
works of the flesh manifest so that we could imperatively
cleanse ourselves from its contamination and defilement.

1. Hands

PSALMS 24:3,4
3 Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? Or who
may stand in His Holy place?
4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has
not lifted up his soul to an idol, nor sworn deceitfully.

In these scriptures, hands speak of works. Why must the
works of our hands be clean from filthiness? Because the
works of the hands of God are true and pure (Ps. 111:7),
when we lift up our hands to pray and bless God, they too
should be pure and clean (Ps. 141:2; 1 Tim. 2:8). When we
lift up our hands to God, how does He see our hands? I
was once invited to preach in a Charismatic Church in
Singapore. During the time of ministry, the Holy Spirit told
me to call out a couple. Fastening my spiritual eyes on the
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Holiness Unto God
brother, the Holy Spirit enabled me to see in the Spirit his

hands fully covered with blood (Isa. 1:15). The Holy Spirit
then revealed to me that his hands appear covered with
blood because of the filthy works of the flesh.
Consider an incident in the life of King David. King

David had a desire to build a house for God but God told
him, You have shed much blood and have waged great wars;
you shall not build a house to My Name, because you have
shed much blood on the earth in My sight (1 Chr. 22:8, Amp.).
Though David was a man after God’s heart (Acts 13:22), he
could not build nor stand in the holy place of God because
his hands had shed much blood and thus had become
unclean.

Consider the life of the Lord Jesus. He used His hands
to heal the sick (Lk. 4:40), bless children (Mk. 10:13,16),
and went about doing good (Acts 10:38). Let us therefore
cleanse our hands of every unrighteous works, that God
may recompense not according to the uncleanliness of our
hands in His holy sight (Ps. 18:24; Jas. 4:8).

2. Speech

2 TIMOTHY 2:16 (Amp.)
16 But avoid all empty (vain, useless, idle) talk, for it
will lead people into more and more ungodliness.

7 But refuse and avoid irreverent legends (profane and
impure and godless fictions, mere grandmothers’ tales)
and silly myths, and express your disapproval of
them. Train yourself toward godliness (piety), [keeping
yourself spiritually fit].

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Let us examine a few key words in these two scriptures

in their original language. In the King James Version, the
words “profane,” “vain babblings,” “old wives’ fables,” and
“ungodliness” are used in contrast to the scriptures quoted
above in the New King James Version.

i. “Profane” in Greek is bebelos, meaning permitted to
be trodden, accessible : unhallowed. “Bebelos” is that
which lacks all relationship or affinity to God.

ii. “Vain babblings” in Greek is kenophonia (from
“kenos,” meaning “empty” and “phone,” meaning a
sound, signifying “empty discussion, discussion on
useless subjects.”

iii. “Fables” in Greek is muthos, signifying speech,
conversation. It is used of a story or an account in
which there is a falsification of facts.

iv. “Ungodliness” in Greek is asebeia, meaning impiety
(irreverence), ungodliness.

When God created man in His own image and likeness
(Gen. 1:27), one of the abilities which God blessed man
with was speech. Adam certainly would never have been
able to exercise “complete authority over the fish of the
sea, the birds of the air, the [tame] beasts, and over all of
the earth, and over everything that creeps upon the earth”
(Gen. 1:26, Amp.) without the ability to speak forth. This
commanding authority was very evident in the ministry of
the Lord Jesus (Mk. 4:39; Jn. 6:19).

It is written that, He who guards his mouth keeps his
life, but he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin (Pro. 13:3,
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Holiness Unto God
Amp.). Indulging in the conversation of worldly affairs,

engaging in vain, useless, and idle talks, is not only a
great hindrance to our spiritual life but it also defiles us
(Pro. 10:19). There are two kinds of spiritual effects by the
words we speak: holy and unholy, which promote life or
death (Pro. 18:21).
There is a certain group of cranes living in the Taurus

mountains of southern Turkey. These cranes cackle a lot
while flying. All that noise attracts the attention of the
hungry eagles, who only too gladly would swoop down
to seize them for their meal. Likewise are we defiled with
filthiness by the spirits in this world when we indulge
in worldly jesting, grandmothers’ tales, and useless
conversations.

Have you ever heard of the phrase “spirit-filled
murmurings and anointed back-biting?” I am sure you
have not heard of them. Gossips are not openly exposed
as such but are piously and reverently camouflaged as
SHARING. When worldly people talk about one another,
Christians classify that as gossiping. When worldly
people talk ill of and criticize others behind their backs,
Christians classify that as murmuring and back-biting.
When Christians gossip, murmur, and back-bite against
one another, pastors, ministers and believers classify that
as sharing (Jn. 6:43; Gal. 5:15; 1 Cor. 10:10; 2 Cor. 12:20;
Jas. 5:9).

Let us therefore be watchful and careful of what we
speak because, on the judgement day, we would have to
give an account for every idle word, which we speak
(Mt. 12:36,37).

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3. Body

1 CORINTHIANS 6:13-18 (Amp.)
13 Food [is intended] for the stomach and the stomach
for food, but God will finally end [the functions
of] both and bring them to nothing. The body is not
intended for sexual immorality, but [is intended] for the
Lord, and the Lord [is intended] for the body [to save,
sanctify, and raise it again].
14 And God both raised the Lord to life and will also
raise us up by His power.
15 Do you not see and know that your bodies are
members (bodily parts) of Christ (the Messiah)? Am
I therefore to take the parts of Christ and make [them]
parts of a prostitute? Never! Never!
16 Or do you not know and realize that when a man
joins himself to a prostitute, he becomes one body with
her? The two, it is written, shall become one flesh.
[Gen. 2:24]
17 But the person who is united to the Lord becomes one
spirit with Him.
18 Shun immorality and all sexual looseness [flee from
impurity in thought, word, or deed]. Any other sin
which a man commits is one outside the body, but he
who commits sexual immorality sins against his own
body.
Four of the seventeen works of the flesh are filthy sins

against our bodies. They are:

1. adultery, sexual relations between married people but
not with their own spouses.

2. fornication, sexual relations between unmarried people.

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Holiness Unto God
3. uncleanness, sodomy, homosexuality, lesbianism,

bestiality (sexual relations between man and animals).

4. lasciviousness, that which incites or evokes lustfulness.

God had explicitly commanded in Leviticus 20:10-21
that His people should abstain from these kinds of
uncleanness because we have been betrothed to the Lord
Jesus during our born-again experience (Hos. 2:19,20;
2 Cor. 11:2). The apostle Paul had written very clearly
the will of God on this matter: This is the will of God, your
sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality;
that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in
sanctification and honour (1 Thes. 4:3,4). The phrase “possess
his own vessel” in Greek is to heautou skeuos ktasthai, which
signifies control his own body. This concept suggests that we
have to guard our body as a young woman would guard her
virginity or as a married woman would guard her chastity
and honour.

In the forests of Northern Europe and Asia lives a small
animal called the ermine, known for its snow white fur in
winter. The ermine protects its precious white coat against
anything that would spoil it.
Fur hunters take advantage of this unusual trait or

rather weakness of the ermine. They would find the
ermine’s home, which is usually a cleft in a rock or a hollow
in an old tree. They would smear the entrance and interior
with grime. Then the hunters set their dogs loose to find
and chase the ermine. The frightened animal flees toward
home but does not enter because of the filth. Rather than
soil its fur, it is trapped and captured while preserving its
purity. For the ermine, purity is more precious than life.
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What a profound lesson from nature! This is what is

required of all believers – to keep themselves separated
from the filth of this world at all cost!
Consider an act of the Lord Jesus. It is written, Now

the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to
Jerusalem. And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and
sheep and doves and the money changers doing business. When
He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the
temple, with the sheep and the oxen and poured out the
changers’ money and overturned the tables. And He said to
those who sold doves, ‘Take these things away! Do not make
My Father’s house a house of merchandise!’ “It is written, ‘My
house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it
a den of thieves.’ (Mt. 21:13; Jn. 2:13-16). Why did the Lord
Jesus behave like that?

There are several records in the Old Testament
describing how when the temple was sanctified and
dedicated to God, the Shekinah Glory Cloud of God came
to fill the temple (Ex. 40:1-38; 1 Kg. 8:1-66). These are the
types and shadows of how our bodies are being filled with
the presence of God in the New Covenant (Eph. 2:21,22). It
was for this reason that the Lord Jesus cast out those who
defiled the temple, illustrating to us spiritually that we
should not allow defilement and filthiness to reside within
our body.

The Bible very clearly and simply teaches that our
body is the temple of God in which the Lord Jesus resides
(1 Cor. 3:16, Col. 1:27) and, as such, one should know how
to possess (control, manage) his own body in consecration
(purity, separated from things profane) and honour because
God has not called us to impurity but to consecration
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Holiness Unto God
[to dedicate ourselves to the most thorough purity]

(1 Thes. 4:4,7 Amp.).
2. Filthiness of the Spirit

Since we have analyzed the word “filthiness” in our
previous study, let us examine the word “spirit” in its
original language and proper context.

The word “spirit” in Greek is, pneuma, which primarily
denotes the wind. It is also used for (i) human spirit (the
immaterial, invisible part of man); (ii) soul (the sentient
element in man, that by which he perceives reflects, feels,
desires). How could, the human spirit which was made new,
purified, sanctified, and justified still sin and be defiled? To
answer this puzzling question, let us consider these
scriptures.

EPHESIANS 4:22-24 (Amp.)
22 Strip yourself of your former nature [put off and
discard your old unrenewed self] which characterized
your previous manner of life and becomes corrupt
through lusts and desires that spring from delusion;
23 And be constantly renewed in the spirit of your mind
[having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude],
24 And put on the new nature (the regenerate self)
created in God’s image, (Godlike) in true righteousness
and holiness.

We could observe from these three scriptures that
verse 22 deals with the body, verse 23 deals with the
mind (soul), and verse 24 deals with the spirit. Putting on
the new nature which was created in true righteousness
and holiness is the resultant effect of the renewal of the
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mind. The mind imagines sin, the heart conceives it (causing

filthiness of the spirit), and the body carries it out (causing the
filthiness of the flesh).

The spirit and the mind are very closely related to one
another. Furthermore, the mind is the doorway to the
spirit. Let us consider one of the Lord Jesus’ teachings:
But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for
her has already committed adultery with her in his heart
(Mt. 5:28). The word “look” in Greek is “blepo,” meaning
to have sight, observe, discern: implying special contemplation
and the word “heart” in Greek is kardia, meaning thoughts
of feelings (mind-soul). It was not just a mere look that
the Lord Jesus said was wrong but more than that –a
contemplated, meditated look that causes the mind to imagine
all manner of lustful feelings in the soul. This then causes the
spirit to be filthy.
There was once a young boy whose favorite pastime

was hunting frogs along the banks of a pond near his
house. He was unaware though of frogs’ unique visual
powers that enabled them to elude their captors so
easily. Later he learned that the frog’s optical field is like
a blackboard wiped clean, and that the only images it
receives are objects that directly concern it. These little
amphibians are never distracted by unimportant things,
but are aware only of essentials and whatever may be
dangerous to them.
Many saints mentioned in the Bible realizing the

danger that can result from what they looked at, have
constantly sought to keep their eyes focused on that which
is noble only (Job 31:1; Ps. 119:37).
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Holiness Unto God
Let us consider another example from the teachings of

the Lord Jesus.

MARK 7:20-23
20 And He said, “What comes out of a man, that
defiles a man.
21 “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil
thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,
22 “thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit,
licentiousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness.
23 “All these evil things come from within and defile
man.”
This is how the spirit is defiled and becomes filthy. To be

more specific, it is in the soulish part of the person that the
spirit is defiled. As much as the body is defiled in the fleshy
arena, so is the spirit defiled in the soulish arena. This
interlink is a spiritual mystery. Some years ago, I was
very puzzled by the concept of the spirit and soul. I could
understand easily that the spirit of man is the real person in
our body, but I could not comprehend fully about the soul;
whether it has an individual form as the spirit.

So I sought the Lord for an answer. As I was waiting
on God after spending a few hours in prayer concerning
this matter, I felt my spirit come out of my body
(Ezek. 8:3; Col. 2:5; Rev. 4:2). Being in the Spirit, I turned
back to see my body, still bowed and knelt in prayer. Our
spirit looks exactly like our body in all its features
(1 Cor. 15:44). At that moment, I perceived very clearly
what the Lord was teaching me. Just as the brain, an
independent organ, resides within the body, likewise the
soul, an independent entity, resides within the spirit as the
seat of feelings, emotions, desires, and passions.

65
Two Areas Of Soulish Defilement

There are two areas in the soul through which the spirit is
defiled.

1. Mind

JEREMIAH 4:14
14 O Jerusalem, wash your heart from wickedness, that
you may be saved. How long shall your evil thoughts
lodge within you?
One of the main reasons why God sent a flood to destroy

the world during Noah’s time was because of the wicked
imaginations of man’s mind (Gen. 6:5). The mind is
like a field where good or evil seeds could be planted.
Before we are born again, our mind had been trained,
fashioned and fed with the seeds of this world of sin. At
the New Birth experience, it is our spirit that becomes
recreated anew and not the soul-mind. Thus, we have a
solemn responsibility to renew our mind so that it can be
sanctified from the corruption and deceitful lusts of the
world (Eph. 4:22,23).
This truth is very beautifully written in Romans 12:2,

“And do not be conformed to this world, but be
transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Just as
a caterpillar undergoes a change into a pupa before
transforming into a beautiful butterfly, likewise our
mind needs to be constantly renewed and transformed
until the mind of Christ reigns in it (Phil. 2:5). Then only
would our thoughts be in line with the thoughts of God
(Isa. 55:7-9).

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2. Feelings

Feelings in the soul would encompass emotions, desires,
passions, affections, etc.

GALATIANS 5:24
24 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh
with its passions and desires.

COLOSSIANS 3:5
5 Therefore put to death your members, which are on the
earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire and
covetousness, which is idolatry.

Feelings are the other part of the soul that need
constant sanctification. The apostle Paul writes that there
is an ongoing struggle between the desires of the flesh and
the Spirit (Gal. 5:17). Feelings are not sinful. God too has
feelings. But just as much as God is not controlled or ruled
by feelings, emotions or passion, we need to learn to bring
our feelings under subjection to the control of the Holy
Spirit, so that we could walk in newness of life in the Spirit
(Rom. 6:4; Gal. 5:24).

There are different kinds of rivers in this world. About
10 years ago, I went to Mustang in Nepal to evangelize the
Tibetans living there. In some places, the rivers looked very
calm and peaceful and could be easily traversed. In other
places, the raging rivers were so fierce, they looked as if
they would tear apart anyone who came into their paths. It
was totally impossible to traverse such rivers so we had to
walk along the trails on the river banks.
67
Likewise are our emotions and feelings. Feelings that

are unsanctified consist of jealousy, anger (ill temper),
selfishness, envy, pride, lust and covetousness (Mk. 7:22;
Gal. 5:20,21; Col. 3:8). These are as destructive as the
raging rivers. But look at the sanctified emotions-tender
mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering, forgiveness
and love (Col. 3:12,13). These are like the peaceful river,
flowing out of our heart in all purity, peaceableness and
gentleness (Jas. 3:17).

Union of Flesh and Spirit

Having examined the distinctiveness between the filthiness
of the flesh and spirit, let us now consider their workings
in union and partnership. Let us consider the following.
1. Adultery and fornication are physical sexual acts

outside the boundaries of the sanctity of the
marriage union. Beyond the physical act, it is the
expression or actualization of mental fantasies.

2. Uncleanness, the physical acts of homosexuality,
lesbianism, bestiality and the likes are physical acts;
again they are the resultant works of unclean thoughts.

3. Consider an incident in the life of King David as
recorded in 2 Samuel 11:1-4. Verse 2 says, Then it
happened one evening that David arose from his bed
and walked on the roof of the king’s house. And from the
roof he saw a woman bathing, and the woman was very
beautiful to behold! The word, “saw” in Hebrew in
raah, meaning to see, enjoy, gaze. The word implies to
enjoy the gaze. The word “behold” in the KJV is look
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Holiness Unto God
and in Hebrew is mareh, meaning a view. This word

implies a view of physical appearance. King David, to
be sure, did not just look casually or accidentally at
Bathsheba. Instead he enjoyed the view of gazing at her
physical appearance.
Verse 4 says that King David committed adultery with

her. King David had already committed adultery with her in
his mind and heart when he meditated and contemplated
of her naked beauty. The physical act was the resultant
defilement of a filthy spirit.
Once, a certain servant of God in India was sitting and

meditating on a rock. He noticed a small little bird hopping
forward in a certain direction. Curiosity led him to bow
down to observe the bird. At a distance was a beautiful
snake lying motionless. This little bird, not realizing what
it was but enchanted by the snake’s physical beauty, kept
on hopping nearer towards the snake. When the snake
knew that the bird had reached within striking range and it
could not escape, it struck out and swallowed the little bird.
Likewise is the sin of filthiness and defilement. Filthiness
seeks to entice our flesh and spirit through the lust of the
flesh, lust of the eyes and the pride of life (1 Jn. 2:16).
We must learn to guard our hearts with all diligence and
vigilance (Pro. 4:23).

The Jews practise a tradition of casting out the leaven
during the Passover. This ceremony involves the symbolic
removal of the leaven from the house. The husband would
take a candle, a linen cloth, a white feather, a wooden
spoon and enter his home to seek out and remove ten
pieces of leaven of corruption placed by his wife. Firstly,
the leaven was brushed into the wooden spoon with
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the feather. Secondly, the leaven was placed on the linen

cloth and wrapped. Finally, it was brought to the Temple
and burned in a special ceremonial fire.

The leaven of the Passover typifies sins of filthiness,
defilement and corruption. Not only must we cleanse our
flesh and spirit of these uncleanness but also thoroughly
purge them through the purifying fires of the Holy Spirit
(Mal. 3:3).
In July 1994, I went to Tsaparang in Western Tibet to

evangelize the Tibetans living there. One afternoon, I was
invited to have tea with some Tibetans. As I entered their
tent, they courteously beckoned me to sit down and placed
a cup on a small stool in front of me. Noticing that the cup
was dirty, I asked my host to clean it. They looked around
searching for something, then found a dirty and filthy
kitchen rag and used it to wipe clean the cup. Into it they
then poured hot Tibetan butter tea, offering it to me with
great love.
Though I received the cup with a smile of thanks on

my face, in my heart, I was thinking of how I was going
to drink the dirt-mixed tea. Remembering what the Lord
Jesus said that what goes in from outside does not defile the
body, I offered a word of thanksgiving to God. Nonetheless,
I pondered deeply over why the Lord Jesus had said,
whatever enters a man from outside cannot defile him. What
comes out of a man, that defiles a man (Mk. 7:18-20).

The Holy Spirit then brought illumination to my
understanding, revealing that from the throne of
God flows a river of life for the healing of the nations
(Rev. 22:1,2). This river is symbolic of the Holy Spirit. The
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Holiness Unto God
apostle John sees the river as coming forth from the midst
of the throne of God and the Lamb. When we accept the
Lord Jesus as our Savior, God’s presence comes into our
heart, transforming it into a throne for Christ Jesus to
reign. From that throne in the heart, the Holy Spirit flows
out like rivers of living waters (Jn. 7:38,39).

The river that flows from the throne of God appears
sparkling clear like crystal. Likewise, the river that flows out
of our heart should not be soiled or muddied through the
uncleanness and filthiness of the spirit and the flesh. When
the heart is clean and pure, the rivers of living waters
that flow out of our heart would be crystal clear. Since
they flow from the throne where the Lamb of God reigns,
they would carry the image of God and Christ Jesus
(Jn. 10:30, 14:9). The believer who is pure would then be
able to see God (Mt. 5:8). This is the reason why we need to
sanctify the Lord God in our hearts (1 Pe. 3:15).

Therefore, the flesh and spirit could be cleansed from
filthiness by the separation of the spirit from everything
impure and corrupt and by the renunciation of sins towards
which the flesh craves.
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Chapter 5
The Essence of Holiness

11 But as for you, O man of God, flee from all these
things; aim at and pursue righteousness (right standing
with God and true goodness), godliness (which is the
loving fear of God and being Christlike), faith, love,
steadfastness (patience), and gentleness of heart.

COLOSSIANS 3:12 (Amp.)
12 Clothe yourselves therefore, as God’s own chosen ones
(His own picked representatives), [who are] purified and
holy and well-beloved [by God Himself, by putting on
behavior marked by] tenderhearted pity and mercy, kind
feeling, a lowly opinion of yourselves, gentle ways, [and]
patience [which is tireless and long-suffering, and has
the power to endure whatever comes, with good temper].
Having fled from all those things that could defile our
spirit and flesh, we are now admonished to pursue after
godliness, which is the essence of holiness.

The word “godliness” in Greek is eusebeia, derived from
eu, meaning well and sebomai, meaning to be devout, which
denotes that piety which is characterized by a Godward attitude,
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does that which is well-pleasing to God. Eusebeia simply

means a devout and godly attitude in all reverence.
There are two virtues that characterize a godly and

Christlike attitude which gives essence to holiness.

1. Meekness

MATTHEW 5:5
5 Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

The word “meek” in Greek is praos. meaning gentle, mild,
meek. It is an inwrought grace of the soul before the
holiness of God. Meekness is closely linked with humility
and self-control. Meekness does not assert itself nor seeks its
own interest nor is elated or cast down, because self has no
place in it.

Consider the life of the prophet Moses. The Bible
says that, Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all
men who were on the face of the earth (Num. 12:3). As we
purpose in our heart to live holy, the Holy Spirit would
then begin transforming us into the image of Christ and
the resultant virtue of that work of glory is meekness. The
inner glory, characterized by an attitude and walk of
meekness, is outwardly manifested as glory-light. The Bible
says that the face of Moses shone as he spoke with God
(Ex. 34:29,30,35).

When we bring a candle very near to a fire, little by
little the wax in the candle begins to melt. Likewise, the
closer we live with God and pursue after holiness, the fires
of God would begin to consume our flesh. When wax is
melted, it becomes crystal clear liquid, thereby reflecting
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the brightness of the fire; likewise, the resultant residue

of the burning of our flesh is meekness. This virtue would
cause God’s face to shine upon us (Num. 6:25).

2. Humility

TITUS 3:2
2 to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle,
showing humility to all men.

The word, “humble” in Greek is tapeinoo, meaning to make
low and “humility” is tapeinophrosune, meaning lowliness of
mind. In the Hebrew language, “humble” is kana, meaning
to be humble, to humble, subdue. The other Hebrew word
for “humble” is sapel, meaning to be low, become low, be
abased. Humility is the opposite virtue of pride.

The Bible very clearly teaches us that, because of
his pride, Lucifer, the anointed cherub, fell from his
exalted place of glory, having lost the grace of God
(Isa. 14:12-14). How do we know that? Let us examine
Lucifer’s declaration of pride.

1. I will ascend to heaven.

2. I will exalt my throne above the stars of God.

3. I will sit upon the mount of assembly in the uttermost
north.

4. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds.

5. I will make myself as the Most High.

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Five times Lucifer declared “I will.” Five speaks of grace

in the Bible. Lucifer reached the end of the fullness of grace
before he was cast out of heaven.
In expounding one of the mysteries of nature God

questioned Job as: From where comes the ice? And the frost of
heaven, who gives it birth (Job 38:29). Ice and frost are one
of the beauty queens of nature. When the sun rises upon
them their stunning beauty is indescribable, and their
destructive power undeniable.
Ice glistens like crystal against a brilliant blue sky. But

the ice that made the branches of a tree sparkle in the
sunlight also weighs them down to break under the burden.
This applies to those who are adorned with pride. They call
attention to themselves with stunning beauty, talent or
intelligence. But eventually the weight of pride will cause
them to crack and break. Such was the plight of Lucifer. It
will be the fate of all who will choose the path of pride.
When the Lord Jesus came into this world as the

second Adam to restore what the first Adam had lost
(1 Cor. 15:45-47), the Lord Jesus, in order to regain the
fullness of grace of exaltation for man and to demonstrate
the virtue of godliness, lowed Himself sevenfold. Let us
examine this virtue in Philippians 2:6-8:

1. Being God Himself, He did not consider this equality
with God was a thing to be retained.

2. Stripped Himself of rightful dignity and reputation.

3. Assumed the guise of a servant (slave).

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4. He became like man (Ps. 8:5).

5. Appeared in human form and lived like man.

6. He abased and humbled Himself.

7. Became obedient to the point of death.

Seven speaks of perfection in the Bible. Thus the Lord
Jesus humbled Himself to perfection, receiving for us the
fullness of God’s grace. Humility and meekness are the twin
virtues personified in the life of the Lord Jesus. The Lord
Jesus said, Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am
gentle (meek) and lowly (humble) in heart (Matt. 11:29).

The word “yoke” in Greek is zugos, meaning a yoke:
serving to couple two things together. In putting a yoke on
two cows to plough fields, farmers would always yoke
an inexperienced cow to an experienced cow which had
mastered the art of ploughing. While on a forty-day fast
in 1986, I saw the heavens opened (Ezek. 1:1). I beheld
the Lord Jesus in resplendent glory. The Lord Jesus said,
Humility should be the foundation in a Christian’s life. I said in
My Word to take My yoke upon you and learn from Me. What
is that yoke? It is humility. When a person takes the yoke upon
himself, he puts on humility and becomes like Me.

I know of a very saintly prophet of God in South India
who walks closely with God. He once shared a parable on
humility, which the Lord taught him. In a vision, he saw
a beautiful big tree in a big land. The Lord Jesus then told
him, In order for a tree to be planted or seeds to be sown, there
must be a land. A tree or seeds are useless without the land. The
land signifies humility, the tree signifies Me, while the branches
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signify the believers. Only by being attached to the tree would

the branches be able to bring forth fruit.

The branch that is joined to the tree is like the
inexperienced cow being yoked with the experienced
cow. As the inexperienced cow would learn and inherit
skills from the experienced cow it was yoked with, by
abiding in Christ Jesus and putting on humility, we could
bring forth much fruit of godliness that characterized the
life of the Lord Jesus (Jn. 15:5).
Once, a Sunday school teacher read Matthew 11:30 to

the children in her class. She then asked: Jesus said, ‘My
yoke is easy.’ Now who can tell me what a yoke is? A boy
raised his hand and replied, A yoke is something they put
on the necks of animals so they can help each other. Then the
teacher asked, What is the yoke Jesus puts on us? A little girl
quietly answered, It is God putting His arm around us.
The Lord Jesus puts His arm around the person who
walks meekly before Him and invites such a person into
the holies of heaven. Several years ago while waiting on
God one day, I was caught up in the Spirit and saw myself
in heaven. I felt abashed at my unworthiness. Here I was,
on holy ground, surrounded by the splendors of heaven. As
I mulled over my unworthiness, I felt a hand come around
my shoulders. I turned. It was the Lord Jesus. Tenderly, He
assured, My grace has made you worthy. Let us go boldly to the
throne of grace (Heb. 4:16).
There is another beautiful illustration on meekness and

humility in the Gospel of Matthew.

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MATTHEW 21:2-9
2 saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and
immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with
her. Loose them and bring them to Me.
3 “And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say,
‘The Lord has need of them,’ and immediately he will
send them.”
4 All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was
spoken by the prophet, saying:
5 “Tell the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your King is
coming to you, lowly, and sitting on a donkey, A colt,
the foal of a donkey.’
6 So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded
them.
7 They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their
clothes on them, and set Him on them.
8 And a very great multitude spread their clothes on
the road; others cut down branches from the trees and
spread them on the road.
9 Then the multitudes who went before and those who
followed cried out, saying: “Hosanna to the Son of
David! ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the
LORD!’ Hosanna in the highest”

The Lord Jesus rode on a donkey with its colt into
Jerusalem. The donkey and colt spiritually speak of humility
and meekness. As the Lord Jesus sat on the donkey, so will
the Lord be enthroned on the person who has put on
humility and meekness. Just as the Lord Jesus sat on the
donkey to enter into Jerusalem, so will the person who
has put on humility and meekness - the qualities found in
children - enter into the heavenly Jerusalem - kingdom of
heaven (Mt. 18:3; Lk.18:17).

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Attar of Rose, a fragrant oil, is one of the most valuable

products of Bulgaria and is heavily taxed for export. Once,
a tourist unwilling to pay the duty sought to evade customs
by concealing two vials of the precious ointment in his
suitcase. Unfortunately a little of the aromatic oil leaked.
By the time he reached the train station, the aroma was
emanating from the luggage, announcing the presence of
the hidden treasure. The authorities promptly confiscated
the costly souvenir.
The scent of holiness in the life of a believer who walks

in meekness and humility before God cannot be hidden.
A sacred aroma will pierce into heaven, drawing the
visitation of angels and heavenly beings. All angelic beings
in heaven are adorned in meekness and humility, the very
hallmark of Christlikeness. Humility and meekness are the
foundation pillars and cornerstones in heaven. That is why
everyone who walks in heaven is characterized by it. The
two armrests on the throne of Christ Jesus are symbols of
meekness and humility. The Lord Jesus also said this of
Himself, “I am meek and lowly in heart” (Matt. 11:29).
A believer who aspires to abide in heaven must walk

in meekness and humility before God and man. A scent of
holiness will arise from his life, causing his face to shine
like a sun before the God of glory.
Once in a vision, I saw the Lord Jesus standing in a

beautiful garden. He then said, For a tree to be planted in a
garden or for seeds to be sown in a field, there must be land.
A tree or seeds are useless without land. Land is the basic
foundation in which a tree is rooted and from which it grows
upwards.

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The ground symbolises humility. The tree has a two-

fold representation: the Lord Jesus and the believer. The
basic foundation in the life of the Lord Jesus was humility
(Mt. 11:29; Phil. 2:6-8). Because He was rooted firmly in
humility, He was able to grow tall and full of grace, and was
eventually lifted up and above all (Phil. 2:9-11). Likewise,
when we humble ourselves and walk in humility and
meekness, God would cause us to be great in the kingdom
of heaven (Mt. 18:4).
The word of the Lord came unto me saying, Humility

should be the foundation in a Christian’s life. I said in My Word
to take My yoke upon you and learn from Me. What is yoke? It is
humility. When a person takes the yoke upon himself, he puts on
humility and becomes like Me.
Doorway To Holiness
I was in deep meditation waiting on the Lord one morning.
Instantly, I was in the Spirit and found myself standing
with the Lord Jesus before a huge golden door. The door
was very artistically and majestically carved. Looking at me
with an inviting look, the Lord Jesus gently pushed open
the door. The door opened to the wonders, splendour,
majesty and glories of heaven. The Shekinah glory cloud
was all over the place.
As I stood before the opened door mesmerized by the

awesome beauty, the Lord Jesus spoke not by words but by
imparting His thoughts upon my understanding: Humility is
the door through which you must enter to be adorned in holiness.
You can only find Me in all holiness if you choose to walk in
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humility. For I am meek and lowly in heart. Only the poor in

Spirit will inherit the kingdom of heaven.
The whole of that day I pondered much upon that

vision. HUMILITY PRECEDES HOLINESS. Not A grand
display of austerity or spirituality boasting a life of
holiness. But a meekful and lowly heart-spirit, attitude.
An attitude that seeks to continually crucify pride in all its
forms: - self, recognition, good name, boastings, puff-upness,
high mindedness etc.
Humility is the supreme characteristic of the Christian

life. It is the epitome of our walk with God. The Lord Jesus
personified humility in His life from the manger to the
cross (Phil. 2:6-8). Sadly, almost all Christians are devoid
of humility in their lives. Strangely but definitely, they
are either ignorant or defiant, but choose to walk in pride
and arrogance. How could we then inherit the kingdom of
heaven?
We should learn to transform our hearts into a house

of prayer. In prayer we bow and kneel down – meekness
and lowliness. When the sacrifices of a broken spirit and
contrite heart are offered to God, the Lord God will
come to abide in your heart – the throne of His holiness
(Ps. 51:17; Isa. 57:15).
Let us seek to enter heaven through the door of

humility that we may be adorned in holiness.
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Chapter 6
The Fountain of Holiness
GALATIANS 5:22,23
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

A water fountain is a dispenser that provides a constant
public supply of drinking water. The Lord Jesus said
that when we are filled with the Holy Spirit, out of
our innermost shall flow rivers of living waters. These
waters would quench us of every kind of spiritual thirst
(Jn. 7:37-38). Let us meditate a little deeper. It is written
that from the midst of the throne of God and the Lamb, a
pure river of life flows out (Rev. 22:1). When the Lord Jesus
was hanging on the cross of crucifixion, a Roman soldier
pierced Him with a sword. Immediately blood and water
came flowing out (Jn. 19:34).

Just as a river flows out from the midst of the throne
of God, likewise, from the bosom of the Lord Jesus
water flowed out. This is what happens in the life of a
believer. When the Lord Jesus comes and sits on the throne
of one’s heart, from the midst of that throne will flow out
rivers of living waters.
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Just as water flows out from a water fountain, water

flows out of the Lord Jesus, the fountain of living waters
(Ps. 36:9; Jer. 2:13, 17:13). These living waters carry the life
of Christ in them. The word “life” in Greek is zoe, which
signifies of life as God has it, that which the Father has in
Himself, and which He gave to the Incarnate Son to have in
Himself. This life of Christ is His holiness. As a fountain
of Christ Jesus’ living waters, holiness will flow out of our
hearts, manifesting tangibly as the fruit of the Spirit.

What is a fruit? A fruit, according to science, is the
ripened ovary of a flowering plant. The word “fruit” in
Greek is karpos, meaning fruit produced by the inherent energy
of a living organism. It suggests the visible expression of power
working inwardly and invisibly, the character of the ‘fruit’ being
evidenced of the character of the power producing it.

The fruit of the Spirit can therefore be defined as the
outward manifestation of holiness in conduct and character,
which evidenced the living waters of the indwelling Christ. The
fruit of the Spirit is the outworking of the character and
conduct of Christ being formed in the life of a believer.

Science tells us that there are two categories of fruits:
true fruits and false fruits. Some fruits are partly derived
from the flower components other than the ovary and
are therefore called false fruits, such as bananas, apples and
pears. There are the edible portions in the fleshy exterior
and there is the true fruit that forms the core. The
true fruit is found in the core, which enables the full
development of the fruit.

Likewise, there are two kinds of fruit-bearing Christians.
The false fruit Christians have produced fruits that are of
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good Christian works, but who have not allowed the

Christ life to flow in their lives to produce godliness. True-
fruit Christians produce fruits, which have sprung forth
from the innermost core, which have allowed the rivers of
living waters to erode off the old life so that the image of
Christlikeness could be manifested.

In a vision, I saw a tree surrounded with twigs and
weeds growing in a wild garden. The ground and soil were
filthy and the tree was left uncared for. A Hand came from
above and plucked up the tree from the ground. Its roots
were then cleansed of every filth and dirt. After this, the
tree was planted in a good ground by a river flowing full
with water. Nourished by the water, the tree began to bring
forth good fruits. Likewise, the Lord had taken us from the
world, cleansed us of every defilement of sin, and translated
us into His kingdom (Col. 1:13). Only by remaining in
Christ Jesus and allowing His life to flow in us could we
bear good fruit.

Fruit Of The Spirit
If we were to examine an orange fruit, we would note that
it is round or ovular and is covered by a thick leathery
peel. When an orange is peeled, we will find inside it
9 to 16 segments of juicy segments. Likewise is the fruit of
the Spirit. It is not many fruits but a singular fruit with its
many segments, which are offshoots of the seed of Christ
in us. As we continue to allow the Holy Spirit to peel off
the works of the flesh from our lives, then, one by one,
the nine “segments” of the fruit of the Spirit would be
manifesting in our lives.

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1. Love

1 CORINTHIANS 13:4-8
4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love
does not Parade itself, is not puffed up;
5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not
provoked, thinks no evil;
6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;
7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things,
endures all things.
8 Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies,
they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease;
whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.

The word “love” in Greek is agape, meaning love in the
sense of affection or benevolence. It suggests a love not just
in words or emotion but a practical demonstration of that
affection. This kind of love can be known only from the
actions it prompts. The greatest demonstration of love
was seen in God sending His Son, the Lord Jesus, into this
world (Jn. 3:16; 1 Jn. 4:9,10).

The fruit of love that is demonstrated towards others
would not be motivated by feelings. Neither would it spend
itself upon those whom it favors. Most Christians do not
demonstrate love but like.
“Liking” is based on emotions and feelings. When we

like someone, we do all kinds of good things and shower
favors on them. But when we dislike a person, we make a
180 degree turn in our affections for them and cease from
doing any kind of good favor to them. Love, on the other
hand, is not motivated by feelings or emotions.

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I know of a servant of God who was very affectionately

loved by a certain group of believers in a foreign
land. When these believers liked this man of God, they
showered upon him great degrees of affection, even to
the extent of treating him as a member of their family. A
short time later, a small misunderstanding came between
them because of a miscommunication. Immediately, all
expressions of affection ceased and an icy cold attitude was
thrown at that servant of God. One night, as this man of
God was in prayer, an angel of God appeared to him and
said, God wants you to walk in love and demonstrate what
the fruit of the Spirit is. Be not like them, but be an example of
Christ’s love in you.

When light - a unified, colorless substance - passes
through a prism, it is broken up into seven colors. Likewise,
love-a fruit of the Spirit-manifests itself in seven ways when
it is exercised.

1 Love endures long and is patient and kind.
2 Love is never envious nor boils over with jealousy.
3 Love is not boastful or vainglorious and neither does it
display itself haughtily.
4 Love is not conceited, arrogant nor inflated with pride.
It is not unmannerly rude nor insists its rights. It is
not touchy or resentful and neither does it take into
account the evil done to it.
5 Love does not rejoice at injustice and unrighteousness,
but rejoices when right and truth prevail.
6 Love bears and endures everything. It always believes
the best of every person and is hopeful.
7 Love never fails not fade out nor come to an end.

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Love is the fountain out of which flows the other

virtues of the fruit of the Spirit.

1 Joy is love, exultant above circumstances.
2 Peace is love, reposing.
3 Long-suffering is love, untiring.
4 Gentleness is love, enduring.
5 Goodness is love, in holy action.
6 Faith is love, faithfully serving.
7 Meekness is love, under chastisement.
8 Self-control is love, under self-discipline.

There was once a 15 year old teenager who gave away
his heart. His girlfriend had become critically ill and
needed a heart transplant. One day he told his mother,
quite unexplainably, I’m going to die, and I’m going to give
my heart to my girlfriend. He died suddenly three weeks
later when a blood vessel ruptured in his brain. Doctors
then took his heart and gave it to his girlfriend, saving
her life.

This is the demonstration of love in action. Let us learn
and endeavor to walk in love, allowing the God love in us
to flow out like a fountain (Eph. 5:2; 1 Jn. 4:12,13,16,17).

2. Joy

1 PETER 1:8
8 Whom having not seen you love. Though now
you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy
inexpressible and full of glory.

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The word “joy” in Greek is chara, meaning, cheerfulness,

i.e., calm delight; gladness. This joy is not the type of
the agalliasis joy, which is exuberant joy; neither is it the
kauchaomai joy, which is to boast, glory, exult. Rather, it is a
rejoicing that springs forth from the innermost of the heart.
It is attended by gladness, evidenced by a calm delight and
cheerfulness.

This joy is the result of a walk with God, which can be
likened to a child trusting his father. When we allow the
thought that God is in total control of our life, we would
cease to worry anymore. A few years ago, a financial crisis
in our ministry forced us to ask our staff to go without
salary until sufficient offerings came in. One morning, I
brought this financial situation before God and said, Father,
we don’t have enough money to give salaries to our staff. They
are not working for Jesus Ministries, but they too are your
servants, upholding me in this ministry. Father, I need Rs1000
(Indian rupees) [about US$25]. I know you will give me that
because you are my Father. A joy then began bubbling in my
heart giving me an assurance that since the problem is now
God’s, He will take care of it.

A week later, I was invited to speak in a meeting in the
Kingdom of Bhutan. After ministering there, the pastor
gave me an envelope and said, Sadhuji, this is a small
offering for your ministry. When I opened the envelope,
I was pleasantly surprised to find Rs1000 in it. God is a
good God!
According to the scriptures, the fruit of joy is associated

with the following:

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1. Experiences of sorrow prepare for and enlarge the

capacity for joy.

1 PETER 4:12,13
12 Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery
trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing
happened to you;
13 but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s
sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may
also be glad with exceeding joy.

The precious Administrator of Jesus Ministries, Amutha lost
her dearly beloved husband barely just two months after
their wedding in 1994. Yet with all her hopes, dreams and
aspirations crushed, in the midst of all her sorrows in that
great trial, there was always a calm cheerfulness on her
face. She always said with a smile, God is my father. I have
committed my entire life into His Hands. I am sure, He will not
let anything to happen to me which is not beyond His control.
This composure in Amutha is the result of a relationship of
trust and commitment between a child and his/her father.

2. Persecution for Christ’s sake enhances joy.

ACTS 5:40,41
40 And they agreed with him, and when they had called
for the apostles and beaten them, they commanded that
they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them
go.
41 So they departed from the presence of the council,
rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame
for His name.
(See also Matthew 5:11,12; Luke 6:22,23.)

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There lived a saintly man of God in India called Sadhu

Sundar Singh also known as the Apostle with the Bleeding
Feet. Once while preaching in Nepal he was arrested and
thrown into prison. The authority stripped him of his
clothes, fastened his hands and feet to a block of wood,
threw excrement at him and set leeches on him. Though
he was suffering excruciating pain, he lifted up his eyes
and began looking to the Lord Jesus. The presence of the
Lord Jesus came and turned his prison into paradise, filling
him with an indescribable joy that bubbled up in his
heart. That joy, like springs of water, refreshed his soul and
bestowed him with the strength of God (Neh. 8:10).

Where does this joy come from? It is written, You will
show me the path of life; in your presence is fullness of joy; at
Your right hand are pleasures forevermore (Ps. 16:11). This
scripture signifies that the kingdom of God is full of joy
(Mt. 15:21; Lk. 15:7,10; Rom. 14:17). When the kingdom
of God is residing within us (Lk. 17:21), the joy of the Lord
will flow into us through His Spirit.

3. Peace

PSALMS 122:8
8 For the sake of my brethren and companions, I will
now say, “Peace be within you.”

The word “peace” in Hebrew is shalom, meaning peace;
completeness. It signifies a harmonious state of the soul
and mind. The state of being at ease is experienced both
externally and internally. In Greek it is eirene, meaning
peace: one, quietness, rest. It signifies a sense of rest and
contentment.

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Let us examine an incident in the life of our Lord Jesus

during His earthly ministry, which would very beautifully
illustrate this fruit of peace.
MARK 4:35-39
35 On the same day, when evening had come, He said
to them, “Let us cross over to the other side.”
36 Now when they had left the multitude, they took
Him along in the boat as He was. And other little
boats were also with Him.
37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat
into the boat, so that it was already filling.
38 But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And
they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not
care that we are perishing?”
39 Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the
sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was
a great calm.

It was amazing that the Lord Jesus was able to sleep
through a storm peacefully. All around the boat there
was tension, uneasiness, anxiety and strife. But inside of
the boat, the Lord Jesus was sleeping peacefully. He was
able to be at peace not because He was the Prince of Peace
(Isa. 9:6), but because of His loving trust in a caring Father
(1 Pe. 5:7).
One morning in 1994, I was flying from Brisbane to

Sydney, Australia, to participate in some meetings. Due
to severe air turbulence, the plane was literally rocking
and rolling. Every now and then, it would go up more
a few feet and drop down more a few feet. Each time
that happened, all the passengers in the aircraft would
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experience the sudden drop and lift, resulting in lots of

screams and panic. Towards my left, near the window,
I noticed a young little girl sitting very calmly on her
mother’s lap. I was surprised that the girl did not become
hysterical. I soon found the answer why. Her mother had
embraced her with her caring hands close to her bosom.
That gave the little girl a deep assurance of peace that
nothing harmful would happen to her.
Likewise, the Lord Jesus, who always lived a life of

pleasing God, knew that no harm would come to Him
without the Father’s knowledge. Such a peace, which
brings about quietness, oneness and calmness is the result
of a simple childlike trust and walk with God. Even the
tension and strife within us between the spirit and soul
would be at peace. It is this fruit of peace that is written in
Philippians 4:7, And God’s peace [shall be yours, that tranquil
state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so
fearing nothing from God and being content with its earthly
lot of whatever sort that is, that peace] which transcends all
understanding shall garrison and mount guard over your hearts
and minds in Christ Jesus (Amp.).

The Lord Jesus sent me to Tibet for the first time
in September 1986. After a fruitful week of ministry,
I took a three-day bus journey back to Nepal. As Tibet is a
mountainous plateau, the bus had to climb up mountain
slopes averaging 13,000 feet. At one point, just as the bus
had negotiated a hair-raising bend and was climbing a
slope, the brakes suddenly failed. Panic stricken, the driver
raised an alarm to warn all the passengers that the brakes
had failed. What made things worse was that instead of
moving forward the bus was sliding backwards.

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All the passengers, both Tibetans and foreigners, began

jumping out of the bus through windows. Strangely,
however, there was a great sense of calm and peace deep in
my heart. Instead of jumping off the bus like the others, I
just prayed, Father, You are the one who sent me to Tibet and
I know that even now, my life and this situation are in Your
hands. Just as the bus slid close to the perilous bend, the
brakes miraculously started working again. The driver got
back complete control of the bus and eventually everyone
reached the Tibet/Nepal border safely. The maturity of the
fruit of peace is the result of fellowshipping and walking
with the Prince of Peace.

4. Longsuffering

COLOSSIANS 1:10,11
10 that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully
pleasing Him, being Fruitful in every good work and
increasing in the knowledge of God;
11 strengthened with all might, according to His glorious
power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy.

The word “longsuffering” in Greek is makrothumia,
meaning forbearance, patience, longsuffering (macros- “long,”
thumos-“temper,” meaning with long [enduring] temper).

The fruit of longsuffering does not hastily retaliate or
promptly punishes in circumstances of provocation but
rather is always merciful. The by-product of longsuffering-
patience-does not surrender to circumstances or succumb
under trial and is always hopeful (1 Thes. 1:3).

I know of a saintly pastor in India who, like the
prophet Hosea, had a wife who was having an affair
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with her employer. Though he had discovered his wife’s

infidelity, because of his love for her, he was unwilling
to divorce her. When I was conducting a meeting in his
church, the Spirit of God revealed to me all about her
adulterous lifestyle and the circumstances under which
she fell. Privately, I told the woman what the Spirit of
God revealed to me and asked her to repent. That night,
she repented, renounced her adulterous affairs, and got
reconciled with her husband. This pastor, with tears
running down his face said, Sadhuji, for eleven years, I
patiently suffered in silence, hoping and praying that my wife
would one day change and repent.

This fruit of longsuffering is the result of abiding in
the Lord God, who Himself is the personification of long
suffering (Ex. 34:6,7; Num. 14:18; Ps. 86;15). When the tree
- the Lord Jesus - flows with longsuffering, would not the
branches - we His disciples - bear the fruit of longsuffering?
5. Kindness (Gentleness)

COLOSSIANS 3:12
12 Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved,
put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness,
longsuffering;

The word “kindness” in the KJV Bible is gentleness, which in
Greek is chrestotes, meaning usefulness, i.e., moral excellence
(in character or demeanor): gentleness, goodness, kindness. It
also signifies the goodness of the heart.

The epitome of kindness in the nature of God is found
written so beautifully in Luke 6:35, For He is kind to the
unthankful and evil and for He makes His sun rise on the evil
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and on the good and sends rain on the just and on the unjust
(Mt. 5:45). Kindness is exercised by love in such a way
that it is exhibited in goodwill and benevolence towards
others.
There was once an American pastor who went to

Philippines for missions. One day as he was walking in
the streets of the island of Negros, he saw a lady carrying
a heavy bag of rice on her shoulders. Noticing her old
age and poor physical condition, he took the bag of rice
on his own shoulder and walked for two miles to her
destination. When he finally lay down the rice bag at her
house, with tear in her eyes, the old lady looked at him
and asked, Are you Jesus? The pastor asked her, Why do you
ask that? She replied, Only Jesus is kind and helpful.

Kindness is the opposite of harshness and
bitterness. Even though others may be antagonistic
or unresponsive, kindness would always reach out in
love. Mercy is the by-product of kindness. Not only is God
kind to the ungrateful, selfish and wicked, but He is also
very merciful towards them (Lk. 6:36). Kindness extends
out its hand of mercy to a person who does not rightfully
deserve any good. Though mercy does not overrule or
supercede justice, yet like a loving mother who is full of
compassion would reach out to the undeserving in love
(Isa. 49:15).
The fruit of kindness would cause us to be fruitful in

the demonstration of loving actions that speak of merciful
kindness. Like the Lord Jesus, we too would be led by the
Spirit to go about everywhere doing good (Acts 10:38).

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6. Goodness

ROMANS 15:14
14 Now I myself am confident concerning you, my
brethren, that you also are full of goodness, filled with
all knowledge, able also to admonish one another.

Let us examine several Greek words for the word
“goodness” in order to comprehend its full meaning.

i. agathos means good. It signifies that which is morally
honorable, pleasing to God and therefore beneficial.
ii. kalos denotes of that which is ethically good,

right, noble and honorable (Gal. 4:18; 1 Tim. 5:10;
Titus 2:7). Kalos and agathos occur together in
Luke 8:15, an “honest” (kalos) heart, the attitude of
which is right towards God; a “good” (agathos) heart
one that, instead of working ill to a neighbor, acts
beneficially towards them.

iii. agathosune means goodness, i.e. virtue or beneficence. It
also denotes the sterner qualities by which doing
good to others is not necessarily by gentle means
(Mt. 21:12,13, 23:13-29).

After my first trip to Tibet, I had to go from Nepal to
India for a further two months of ministry. Though I had
insufficient money and had just enough for transportation
from Kathmandu, Nepal, to Kalimpong, India, led by the
Spirit, I boarded the bus for the onward journey. After
traveling for five hours, the bus stopped at a village for
dinner. I went to a food stall and enquired the price for a
plate of rice. When I realized that I had insufficient money
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even for food, I decided just to fill my stomach full of

water, like a camel.
The bus resumed its trip and I was feeling extremely

hungry. After traveling for another two hours, the bus
stopped for a short break and a tea-seller got into the bus. I
thought in my heart, Lord, how nice it would be if I could
have a cup of tea! There was a Tibetan lama (monk) seated
beside me from Nepal. He bought two cups of tea and gave
one to me. Surprised, I received it with grateful thanks. But
the lama’s kind gesture of goodness to a total stranger
made an indelible impression on me.

Nine years later, while traveling from Pokhara, Nepal,
back to Kalimpong, India, that same Tibetan lama who
helped me years ago was again seated beside me. This time,
I was able to do some deeds of goodness for the lama. If a
non-believer in Christ can be fruitful in deeds of goodness,
how much more should we, the children of light, be
abundantly fruitful in deeds of goodness.

The fruit of goodness is the demonstration of acts of
good deeds to others, irrespective of their goodness or
wickedness (Pro. 25:21,22; Lk. 6:45; 2 Cor. 9:8; Titus 2:7).

7. Faithfulness

HEBREWS 10:23
23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope (faith)
without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.

The word “faithfulness” in KJV is faith, which in Greek
is pistis, meaning firm persuasion. This fruit of faith is
essentially an unwavering faith in the faithfulness of God.

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The Hall of Fame of Faith in the Book of Hebrews

chapter eleven identifies more than twenty Heros who
had put their trust, hope and faith in a God who is faithful
(Deu. 7:9; 1 Cor. 1:9; 2 Thes. 3:3). Of these saints, it is
beautifully written of them that they all died in faith, not
having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were
assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were
strangers and pilgrims on the earth (Heb. 11:13).

I personally know of a saintly man of God in South
India who walks closely with God. In May 1986, in a tragic
car accident, he lost his only beloved daughter. His faith
and hope were shattered to pieces. Tears literally became
his food and portion for many weeks. One day in prayer,
the presence of God came upon the entire family very
powerfully. By the fruit of faith, they were able to put
their trust in the faithfulness of God, that God who called
them is faithful and would perfect that which concerned
them (Ps. 138:8; 1 Thes. 5:24; 2 Thes. 3:3). The fruit of
faith matures in us as we walk and abide in the God who is
faithful.

8. Gentleness (Meekness)

1 PETER 3:4
4 rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the
incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is
very precious in the sight of God.

The word “gentleness” in KJV is meekness, which in Greek
is praiotes, meaning gentleness, implying: humility, meekness.
This word’s use in scripture signifies not just a person’s
outward behavior but the inward work in the heart. It is
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that temperament of the spirit in which we accept God’s

dealings with us as good without disputing or resisting it.
Consider the following scriptures.

HEBREWS 12:7-11 (Amp.)
7 You must submit to and endure [correction] for
discipline; God is dealing with you as with sons. For
what son is there whom his father does not [thus] train
and correct and discipline?
8 Now if you are exempt from correction and left
without discipline in which all [of God’s children] share,
then you are illegitimate offspring and not true sons [at
all]. [Pro. 3:11,12.]
9 Moreover, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined
us and we yielded [to them] and respected [them for
training us]. Shall we not much more cheerfully submit
to the Father of spirits and so [truly] live?
10 For [our earthly fathers] disciplined us for only a
short period of time and chastised us as seemed proper
and good to them; but He disciplines us for our certain
good, that we may become sharers in His own holiness.
11 For the time being no discipline brings joy, but
seems grievous and painful; but afterwards it yields
a peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have
been trained by it [a harvest of fruit which consists in
righteousness - in conformity to God’s will in purpose,
thought, and action, resulting in right living and right
standing with God].

When blacksmiths want to bend or shape metals in
certain ways, they would subject those metals to very high
temperatures of burning fire. In the intense heat, properties
within the metals break down, causing them to soften. The
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blacksmiths would then beat or lightly twist the metals

into the forms they desired. Likewise, in order to produce
meekness and gentleness in us, God subjects us to the fires
of trials, persecutions and tests.
The fruit of meekness or gentleness is, firstly, Godward.

For the maturing of the fruit of meekness, God may
permit or employ men, even evil men, to inflict insults
and injuries for the chastening and purifying of His
saints. Consider King David, the man after God’s own
heart. The Bible says that he was cursed, had stones thrown
at him, and was badly insulted (2 Sam. 16:5-13). Yet King
David bore those persecutions patiently and meekfully
accepted them as God’s just dealings in his life.
The maturity of the fruit of gentleness is the result of

allowing the Lord Jesus, who Himself is meek and lowly, to
ride on the donkey of our heart (Zech. 9:9; Mt. 11:29).

9. Self-control (Temperance)

PROVERBS 25:28
28 Whoever has no rule over his own spirit is like a city
broken down, without walls.
The word “self-control” in KJV is temperance, which

in Greek is enkrateia, meaning self-control (especially
continence); temperate.
Self-control also implies to be strong in a thing

(masterful). The various powers bestowed by God upon man
are capable of abuse (Gen. 1:26, 3:22); as such, the right use
of such powers demands that the controlling power of the
will is to be subjected under the operation of the Holy Spirit.

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There are several areas in our life that needs self-control.

i. Emotions

JAMES 4:1
1 Where do wars and fights come from among
you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure
that war in your members?
Emotions dwell in the soul of man and they are not sin
in themselves. It is God who created us a living soul with
emotions (Gen. 2:7). The Lord Jesus too exercised emotions
during His earthly life (Mk. 3:5; Lk. 10:21; Jn. 11:35); but
He was not ruled by emotions as He had them under the
control of the Holy Spirit. Emotions not brought under the
control of the Holy Spirit could be destructive.
I was once traveling in the western part of Tibet in

1994. One morning while walking in the wilderness, I met
an American man flying a huge kite. I stopped to observe
his art of flying. The kite was tied to a strong string many
feet in length. Holding one end of the string in his hand,
and aided by the strong forces of the wind, the man flew
his kite. The kite glided higher and higher. When strong
winds began to blow, the kite would flap about in different
directions. This man then quickly but steadily pulled the
kite back on its right course.
As I was beholding this, it was impressed upon me that

likewise we must control our emotions and mind like the
soaring kite. Assailed by the lusts of the flesh, our mind
and emotions are capable of flying in wrong directions.
The string that held the kite is like a sanctified will and
mind. We must will to pull back the mind with its wild
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passions from wandering off to taste forbidden pleasurable

passions.
Through the fruit of temperance in Christ Jesus our

emotions could be brought under the control of the Holy
Spirit, giving us the victory to live in holiness.
ii. Tongue

JAMES 3:2 (Living Bible)
2 If anyone can control his tongue, it proves that he has
perfect control over himself in every other way.

The tongue is another organ that needs to be brought
under control. The person of the Holy Spirit always
glorifies God and groans in intercession for God’s children
(Jn. 16:14; Rom. 8:26). When the Holy Spirit is residing
in us, He causes us to bring forth the fruit of temperance.
Our tongue would then be under control and speak words
of life, blessings, praises, and intercessions unto God
(Ps. 51:14; Pro. 18:21; 1 Cor. 14:2).

There was once a wise philosopher. One morning he
called for his cook and told him to cook the best dish he
could think of for lunch. The cook put on his thinking cap
and pondered the matter over the whole morning. When
the philosopher came to the dining table for lunch, the
cook brought out a dish whose aroma filled the whole
house. The philosopher wanted to know what could
give out such an appetizing aroma. The cook proudly
announced, “Master this is ox curry. The tongue is the
best organ of the body isn’t it? It blesses everyone”. The
philosopher was pleased with such a wise answer and
doubly enjoyed his delectable meal.
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After his meal the philosopher asked for the cook again:
“Now, I want you to cook for me the worst dish in the
whole world for dinner. The cook went to the kitchen and
put on his thinking cap once more. When the philosopher
came and sat at the dining table, the cook brought out a
dish so smelly it made everyone nauseous. The philosopher
could hardly bring himself to eat that dish. Holding his
breath, he asked what it was. The cook replied: “Its tongue
curry, master. The tongue, though good and sometimes
blesses, is at the same time most uncontrollable and often
curses”.
How true, isn’t it? We use our tongue to praise and bless
God. We also use the tongue to curse our fellow brothers
and sisters. We use the tongue to edify one another. We
also use the tongue to backbite, murmur and slander others
(Eph. 4:29).
The fruit of temperance would enable us to discipline

our body and bring it under subjection to the Holy Spirit,
so that we could present it as a living sacrifice, holy and
unblamable before God (Rom. 12:1; 1 Cor. 9:27; Col. 1:22).

Planted in Eden

PSALM 1:3
3 He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water,
that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also
shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.

Once in a vision, I saw the Lord Jesus watering some
very small flowers in garden. The flowers began to grow
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big, bright, and beautiful. The Lord then plucked the fully

grown flowers, and put them in a vase. The vase was then
kept in a house to beautify it. He then signified to me that,
likewise, we too must be beautiful in our spirit by bearing
the fruit of the Spirit. Only then could we be perfected in
holiness to be vessels in the house of God (2 Tim. 2:20,21).
In order for us to bear the fruit of the spirit and not the
fruit of the works of the flesh, the garden of our life should
be well tended. It is written, And the Lord God took the man
and put him in the Garden of Eden to tend and guard and keep
it (Gen. 2:15, Amp.) As we learn to guard our flesh and our
spirit and keep them pure and well-watered, our life would
be like a well tended garden.
Once in a vision, I saw a beautiful snow-covered hill

overlooking a lustrous valley. At the foothill I noticed
a small and narrow pathway leading down to the valley.
Instead of just being a flat stretch of plain land, the valley
was an exquisite garden. Its beauty was beyond description.
The garden contained a vast array of flora and fauna. I also
noticed a large and broad waterfall flowing into the garden
from somewhere above. It seemed like the waters were
flowing gently in a crescendo of waves upon the foliage.
As I was pondering at the vision, the Holy Spirit then

impressed upon me that I was beholding the Garden of
Eden (cp. Gen. 2:8-14). And the pathway to enter into this
garden, which is paradise in heaven, is obedience and a
crucified life. The hill covered with snow signifies holiness
(Ps. 48:1). The Lord Jesus Himself had said that great is the
gate and way that leads to destruction. But narrow is the
way and gate to eternal life (Matt. 7:13,14).

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As the garden was in Eden and Eden spiritually speaks

of the habitation of God (Gen. 3:8), likewise, when we
continually learn to dwell and abide in God, we would
always be abounding in the fruit of the spirit (Jn. 15:4-8).
The fruit of the Spirit is the fountain of holiness from which
the Christ nature, character, and qualities flow out from us.
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Chapter 7
A Holy Living
One night as I was waiting on God, I saw the Lord Jesus

robed with a purple vesture standing before me. I noticed
that His feet were bare. At other times, I had seen him
wearing golden shoes and sandals. The Lord Jesus then said:
A person has to keep his feet clean and pure from all the dust
and dirt of this world.
The feet symbolise our life in this world. Dust symbolises

the things of this world and dirt symbolises the lusts of the
world (Jas. 4:4; 1 Jn. 2:15,16). The feet of the Lord Jesus
touched the ground yet He did not allow dirt and dust to soil
His feet. We, too, though living in this world, should not be
of this world (Jn. 15:19, 17:6,14). But rather should endeavor
to live a life of holiness and separation from this world.
The Reality Of Holiness

1 PETER 1:14-16 (Amp.)
14 [Live] as children of obedience [to God]; do not
conform yourselves to the evil desires [that governed you]
in your former ignorance [when you did not know the
requirements of the Gospel].
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15 But as the One Who called you is holy, you yourselves

also be holy in all your conduct and manner of living.
16 For it is written, You shall be holy, for I am holy.
There was once a very kind and well-to-do man in

a certain village in India. He was always dressed in fine
clothes and was greatly respected in the village. Every
evening, he used to go for a walk, always looking for
opportunities to do some acts of goodness and kindness to
others. As he went walking one day, he came across a large
filthy, muddy pool in which was a pig lying peacefully.

He felt a great pity for the poor pig. He thought in his
heart, This poor pig does not even have a roof over its head,
while I live in a luxurious mansion. This poor pig does not even
have good food to eat, while I am always feasting on sumptuous
food. I must do something for this pig. He went into the filthy
pool, picked up the pig in his arms, cuddled it close to his
bosom as a child would cuddle her teddy bear, and brought
it to his house.

He took the pig to the bathroom and gave it a good
wash. The pig was now sparkling clean and he tied a rosy
red ribbon around its neck. He then gave the pig the very
same delicious food that he ate. Hungrily, the pig swallowed
all the food within a minute. The man then put the pig to
sleep on a feather-filled pillow. Soon the pig was peacefully
snoring. As it was sleeping, a thought suddenly dawn on its
mind, Hey! Where is home sweet home? This place doesn’t smell
like home. The next minute, the pig dashed out of the house
and dived back into the muddy and filthy pool.

Often, our lives, too, are like that pig’s isn’t it? The Lord
Jesus cleansed us from sin and sanctified us. Because of an
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A Holy Living
unrenewed mind and undisciplined body, time and again,

we keep going back to our unclean and filthy ways. Many
of us do not want to live unclean lives. We try to be holy
and yet fail. The secret to living holily is not in TRYING TO
BE HOLY, but in LIVING HOLY. It should not be a struggle
at all. We struggle to live holy because we do not know
how to practise the art of perfecting holiness.
Consider carefully the phrase “we do not know how.”

Ignorance keeps us in bondage. Early in his Christian life,
the apostle Paul too echoed this kind of ignorance: “I know
that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will
is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not
find” (Rom. 7:18).
“How to Lord?” is the prayer I often pray when

asking God for illumination on godly living. This cry
is in response to the multitudes who seek my prayers for
overcoming difficulties in their Christian life. The God who
called us to live holy lives will not allow us to wallow in
ignorance and defeat. It has pleased the holy God to make
known to us how every believer can live a holy life.
The Art Of Perfecting Holiness

2 CORINTHIANS 7:1
1 Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us
cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and
spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

The word “perfecting” in Greek is epiteleo, meaning to
bring through to the end. This stresses the fact that though
we have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, that work of
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sanctification is an ongoing work till the end. It is also

written, pursue that consecration and holiness without which
no one will [ever] see the Lord (Heb. 12:14b, Amp.) The
word “pursue” in Greek is dioko, meaning follow after,
press toward.

We need to perfect and pursue holiness because God
dwells in us. And what agreement has the temple of God with
idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has
said: ‘I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their
God, and they shall be My people. Therefore, Come out from
among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what
is unclean, and I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and
you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.’
(2 Cor. 6:16-18).
Almost all Christians have never really grasped nor

understood the fact that when we are born again, God
comes to dwell in us through the Spirit (Eph. 2:22). Even
if we have allowed our hearts to believe this truth, we have
not allowed our minds to be renewed to accept this truth
in reality. Let us consider an example. The Word says that
when two or three are gathered in the Name of the Lord
Jesus, He would be amongst us (Mt. 18:20). If we truly
believe that, most Christians’ prayers would not be full of
unbelief and doubt concerning whether God heard them
or not. We profess and confess that knowledge, but that
profession and confession are not reflected in a practical
manner in our everyday reality. It is because of the attitude
of double-mindedness in us, the Lord Jesus said that God
was seeking for true worshippers who would worship
Him in spirit and truth (Jn. 4:23,24). When our minds are
possessed with the truth of the reality of the presence of
God, then we would be living holy at all times.

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Not only is God dwelling in us through His Spirit,

the Bible also tells us that angels too are constantly
with us (Mt. 18:10; Heb. 1:14). These angels are with
and among us, not only to protect us (Ps. 91:11,12) and
carry our prayers before God (Rev. 8:3,4), but to bear
witness regarding our lives (Gen. 19:1-11; Ex. 23:21;
Heb. 13:2). Several years ago, I was waiting on God one
night praying for the coming Sunday service in a certain
church. As I was waiting, an angel appeared before me
and said, I am the angel of the church where you are going this
Sunday. These are the sins of the Church (Rev. 2:3). This angel
then named the various sins in the church which he had
witnessed. These revelations were later humbly confirmed
by the senior elder of the church.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by a great cloud
of witnesses, let us strip ourselves of every sin which so
stubbornly clings to us, by perfecting and pursuing after
holiness with all our heart.

How To Perfect holiness?

During an interview, the great Polish pianist Ignace
Paderewski said, “It is not from choice that my life is music
and nothing more, but when one is an artist, what else can
he be? When a whole lifetime is too short to attain the
heights he wants to reach, how then can he devote any
of the little time he has to things outside of his art? To the
question whether he had attained the heights, which he
was seeking, Paderewski answered, “I am nothing. If you
know the dream of what I would like to be, you would
realize how little I have accomplished.”

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If a person of the world could have such lofty

aspirations towards excellence, how much more should
the people of the living God who would be living with the
almighty God throughout eternity pursue and attain the
lofty heights of Christlikeness by perfecting holiness in the
fear of God. Holiness is not struggling to live like Christ
Jesus or trying to obey God’s commandments or trying our
best to live holy. Holiness is a lifestyle-a way of living.

Consider a son or daughter of a family. No father or
mother would need daily to tutor their children concerning
their roles as sons and daughters. Every child learns to be
a son or daughter not from textbook instructions but by
just being in the family. Likewise, we could learn the art of
perfecting holiness in the fear of God by adopting a lifestyle
of abiding in Christ Jesus.

We could live holily in Christ Jesus by practicing a
lifestyle of:
1. Fear of God

PSALM 19:9
9 The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever;
The judgements of the LORD are true and righteous
altogether.

One morning in November 1997, I was pouring out my
heart in praying the prayer in Psalm 27:4: One thing I have
desired of the Lord, that will I seek: that I may be holy all the
days of my life. As I was praying, the phrase “Perfecting
holiness in the fear of God” was illuminated in my mind.
As I meditated upon it, the Holy Spirit impressed upon me
that the key to perfect holiness is the fear of God.
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What is the fear of God? The word “fear” in Greek is

phobos, meaning “fear, dread, terror”. It also signifies a
wholesome dread of displeasing God, which influences
the disposition and attitude of one whose circumstances
are guided by a trust in God through the indwelling Holy
Spirit. The fear of the Lord is a reverential fear of the
almighty God. It is not just a mere fear of His judgmental
retribution but a wholesome dread of displeasing Him.

When I was growing up as a Hindu, I was taught that
if I commit any wrong, the gods would punish me. For
example, if I were to steal, the gods would send judgement
upon me. When I die, I would end up in hell, where
the demons would eternally keep on chopping off my
hands. These kinds of retributive judgement caused me to
have great fear for the gods and to live right.

In Christianity, God has been presented as a God of
love to whom we could keep on coming for forgiveness
any number of times even for the same sins over and
over again. Because of this teaching, it has caused in us
a callous attitude of fearing God. We have this attitude,
Never mind if we have sinned. We could always ask God for
forgiveness.

What does it really mean to fear God? It is written, And
Moses said to the people, Fear not; for God has come to prove
you, so that the [reverential] fear of Him may be before you, that
you may not sin (Ex. 20:20, Amp.). To fear God, then, is not
to sin against Him.

The fear of God can also be exemplified as follows:

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i. To abstain and shun evil (Job. 1:1). The KJV Bible uses

the word “eschew”; in Hebrew it is suwr, meaning, to
turn off, depart, eschew, leave, withdraw.
ii. To hate evil (Pro. 8:13). The word “hate” in Hebrew is

sane, meaning, to hate (personally) as an enemy, foe.

iii. To depart and avoid evil (Pro. 16:6). The word
“evil” in Greek is kakos, meaning whatever is evil in
character, base, and poneros, meaning whatever that is
evil in influence and effect, malignant.

The perfect example to illustrate the fear of God from
the above mentioned definitions, is found in the life of
Joseph.

GENESIS 39:7-12
7 And it came to pass after these things that his
master’s wife cast longing eyes on Joseph, and she said,
“Lie with me.”
8 But he refused and said to his master’s wife, “Look,
my master does not know what is with me in the
house, and he has committed all that he has to my
hand.
9 “There is no one greater in this house than I, nor has
he kept back anything from me but you, because you
are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness,
and sin against God?”
10 So it was, as she spoke to Joseph day by day, that he
did not heed her, to lie with her or to be with her.
11 But it happened about this time, when Joseph went
into the house to do his work, and none of the men of
the house was inside,
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12 that she caught him by his garment, saying, “Lie

with me.” But he left his garment in her hand, and fled
and ran outside.

Potiphar’s wife tried to seduce Joseph. But Joseph, being
a God-fearing man, said to her, How can I do this great evil
and sin against God? He then fled away from the scene of
temptation.
Once in a vision, I saw a deer being pursued by some

hunters. Without even turning back to see its pursuers,
the deer ran away from its hunters into a safe place. The
Lord Jesus then came and clothed the deer with the robe
of righteousness and led it away. This is how we, too, must
run away from sin. The devil is a hunter who seeks out
whom he may devour (1 Pe. 5:8). Just as the deer ran away
from its hunters, we too must flee from all appearances of
evil (1 Thes. 5:22). Just as the deer was clothed with a robe
of righteousness, the Lord would bless and grace us with
the beauty of holiness.
There was once a young boy who was trying his best to
save money to buy his mother a present. It was a terrible
struggle because he gave in so easily to the temptation to
buy goodies from the ice-cream man whenever the brightly
colored van came through the neighborhood. One night
after his mother had tucked him to bed, she overhead him
pray: “Please, God, help me run away when the ice-cream
man comes tomorrow”. Even at his young age he had
learned that one of the best ways to overcome temptation is
to flee. The Bible too exhorts as: Flee also youthful lusts; but
pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on
the Lord out of a pure heart (2 Tim. 2:22).
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This, then, is the key to live a holy life: fear God

and depart from all appearances of evil. Let us learn to
reverently fear God (Deu. 31:13).

2. Fellowshipping with God

1 JOHN 1:3,7
3 that which we have seen and heard we declare to you,
that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly
our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son
Jesus Christ.
7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we
have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus
Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

To fellowship with God is to abide with God (Jn. 15:7).
Just as the moon that is directly facing the sun would
reflect light from the sun, likewise we can live holily by
being in full focus with God. Before Adam sinned, he was
in constant fellowship with God. Though he was naked,
he did not know it because God’s glory was his covering
(Gen. 3:7,10; Ps. 8:5). Being in fellowship with God, he was
able to absorb and reflect God’s glory as Moses later did
(cp. Ex. 34:29,30).

When the devil tempted Eve, he made her shift her
focus from God and to herself. A lunar eclipse occurs when
the earth comes between the moon and the sun and casts
its shadow on the moon. Likewise, the devil came between
Eve and God, causing the shadow of darkness of deception
to fall upon Eve. When Eve let God out of focus and started
fellowshipping with the devil, she fell into his deceptions
and lost the holiness of God (Gen. 3:1-6).

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On the contrary, consider the Lord Jesus in the

wilderness of temptation. Though the devil came between
God the Father and Him, tempting Him to focus on self,
the Lord Jesus kept His eyes focused on God by abiding in
the Word (Mt. 4:3-10).
As we draw closer to God in fellowship and

communion, the fire of God’s holiness would convict us
to put away the shoes of our old self and unclean ways
(Ex. 3:4,5). During the days of the tabernacle in the Old
Testament, it was the priests’ responsibility to keep the
wicks on the lamp stand clean and trimmed. Likewise, as
we fellowship with God the Father, the Son, and the Holy
Spirit, the refining and purifying fires of the Holy Spirit
would consume and devour the filthiness and uncleanness
of our spirit and flesh. Out of the burnt wicks would remain
the ashes of the beauty of holiness (Pro. 25:4,5; Isa. 61:3;
Zech. 13:9; Mal. 3:3).

Not only were the priests required to trim the lamps,
but they were also required to constantly pour oil into
the lamps so that they would burn continually (Ex. 27:20;
Lev. 24:2). Likewise, as we keep praying in the Holy Spirit,
He would continually convict us and bring to our attention
the need to put away from the midst of us every kind of
presumptuous sins (Ps. 19:13; Jn. 16:8).

The apostle Paul, in writing the epistle to the Hebrews,
reveals to us a secret of how the Lord Jesus perfected
holiness in the fear of God. It is written, In the days of His
flesh [Jesus] offered up definite, special petitions [for that which
He not only wanted but needed] and supplications with strong
crying and tears to Him Who was [always] able to save Him
[out] from death, and He was heard because of His reverence
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toward God [His godly fear, His piety, in that He shrank

from the horrors of separation from the bright presence of the
Father] (Heb. 5:7, Amp.). Unholiness alienates us from the
holy presence of God. This happened to Adam and Eve
(Gen. 3:23, 24). God is no respecter of persons. It was this
reverential fear for God - recognizing the possibility of a
broken oneness with God - which stayed the Lord Jesus on
the path of holiness. If we allow this fear - separation from
God’s brightness and plunging into darkness - to grip out
heart, we would be spurred on to perfect holiness with a
godly fear.
Once I was graced by the mercies of God with the

following revelation: The Holy Spirit asked me a question:
“How was Moses’ face able to shine forth with the glory of
God?” I have learned through my walk with God that there
is more to spiritual revelation than what we may possibly
already know. So I meekly answered, “Lord, I do not know of
that very well. Please teach me”. “During the exodus of Israel
from Egypt and throughout her sojourning in the wilderness,”
the Holy Spirit asked, “why did God frequently manifest Himself
to Moses and Israel in the form of fire?”. I just stared blankly
at the direction where I perceived the presence of the Holy
Spirit was with a “Please teach me” look.
What a wonderful teacher the Holy Spirit is (Jn.14:26;

1 Jn. 2:27)! In response to my query, He graciously
explained that holiness is an intangible spiritual substance.
Fire is the tangible physical manifestation of holiness.
Whenever the prophet Moses went into the tabernacle to
commune with God, the Lord God would often appear
to him in the form of a pillar of fire. This I was mercifully
allowed to see in a vision. The prophet Moses was in effect
entering into the holy of holies in the tabernacle. Inside, a
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devouring and consuming column of fire would manifest

before him. Moses would stare with wide-open eyes at the
pillar of fire.
Whenever God spoke, fiery flares would stream forth

from the pillar of fire towards Moses. These fiery flares
continually purified and refined his spirit, soul and body.
At certain moments, the entire body of the prophet
Moses would appear to be engulfed in the fire of God. The
holiness of God was being imparted on the very skin of
the prophet Moses. This was the holiness of God’s glory
which the Israelites saw shinning upon their leader’s face
(Ex. 34:29, 30).
Abiding in Christ
To fellowship with God is also to abide with Christ Jesus.
One night as I was waiting on God, I had a visitation from
the Lord Jesus and I beheld His similitude (Num. 12:8). The
Lord Jesus said, “It is written in My word that My hair and
clothes are pure and white” (Matt. 17:2; Rev. 1:14). Similarly is
the appearance of God the Father (Dan. 7:9), which symbolizes
holiness. How is this holiness identical to Father God and
His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ? It is by abiding in the Father
constantly (Pro. 8:30; Jn. 1:18, 10:30, 17:11, 22-24; 1 Jn. 5:7).
“Likewise, the Bride who has made herself ready for the
Bridegroom is given to wear a garment made of fine linen,
clean and white (Rev. 19:7,8),” our Lord continued. “This
too speaks of holiness, which is found in Me. Why was she
given to wear the fine linen? Because she is the Bride. A bride is
someone who is one with the bones and flesh of the bridegroom
(Eph. 5:30). Therefore, the only way to be holy is to abide in
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Me, just as I abide in My Father (Jn. 15:4, 17:21). Only then

could the fiery stream that flows out from My presence able to
constantly cleanse and purify a person in holiness” (Dan. 7:10;
Zech. 13:9; Mal. 3:3).
There was once a man who sat down at his flower shop
to make a garland of jasmine flowers. He first took a long
naaru (strips of thread from the banana tree) and wetted
it. Tying one end of the naaru to his right toe and holding
the other end with his left hand, he carefully picked up
a jasmine flower and placed it on top of the naaru. Then
he brought the naaru end on his left hand towards the
other end and tied a knot over the jasmine flower. The
whole process was repeated until the entire garland was
completed.
The naaru, by nature, does not have any scent. But

linked in such a union with the jasmine flower, it gains
the aromatic scent of the jasmine. A proverb in one of the
Indian languages says, “The thread that holds the jasmine
flowers absorbs the fragrance of the flowers.” Likewise, when
we abide and dwell in Christ Jesus, we too will emanate
the sweet-smelling aroma of Christlikeness. And as we
continually abide in Christ Jesus, we will begin bearing the
fruit of the Spirit, which is in all goodness, righteousness,
and truth (Jn. 15:4; 5:7; Eph. 5:9). A garland of flowers is
used for adornment. Likewise, when we begin bearing the
fruit of the Spirit by abiding in the Lord Jesus, we will be
adorned in the beauty of holiness.
As we continually fellowship with God, our spirit, soul,

and body would be overflowing with God’s holiness inside
and around us.
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3. Meditation of the Word

One night in December 1988 as I was waiting on God, I
beheld the similitude of the Lord Jesus in the Spirit. The
Lord Jesus wrote on the wall the word BLOOD. He then
gave the following explanation:
“You have to constantly immerse yourself in My precious

blood to live a pure and holy life (1 Jn. 1:7, 9). You have to
constantly immerse and rinse yourself in My blood. Even the
mind needs to be rinsed constantly in My blood to be free of
any worldly or fleshy defilement. My blood is Spirit and Life
(Lev. 17:11; 1 Jn. 5:8). My word is Spirit and Life (Jn. 6:63).
My son, the written word is the greatest treasure I have given
to My children. It has all the power as I AM the Living Word.
When used and applied it has creative power.”
What a power the word of God possesses! When we

meditate the word, powerful spiritual chemicals and enzymes
inherent in the word are activated in our spirit, soul, and
body. These purifying agents have the power to cleanse us
of all spiritual filth.
PSALMS 119:9 (Amp.)

9 How shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking
heed and keeping watch [on himself] according to Your
Word [conforming his life to it].

JOHN 17:17 (Amp.)
17 Sanctify them [purify, consecrate, separate them
for Yourself, make them holy] by Truth; Your Word is
Truth.

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How could the Word sanctify us? Consider these

scriptures, having been born again, not of corruptible seed but
incorruptible, through the Word of God which lives and abides
forever (1 Pe. 1:23) and We know that whoever is born of God
does not sin; but he who has been born of God keeps himself,
and the wicked one does not touch him (1 Jn. 5:18). How
could a person who was born again by the Word of God
keep himself from sinning?

The Word has been compared to a seed. The word
“seed” in Greek is spora, meaning a sowing, i.e. implying,
parentage. A seed is the mature ovule which includes a
minute embryo plant, and contains stored food that will
supply the seedling when it begins to grow after sprouting
and germination. God is holy and His Word is pure
(Ps. 12:6, 19:8, 119:140). When we are richly filled with the
Word, it is like the planting of good seeds in the ground of
our heart.

When a seeds germinates, a seedling sprouts out of it.
This eventually grows and matures into a fruit-bearing tree
like the tree that produced the original seed. Likewise, the
Word of God which is pure, when sown into our heart,
would germinate, thereby cleansing and purifying our
spirit and soul, producing the kind of holiness which is
found in God.

For the Word of God to germinate, we need to meditate
the Word of God (Jos. 1:8; Ps. 1:2). To meditate is to
ponder deeply and reflectively on the Word of God. Before
Clara Schumann, the widow of German composer Robert
Schumann, would play any of her husband’s music, she
would first privately read over some of the love letters
which he wrote her. Reading those letters filled her with
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his life and inspired her to better interpret his musical

compositions. Likewise, when we meditate the Word of
God, God’s holiness would fill our lives.

When we meditate the Word of God, a threefold work
of sanctification is affected in us.

1. Cleanses

EPHESIANS 5:26
26 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the
washing of water by the Word.
The most beautiful illustration to this scripture is found

in John 13:3-10. We read that the Lord Jesus washed the
disciples’ feet. The act of the Lord Jesus in washing the
disciples’ feet speaks of the cleansing work of sanctification
by the Word. The word “clean” in Greek is katharizo,
meaning to make clean, to cleanse. It signifies cleansing from
the defilement of sin. Soap and detergents are commonly
used for cleansing purposes. Soap is a natural cleansing
agent produced by the reaction of an alkali with animal
fat or vegetable oil, whereas a detergent is a cleansing
preparation synthesized from a number of readily available
raw materials. Detergents contain surface-active agents
(surfactants). Surfactants lower the surface tension of water
and are able to dislodge dirt from surfaces, emulsifying it
and suspending it in water.

L i k e w i s e , t h e Wo r d o f G o d i s l i k e s o a p a n d
detergents. As the surfactants in the detergent lower the
surface tension, likewise the Word of God, which is sharper
than any two-edged sword, like the surfactants, bring
conviction of sin (Heb. 4:12). This conviction takes effect
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in the spirit, bringing knowledge to the mind the need to

renounce and put away sin.

As we allow the Word of God to dwell in us richly by
meditation, our spirit and flesh would be cleansed from all
filthiness (Col. 3:16; Heb. 10:22).

2. Purify

PSALM 12:6
6 The words of the LORD are pure words, like silver
tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.
(also Ps. 19:8, 119:140; Pro. 30:5)
The second effect of sanctification that results from

meditating the Word of God is purification. To purify is to
burn or purge by fire. Purification by fire totally purges or
purifies an object from any defilement.

There once grew a certain shrub in a college compound
in India. Whenever students walk pass this shrub and
brush against it, some kind of allergy comes upon them,
causing them to itch all over their bodies. The college
principal hired some workers to cut off that shrub. After
some days, these shrubs grew again, resurrecting the
students’ miseries. Finally, the principal hired some
workers and told them to totally burn the shrub to the
ground. The fires totally consumed that shrub to its roots
and it never surfaced again.

Likewise, the Word of God totally purges and purifies
the roots of sins in our minds. The Bible tells us that the
Word of God is fiery (Deu. 33:2). The Word is Spirit and
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Life (Jn. 6:63; 2 Cor. 3:6), and the Spirit of God is fire
(Isa. 4:4). Thus, when we meditate the Word of God, the
Holy Spirit purifies us by His fires (Ps. 39:3; Jer. 5:14, 23:29).

As we continually apply our heart to meditate
scriptures, His Word would purify us like silver is purified
and transform us into the glorious image of the living
Christ (2 Cor. 3:18).

I was in Kazakhstan in the winter of 1997. During
those days it was continually snowing all day long. One
particular night, before I went to bed, the sky was clear and
beautiful. The following morning I found the whole street
and buildings covered with a beautiful layer of white snow.
I examined a snow flake. It was beautifully intricate in

design. It was also colorless. I pondered over this one point:
If the snow flake is colorless, how is it that snow appears
white? The truth is simpler than I thought: one flake on top
of another; flake after flake after flake. The build up of the
multitude of flakes gives them an appearance as pure as
white.
Likewise is the work of holiness in our life. Each

snowflake is like the pure word of God (Pro. 30:5).
The word of God affects a work of purity in our lives
(1 Pe. 1:22). As we meditate the word of God day and night,
we become purer and purer day by day. Just as after when
all the snow flakes had dropped on the ground and the
street looked as if a white blanket had been thrown over,
likewise every entrance and storage of the pure word of God
into our lives will produce holiness in us to stand before
God (Heb. 12:14).
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3. Renewal

One morning in March 1999, as I bowed my head with
my Bible in my hands to pray and meditate, I heard the
Holy Spirit say, “Holy, holy, holy. If you meditate on holiness
you will live only a holy life. Consider why do the angelic hosts
praise God as “holy, holy, holy” (Isa. 6:3; Rev. 4:8)? When
you keep on meditating on holiness, this thought occupies your
mind, and you will be led to live a life of holiness. When you lie
upon your bed, mediate on the seraphim who are worshipping
God incessantly with the words “Holy, holy, holy”. When you
meditate accordingly, all that is within you will cry, “Holy, holy,
holy”. If you meditate on filthiness you will live a filthy life. If
you meditate on holiness you will live a holy life.”
This revelation from the blessed Holy Spirit underscores

the importance of the renewal of the mind. The mind is
the crucial factor determining whether one lives a holy life
or a filthy life. The renewed mind was the key that enabled
the biblical Joseph to live a holy life. His mind was stayed
on the fear of God and was not swayed to consider the
lustful overtures of his Master’s wife (Gen. 39:9). This is
also true of the prophet Daniel. Rather than defile himself
with the king’s rich but unclean food, his mind - and
those of his young Hebrew companions - was stayed on
remaining ritually pure (Dan. 1:8).
ROMANS 12:2
2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be
transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you
may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect
will of God.
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EPHESIANS 4:23
23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind
The renewal of the mind is the resultant effect of

cleansing and purifying by the Word of God. The word,
“renew” in Greek is anakainosis [used in Rom. 12:2]. It
means to make new. It also signifies the adjustment of the
moral thinking to the mind of God. The other Greek word
ananeoo [used in Eph. 4:23] means to renew, make young.
When we allow the spirit of our mind to be renewed

through the meditation of the Word of God, all the energies
of our soul are brought under the controlling power of the
indwelling Holy Spirit. It is the mind that wills to obey
God in holiness or to yield to satan through gratifying
the insatiable lusts of the flesh. The unregenerate mind is
reprobate (Rom. 1:28-32), and finds it difficult to obey God
in righteousness and holiness (Rom. 7:19-23). When the
mind is renewed by obeying the Word of God, it is then
purified and made new to continually choose the good,
perfect, and acceptable will of God (1 Pe. 1:22).

I saw a vision while meditating the word of God one
morning in March 2005. I saw what looked like an x-ray
picture of a man. As the man meditated the word, the
meditated word entered into him like food into his mouth.
As the word moved down his throat, the word, which is
light, lighted up his entire inner being (Ps.119:105, 130).
When the spirit of man is lighted up by the word of

God, the cobwebs of black spots and traces of ungodliness
clinging to the inner man are exposed. The continual
entrance of God’s word through consistent meditation
cleanses and purifies the inner man. The inner being of the
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spirit man purified by the word begins to glow with ever-

increasing heavenly glory. The inner being, which is the
temple of the holy God, is being prepared for the God of
holiness to come and make His abode (Jn.14:21,23).

Therefore, we must learn to practice meditating on the
Word of God and on whatever is true, whatever is worthy
of reverence and is honorable and seemly, whatever is just,
whatever is pure, whatever is lovely and lovable, whatever
is kind and winsome and gracious, if there is any virtue and
excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on and
weigh and take account of these things [fix your minds on them]
(Phil. 4:8, Amp.). As our mind is aligned with the mind of
Christ, our life will then be clean and pure.
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Chapter 8
Holiness in Christ Jesus
Elephant seals spend most of their lives sleeping. Science

News reports, “Male elephant seals measure 16 feet from
trunk-like nose to flipper, and they weigh about 3 tons.
Occasionally, a seal will use a front flipper – incredibly tiny
for such a massive creature – to scratch itself or flip sun-
shielding sand on its body. Otherwise these huge animals
are basically motionless. This animal does not eat while
on land during the breeding season; they sleep most of the
time. Besides scratching, dirt-flipping, or rolling over, these
ponderous animals seldom move.”
This is the sorr y state of most Christians. We

faithfully attend church services, do occasional works
of ministry, and behave in a religious way. But like the
largely motionless elephant seal, many believers do not
move beyond “mere Christianity” - and certainly not
striving to live a life of holiness as God has desired of us.
The scriptures exhort us all to awake to righteousness and
refrain from sin, for some do not have the knowledge of God
(1 Cor.15:34). The knowledge of God will help us develop a
healthy fear of God, which would motivate us to live a life
of holiness (Pro. 9:10).
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A certain family had a raccoon. One minute he would

snuggle up on your lap like an angel and the next moment
he’d be engaged in the most fiendish antics. Unrestrained,
he would raid the garbage can and tear up the flowerbed.
Although the raccoon was delightful as a family pet, it
became painfully evident that his destructive actions were
governed by his wild instincts. A raccoon will always be a
raccoon, and no amount of domestication would alter its
animal nature.
Like the raccoon with its inseparable natural instincts,

our sinful nature clings to us even after we are washed by
the blood of Christ Jesus. The apostle Paul identifies himself
with all Christians like this: I know that in me (that is, in my
flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but
how to perform what is good I do not find (Rom.7:18).
Although we are new creatures in Christ Jesus, our spirit

having been sanctified, we still possess the tendency to sin
in the flesh. Roman emperors saw torture as a legitimate
way to put muscle and teeth into their laws. They were
known to bind the body of a murder victim to the back of
his killer. Under penalty of death, no one was allowed to
remove the bound corpse from the condemned criminal.
Perceiving the spiritual reality behind such a torture the
apostle Paul, like us, cried, “Who will deliver me from this
body of death?” (Rom.7:24). Most - if not all - believers long
for purity and holiness. But often, we feel helplessly bound
to the dead body of our flesh. Nonetheless, we need not be
hopelessly bound by the flesh.
Once, an old Cherokee (American Indian) chief was

sitting before a flickering fire with his grandson. The boy
had broken a tribal taboo. The grandfather wanted to help
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him understand what made him do it. “It’s like we have two
wolves inside us. One is good, the other is bad. Both demand our
obedience,” counseled the wise chief. “Which one wins?” the
puzzled boy couldn’t contain his inquisitiveness. “The one
we feed!” answered the wise old chief emphatically.
Every believer can identify with this struggle. We fight

an ongoing battle with our self-serving sinful passions
and desires. They rise up from within us, unsuspectingly
like the legendary Loch Ness monster in Scotland, putting
incredible pressures on us to satisfy them. The Bible warns,
“Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves
to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of
sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?
(Rom.6:16)
When an evil desire demands to be fed, we must resist

it. The scriptures clearly admonish us in Romans 13:14…
DO NOT………………
1. … gratify the desires of the sinful nature.

2. … make provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.
3. … think of ways to indulge your evil desires.
4. …make plans to enjoy evil.
5. …think about the evil cravings of your physical nature to
gratify its lustful desires.
The Christian gains victory by starving the old nature

and feeding the new. By obeying God’s word and yielding
our spirit, soul, and body to the Holy Spirit, we can be
victorious over the flesh - the beast nature within us.
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But there is yet another better and more excellent way.

Let’s take a step back into American history. The bitter
conflict had finally ended between the North and the
South. The soldiers of the US Civil War were now free to
return to their families. But a number of them remained
hidden in the woods, living on berries. They either didn’t
hear or didn’t believe that the war was over, so they
continued enduring miserable conditions when they could
have been back home.
Likewise, we have been set free from the bondage and

reign of sin over our life (Rom.6:6). We need to know this
beyond a shadow of doubt in our heart. We have been set
free - even from struggling against sins (Rom.6:18). When
Lot and his family were delivered from the destruction that
came upon Sodom and Gomorrah by an angel of God, Lot
was told, “Escape for your life! Do not look behind you nor
stay anywhere in the plain. Escape to the mountain, lest you be
destroyed” (Gen. 19:17).
We have been set free from sin. Therefore we should

no longer yield to sin, but rather run up to the mountain
towards godliness - Christlikeness, that is. To run up the
mountain is to pursue after holiness. As long as we keep on
running, not stopping even to look back for a second, we
shall have fruits unto holiness in our life.
Hidden in Christ
COLOSSIANS 3:3,4 (Amp.)
3 For [as far as this world is concerned] you have died,
and your [new, real] life is hidden with Christ in God.
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4 When Christ, Who is our life, appears, then you also

will appear with Him in [the splendor of His] glory.
Consider the creation of a precious gem on the floor of the

ocean. A pearl is produced as an abnormal growth within
the shells of a bi-valve mollusk such as an oyster. Such
a mollusk has an inner layer of shell made of a lustrous
material called nacre or Mother-of-pearl. It is composed
of the mineral aragonite and an organic, cartilaginous
substance, conchiolin. When a bit of foreign matter, like
a grain of sand, enters the shell, the mollusk isolates it
by gradually coating it with layers of nacre. This is the
beginning of a most beautiful transformation. It may take
three years or more - but the mollusk would eventually
produce a pearl.

Likewise, our life is hidden in Christ Jesus as the
grain of sand in the oyster. As the oyster coated the grain
of sand with layers of nacre to form a pearl, likewise the
Lord Jesus washed and sanctified us by His Word and
Spirit (1 Cor. 6:11; Ti. 3:5). The grain of sand did not do
anything to become a pearl. All it did was to remain in the
oyster. Likewise we, who are already being made holy, need
only to remain and abide in Christ Jesus to have the beauty
of His holiness perfected in us (1 Cor. 1:2; Col. 2:2; Ti. 2:14;
Heb. 10:10).

The nature of Christlikeness - godliness and holiness -
has already been imparted to us at the regeneration of our
spirit. Our cry and struggle should not then be, Lord, make
me more holy! Rather, we should learn how to cultivate,
unlock, and let the Christ nature in the seed planted in us
germinate and flow out (1 Jn. 3:9).

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Consider the germination of a seed. Germination is

the resumption of growth of a “seed plant” after a period
of dormancy. The main feature of germination is the
increased rate of respiration - i.e., the biologic “burning”
of carbohydrate to provide energy for metabolism and
growth. Likewise in order to allow the flowering or
germination of the seed of Christ’s holiness in us, the
condition of spiritual respiratory burning must take place.

Respiration speaks of prayer and meditation, while
burning speaks of the Fires of the Holy Spirit. As we dwell in
the secret place of the Most High through a life of prayer
and abide under the shadow of the Almighty through
meditating God’s Word, the fires of the Holy Spirit would
then strengthen and confirm and establish [our] hearts
faultlessly pure and unblamable in holiness in the sight of our
God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (the
Messiah) with all His saints (the holy and glorified people of
God)! Amen, (so be it)! (1 Thes. 3:13, Amp.)

Tests of Obedience
JUDGES 2:20-23
20 Then the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel;
and He said, “Because this nation has transgressed My
covenant which I commanded their fathers, and has not
heeded My voice,
21 I also will no longer drive out before them any of the
nations which Joshua left when he died,
22 so that through them I may test Israel, whether they
will keep the ways of the LORD, to walk in them as
their fathers kept them, or not.”
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23 Therefore the LORD left those nations, without

driving them out immediately; nor did He deliver them
into the hand of Joshua.
May I ask you a question? Why did God leave the heathen
nations around Israel alone instead of driving them out? It
is to test whether Israel would “play the harlot” with them.
Likewise, God has allowed weaknesses and thorns in our

flesh to test our hearts and minds. Would we, God wants to
see, succumb to sin or live a holy life in humble submission
and obedience to His commands? The Lord Jesus did not
walk in this world as the Lord God Jehovah, as who He was
in heaven. He was made like unto man, subject to all kinds
of passions and weakness (Phil. 2:7; Heb. 2:9; 4:15). Yet he
chose not to sin by living an obedient life in holiness and
in fear of God (Phil. 2:8; Heb. 5:7).
So, you should consider yourselves dead to sin and able to

live for the glory of God through Christ Jesus. Do not let sin
control the way you live; do not give in to its lustful desire. Do
not let any part of your body become a tool of wickedness, to be
used for sinning. Instead, give yourselves completely to God since
you have been given new life. And use your body as a tool to do
what is right for the glory of God (Rom. 6:11-13).
Holiness Is A Result of A
Relationship Of Intimacy
The lily, a bridal flower, is considered as a flower of purity
and chastity, which speaks of the bride. Like the whiteness
of the lily, we should be pure and holy before God
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(1 Thes. 4:7; 1 Pe. 1:15,16). The lily is soft and tender.

Likewise, we should live a life of godliness consisting of
meekness and humility of heart (Col. 3:12; 1 Tim. 4:8). The
Lily is fragrant. Likewise, when we purify ourselves, God
will look down upon us and smell the sweet aroma of the
beauty of holiness in our life.
How can we be adorned with this bridal holiness?
HOSEA 2:19,20 (Amp.)

19 And I will betroth you to Me forever; yes, I will
betroth you to Me in righteousness and justice, in
steadfast love, and in mercy.
20 I will even betroth you to Me in stability and
in faithfulness, and you shall know (recognize, be
acquainted with, appreciate, give heed to, and cherish)
the Lord.

The word “betroth” in Hebrew is aras, which means to
engage for matrimony. It means that once a woman and man
are betrothed, they belong to each other and the marriage
contract is sealed. How is the betrothal between God and
His people sealed? Verse 19 tells us that God has betrothed
us to Himself in righteousness, justice and love, which in
essence is holiness.

Holiness, then, is the natural result of an intimate
relationship with Christ Jesus, our Bridegroom and
Husband. Those who have committed themselves to the
Lord Jesus as His bride would be motivated by an intimate
passionate love burning within their bones to please
the Bridegroom. As a bride in the natural would seek to
develop an intimate relationship with her bridegroom
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by recognizing his headship, thereby acquainting,

appreciating, giving heed to, and cherishing his ways,
likewise spiritual intimacy with the heavenly bridegroom
would result in holiness, something only to be experienced
at the feet of Christ Jesus in prayer and worship.

Let us consider an example from the scriptures.

LUKE 7:36-39, 44-50
36 Then one of the Pharisees asked Him to eat with
him. And He went to the Pharisee’s house, and sat
down to eat.
37 And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner,
when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the
Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant
oil,
38 and stood at His feet behind Him weeping; and she
began to wash His feet with her tears, and wiped them
with the hair of her head; and she kissed His feet and
anointed them with the fragrant oil.
39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw
this, he spoke to himself, saying, “This man, if He
were a prophet, would know who and what manner of
woman this is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner.”
44 Then He turned to the woman and said to Simon,
“Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave
Me no water for My feet, but she has washed My feet
with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her
head.
45 “You gave Me no kiss, but this woman has not
ceased to kiss My Feet since the time I came in.
46 “You did not anoint My head with oil, but this
woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil.
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47 “Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many,

are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is
forgiven, the same loves little.”
48 Then He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”
49 And those who sat at the table with Him began to
say to themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”
50 Then He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved
you. Go in peace.”

In this incident, an adulterous woman who was
considered a sinner by the Jewish society came to the
Lord Jesus. She knew that the Lord Jesus was dining in the
Pharisee’s house. In coming to meet the Lord Jesus, she did
not come empty handed, but brought an alabaster flask
of fragrant oil. In the Jewish custom, the alabaster flask
of fragrant oil is the bride’s gift to her bridegroom. This
woman came seeking her bridegroom.

She stood at the feet of the Lord Jesus and began crying.
On seeing that her sinful tears had defiled the holy feet
of the Lord Jesus, she knelt down beside Him, bowed her
head very low to touch His feet, and wiped them with
her hair in great reverential love and respect. This act
of the woman in kneeling and bowing low to touch the
feet of the Lord Jesus speaks of submission and worship
(Rev. 4:10, 7:11).

This woman’s contrite act of prayer (by the pouring
of her heart through silent tears, worship, and the
presenting of the anointing oil (an acknowledgement that
the Lord Jesus is her bridegroom) knit a bond of intimate
love between her and the Lord Jesus, as that between a
bridegroom and his bride. This relationship caused the Lord
Jesus to forgive the woman of her sins and make her holy.
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Behold I reveal yet another mystery on this relationship

of intimacy. When a man and woman engage in sexual
union, the woman’s hymen tears and blood oozes out.
Likewise, the man’s sexual organ too suffers a tear resulting
in the oozing of blood. The male and female’s blood mixes
as a result of an intimate union to give birth to a new life.
Likewise, when we fellowship with God in an intimate

relationship, the Bible says, But if we walk in the light
as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another,
and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin
(1 Jn. 1:7). Do you know that glycerin will remove stains
made by a ball-point pen? Boiling water can remove berry
stains. Vinegar can get rid of crayon marks. Bleach works
well for mildew. Lemon juice performs minor miracles on
rust stains. But only the blood of Jesus Christ can cleanse us
from all sins and sanctify us.
God’s call and command to His people to be holy is not

an impossible task. If we would only learn the keys to living
holy, then holiness would become an effortless lifestyle
resulting from an intimate relationship with the Lover of
our souls.
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Chapter 9
The Pathway of Holiness
ISAIAH 35:1,2,8,10
1 The wilderness and the wasteland shall be glad for
them, And the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the
rose;
2 It shall blossom abundantly and rejoice, Even with joy
and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it,
The excellence of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the
glory of the LORD, The excellency of our God.
8 A highway shall be there, and a road, And it shall be
called the Highway of Holiness. The unclean shall not
pass over it, But it shall be for others. Whoever walks
the road, although a fool, Shall not go astray.
10 And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, And
come to Zion with singing, With everlasting joy on their
heads. They shall obtain joy and gladness, And sorrow
and sighing shall flee away.
Several years ago I felt led by the Spirit of the living God
to fast for 40 days. On the 37th day, as I was waiting on
God, I received a vision from the Holy Spirit. I saw myself
standing in a beautiful hilly landscape. Towards my left
was a small, beautiful hill. Some might think of it as “the”
perfect hill for a winter landscape. It was totally covered
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with pure white snow. You could not even see a patch of
green grass. Where I was standing, a small narrow pathway
led into a broad and flat valley. Unexpectedly, instead of
flat barren land, an expansive garden greeted me with its
exquisite beauty. I’d never seen such a beautiful garden
anywhere before. In it was a rich variety with of flora and
fauna. The thing I noticed immediately was the richness of
the colors of all the flowers and petals. They were sizable.
The leaves were so big and broad they seem to stretch
out everywhere. And then I noticed an amazing thing. A
waterfall. Normally a waterfall would cascade down steep
rock formation or precipice. But the strange thing was the
river that fed this waterfall was coming from nowhere.
There was no source. It just flowed and into the garden.
And instead of splashing into garden, water spraying
everywhere, the waterfall wrapped itself like a protective
throw cloth over a feature furniture piece. The waterfall
was flowing down so beautifully, cascading over leaves,
petals, and flowers. It terminated in the very the center of
the garden, having flowed all over it like a gentle, beautiful
river.
As I was beholding and wondering about this beautiful

garden, I heard a voice behind me saying, “What you are
looking at is the Garden of Eden.” I was very surprised. Guess
what I was looking for next? Actually, I should say, “who?”
- Adam and Eve. As I mused on that the Holy Spirit told me
something else: “If you want to enter into that garden, this is
the only pathway that you can take. There is no other pathway.”
The pathway I was standing on wasn’t big and broad. It
was just a tiny footpath. The Holy Spirit continued, “The
hill next to where you are standing is the mountain of God’s
holiness. And this is the pathway you have to take to enter into
the garden.”
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I pondered in my heart what this pathway was called.

The Holy Spirit, who searches the hearts of all men,
answered my unspoken query, “This is the pathway of
holiness.” The only way you can enter into that garden,
which is your heavenly home, is by having your heart
filled and covered over with holiness. No unclean thing
can enter into the kingdom of heaven. A Christianity that
pampers the flesh goes like this: Whatever weaknesses in your
life you are born with it; God has ordained you to have these
weaknesses—so live with it; God understands and is sympathetic
towards you. You have heard teachings such as these,
haven’t you? Unfortunately God doesn’t understand. That
is the bad news! If God understands, why would He say,
“Crucify your flesh”? If He understands He would have
said, “Yes my child, you should crucify your flesh - but it is all
right if you can’t. I understand.” If this were the case, you’ll
have to put up with telling of lies; you have to put up with
adultery; you have to put up with divorces; you have to put
up with a homosexual lifestyle, and so on. The very fact
why we need to crucify our flesh is because the ‘I’ must die.
If the ‘I’ doesn’t die then you are still a perfect disciple of
Lucifer, because he is the founder of ‘I’–the epitome of pride
- not God.
What is this pathway of holiness? It is obedience. The

only way to enter into paradise - the heavenly abode - is
through holiness. Without walking down this pathway of
holiness, no one can stand before the living God. Let me
give you an example. Genesis 2:1-25 tells us that from the
day Adam was created God came to talk with Adam every
day in the cool of the day (Job 7:17,18). God would come
and talk with Adam and describe to him all the beauties of
creation. But the moment when sin entered, the first couple
lost their God-given purity - holiness. They disobeyed God’s
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commandment. So they lost their confidence and boldness,

without which none of us can come and stand before the
Almighty God. The Bible asks us to come boldly before the
throne of grace (Heb. 10:19). Without boldness we cannot
even stand before God. That is the reason why when we
sin, we dare not pray. Have you experienced that?
Why is there no boldness? It is because there is

something we want to hide. That was the reason why
Adam and Eve hid themselves from the presence of God.
They hid behind some bushes to hide their shame. The
Bible tells us God found them out and later banished
them out of the Garden of Eden. Why did God punish
them like that? Is it simply because they sinned? All they
did was eat one, let’s say, apple. Is it a sin to eat an apple?
Doctors say an apple a day keeps the doctor away. But it was
totally different in Eden. An apple a day brought sin into
their lives and into this world. Eating the apple was not
the problem. When they sinned, they lost their holiness.
Uncleanness cannot co-mingle with holiness in the
presence of the Almighty God.
The Bible says: “Cleanse your hands you double minded”

(Jas. 4:8). This scripture was written for believers and not
for unbelievers. Are your hands clean? When we come
before God we come often with a “divided” mind. We do
not love the Lord our God with all our hearts, with all our
minds, and with all our souls (Deu. 6:5). The heart, the
mind, the soul, the strength must all join together as one,
in perfect unity. The sad truth is that we leave one part of
us at home to take care of the children; we leave another
part of us to take care of the stock market. Only one part of
us comes to church.
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Our hearts are also divided: we love the world and we

love God. Such an unholy alliance does not work. You
have to choose between the lust of the flesh and the Spirit
of life. You cannot have the best of both worlds. Only the
devil offers the best of both worlds: “Yes,” the adversary of
our souls tempts, “you can go on sinning, for God never
stops loving you.”
How can we walk in the pathway of holiness? There is

only one way: obedience. Many people think that it is so
difficult to lead a holy life. Let me show you a short cut.
It is very simple to lead a holy life. OBEY. Just one simple
word. And it is not that difficult to obey—it’s just doing
those things that the word of God commands. The moment
you obey you attain, if it be measured or weighed, one inch
or one ounce of holiness. Everyday when you obey and you
obey and you obey, you are walking in holiness without
you ever realizing it or without you ever struggling for it.
Holiness then adorns you like a garment clinging on to
your body.
To walk in the pathway of holiness is to lead an

obedient life. When the children of Israel came out of
Egypt they went towards Canaan, the Promised Land.
Canaan was a land that God promised would flow with
milk and honey. Enroute to Cannan the Israelites had an
appointment on Mount Sinai to meet with God. What
would have been just one day’s journey into Canaan
became a journey of 40 years because of their disobedience.
Why do you think at times your life seems like going
around and around and around in circles, seeming as if you
would never reach your destination? Could it be because
of disobedience? Somewhere along your walk before God
you disobeyed God. Instead of following the perfect will of
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God for your life, you carved out a path for yourself. You
chose to walk on this path called “The Permissive Will of
God.” Will God stop you? No. Would he prevent you? No.
Why not? You may wonder. It is because you wanted it.
You demanded it of God.
To walk in the pathway of obedience into holiness is to

carry the cross. The Lord Jesus said: “If you want to follow
me, take up your cross and follow after me” (Lk. 9:23). This
is the short cut I referred to earlier! What does the cross
symbolize? Obedience. In the Psalms, it says concerning the
Lord Jesus: “I have come to do thy will, oh God” (Ps. 40:8).
The very purpose of the Lord Jesus Christ coming to this
world is to carry the cross. We are all born to live. But the
Lord Jesus was born to die. What a dreadful sentence for a
man! The very purpose why He was born was to die. And
we all think that life will continue forever and ever in this
world. It doesn’t work like that - think of it! You cannot
take DNA genes from dinosaur fossils and then create a
Jurassic Park. Only Hollywood could do that. But God has
decreed that the soul that sins shall surely die (Ezek.18:4).
So no matter how much your DNA is preserved, no one
- not now or in the future - can discover the secret to
longevity and do you any lasting good.
The Bible affirms very strongly that no unclean thing

will inherit heaven (Isa. 35:8; Rev. 21:27). The apostle Paul
too wrote very clearly that all Christians who practice
uncleanness will not enter into the kingdom of heaven
(Gal. 5:19-21; Eph. 5:5). Today the subject of holiness
has become a big laughing stock amongst believers and
Christian ministers. Holiness has become something that
is totally unnecessary. If you sin, God understands. All
you have to do is say, “I’m sorry, Lord!” and then come
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to church to receive communion. A couple of days later,

you sin again. It’s ok. No problem. Come back to church. Kneel
down humbly and ask for God’s forgiveness. After all, God is
love. This kind of sugar-coated theology is now widespread.
By saying all that, do I doubt that God is merciful?

Absolutely not! I not only believe that God is good but also
that God is holy. Why magnify one attribute of God and
leave out another? God is good because He is holy. Holiness
is the only attribute of God that sets God apart from all
other gods.
When I was a Hindu, I worshipped 33 millions gods.

So what is the one big difference between the God of
Christianity and the gods of other religions? If you study
the teachings of Hinduism, you would quickly learn that
all the avatars of the gods possessed morally dubious
beginnings and endings. But look at the Lord Jesus Christ.
There was no sin in Him (2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Jn. 3:5). He is
totally pure and holy. If you are of His seed you too should
be pure, holy, and clean. The Lord Jesus is coming for a
holy people and not for a compromising church. The
cross - ugly, thorny as it is - purifies and cleanses you when
you place it on your shoulders. It refines you like silver is
refined. The Bible says that God has called us to holiness
and not into uncleanness, which includes a compromising
lifestyle (1 Thes. 4:7). When you carry the cross and walk
after God in obedience, the Spirit of God will refine you
(Zech. 13:9; Mal. 3:3).
Recently, I was preaching at a church in Singapore. As

the congregation was waiting to receive a blessing from
God during a moment of prayer, the Holy Spirit told me
to get everybody to kneel down. The glory of God was
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going to come down. By the way, when you wear shoes

God’s glory would still come down. But there had been
times when the Lord had specifically told me to ask the
congregation to remove their shoes (cp. Ex. 3:5; Jos. 5:15).
That day, as the congregants were knelt down, I saw the
Lord Jesus Christ descend from heaven. Like the Spirit of
Christ He came and stood in mid air and began to speak
to me concerning the spiritual condition of the church.
As the believers responded to the call of God, the Spirit of
Christ then transformed Himself into the Spirit of Holiness.
The Spirit of Holiness began to flow like a gentle cloud into
every hearts. The people then began to bow their faces to
the ground before the Lord God. When this happened, I
saw the Lord Jesus standing by my side cloaked with an
awesome glory. A holy fear gripped my heart. I felt like
falling down on my face before the Lord Jesus. The very
cloth that the Lord Jesus wore was made of holiness itself.
That sort of holiness looked like molten gold. That was
how the robe of the Lord Jesus looked like. At that instant,
the Lord Jesus stood before the church as the God of
Holiness.
The Spirit of God is calling the church to walk the walk

of obedience unto holiness. Are you willing to take up your
cross and walk after holiness?
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Beauties

Unless otherwise indicated, all scriptural quotations are taken

The Amplified Bible, New Testament.

First Edition: 2005

Published by: Jesus Ministries Pte Ltd

Copyright © 2005 by Jesus Ministries Pte Ltd. All rights reserved

Cover Design: Johnny Lim, Jesus Ministries

This book is worshipfully dedicated

To all precious and beloved brothers and sisters

I want to humbly express my deep and

Johnny Lim – for his beautiful artcover.

8. Holiness in Christ Jesus 129

9. The Pathway of Holiness 141

God has only one intended destiny for

Once I was praying with some friends in South India

I humbly trust in Christ Jesus that through this book

The Holy God

Science tells us that different kinds of atmospheric

partake of His holiness so that we could be like Him

Consider a tree. Before he sows the seeds, every wise

of the spirit and flesh, sanctifying, transforming, and

The Divine Constitution Of Holiness

The scriptures reveal the holiness of God in two

In 1987, a saintly prophet of God and I were fasting

God is a consuming and devouring fire (Deu. 4:24; Ps. 50:3;

It is because of this manifestation of God’s majestic-

in Genesis 3:14-21. Because God’s justice required

It is for this reason that the heavenly hosts praise and

of righteousness and justice because the Bible says that

perfection. Holiness permeates all things. So purified and

Holiness Enshrined In the Tabernacle

Parabolized in the holy furniture of the tabernacle is not

Holiness is not only enshrined in the tabernacle—it

When the high priest entered the Holy Place, he could

The Beauty of Holiness

I was once in Darkhan, Mongolia, in 1996. One morning,

the kingdom. Just as Adam was found with iniquity and

c) In Hebrew, qadosh means holy. This adjective

e) In Greek, hagiazo means to sanctify. This verb is used

Testament the redeemed people are also distinctively

b) In Hebrew, qadesh or qadash means to be holy, to

c) In Hebrew, qodesh means holiness; holy thing,

d) In Greek, hagiasmos means holiness. This noun

e) In Greek hagiosune denotes the manifestation of the

g) In Greek, hagiazo means separation. This verb is

i) In Greek, hagnos means free from impurity and

Holiness can therefore be defined as a state of being

It can further be stipulated that Sanctification denotes

of position with God into which man has positionally

By virtue of God’s grace and election, Israel of the Old

The Lord Jesus Christ is the author of this work of

the book Angels on Assignment of a beautiful revelation that

This pastor saw in a vision the Lord Jesus (the word

All believers are thus sanctified in Christ Jesus

Therefore, when we were born-again, the Lord Jesus

After having been sanctified in our spirit at the new birth,

The New Testament believers, too, were commanded to

Amplified Bible this scripture reads, be holy in all your conduct

The reason why we are being commanded to live holy,

Therefore, sanctification is a lengthy and continual

believer’s life. We are, then, to strive and pursue after

Finally, the ultimate or complete sanctification of a believer

waiting on God, I fell into a trance and saw a vision. I

Likewise, at the coming of the Lord Jesus, when the