Holiness is a topic that tends to be surrounded by confusion in the body of Christ.

Erroneous teaching on holiness is often

directed toward women, and Satan has used these traditional religious teachings to promote the idea that in order to be
holy a woman must abstain from wearing make-up or pants, for example. This type of teaching has misled many women
(and men) in the body of Christ into having wrong ideas about holiness. They associate it strictly with outer appearances,
rather than the condition of the heart. This is clearly a tactic of the enemy to keep people from achieving true holiness as
God intended.

Satan hates women because he learned that his defeat would be sealed through the offspring of a woman. He deceived
Eve in the Garden of Eden, convincing her that the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil would make her
and her husband, Adam, “as gods.” The deception here was that they were already like God because they were made in
His image. When Satan and His lies were discovered, God said to him, “Cursed are you above all the livestock and all the
wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life. And I will put enmity between you
and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel” (Genesis 3:14-
15, New International Version).

Satan’s fate was doomed; a woman would give birth to the Savior, Jesus Christ, who would ultimately defeat Him. Now,
through erroneous teachings on holiness, Satan attacks Christians, causing them to be confused concerning holiness.
However, we have a defense against Satan’s lies. The Word of God is our final authority.

Holiness is not about wearing long dresses, no pants, and no makeup. Holiness is a way of thinking that aligns with the
Word of God. It is essentially being of one mind with God. We are holy when we love what He loves and hate what He
hates. Even when we become born-again, our minds have to be renewed with the Word in order acquire a new way of
thinking. We stand out from the rest of society because we believe and live by the Word of God. This is what it means to
be holy.

God does not want us to be average. He wants us to be transformed from the inside out—a people who are truly holy, not
through works but by grace. Holiness is achieved through a spiritual transformation process within our spirits. We are
transformed when we behold Jesus, not by observing man-made rules and laws. Therefore, holiness is not just a standard
or conduct; it is a person. Jesus is our holiness! In fact, Jesus is everything to us—our wisdom, righteousness,
sanctification, and redemption (1 Corinthians 1:29; Romans 8:32). We cannot get these spiritual blessings by focusing on
ourselves or our own efforts. Holiness can only be obtained through a personal relationship with Jesus.

The woman who anointed Jesus’ feet with expensive perfume was a perfect example of a woman transforming into true
holiness (Luke 7:40-48). She delighted in Jesus, worshipping Him in a unique way. As a result, Jesus forgave her sins,
and she was mentioned throughout the Gospels. One thing I want to mention about this woman is that in the eyes of
others she was considered sinful. However, she didn’t have to be cleansed of her sins before coming to the Lord (a
requirement of the old covenant). She came with only her faith and worship, and, as a result, Jesus accepted her sacrifice
and forgave her sins.

This is what happens when we come to Jesus just as we are. He does not need us to get cleaned up before we come to
Him. In fact, no amount of self-effort can put us in right standing with God. Our efforts to try to make ourselves clean will
always fail. Jesus has already paid the price to cleanse us of our sins. We can now live a holy life that is pleasing to God
because of His sacrifice. We now have the grace (divine power) to be separate and holy. We are saved by grace through
faith (Ephesians 2:8).

There are many scriptures in the Bible that point toward true holiness for this time period. For example, 1 Peter 3:3 says,
“Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine
clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth
in God’s sight” (New International Version). We all can relate to this scripture, even though it is obviously referring to
women. The truth we can all receive from this is that we should focus more on who lives inside of us than we do on our
outer appearance. Inner beauty comes from the peace of being of one mind with God, and that’s what holiness is all
about.

— Creflo Dollar