Removing the veil

 ¹⁹ Therefore, my brothers and sisters, since we have the confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus, ²⁰ by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain (that is, through his flesh), ²¹ and since we have a great priest over the house of God, ²² let us approach with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. ²³ Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful. ²⁴ And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, ²⁵ not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching. (Hebrews 10:19-25)

 

<The Window of Our Soul>

Recently, I visited one of our church member’s homes. She and her husband had built the house three years ago. Everything looked beautiful, but what caught my attention the most were the many windows—without curtains. These windows had a special function: they allowed those inside to see out clearly while preventing anyone outside from looking in. The house was flooded with so much sunlight that we didn’t need to turn on any lights.

This house reminded me of the concept of the window of our soul from the book The Lost Art of Practicing His Presence by James W. Goll. I was deeply touched by his description of the window of our soul. As James W. Goll writes:

"We are God's house, chosen as the place where God dwells. And just as most houses have several windows, our souls also have 'windows.' God delights in 'washing' our windows and putting His face close to them to see. When God looks through the 'window' of our soul, we can catch a glimpse of the brightness of God's glory and see the world through God's eyes."

How many windows do you have in your house? How much do you enjoy the sunlight through your windows? How many curtains do you have? How often do you open your curtains and let the brightness flood in?

How many windows do you have in your heart? How much do you enjoy the brightness of God’s glory? How many curtains—"veils"—do you have over the windows of your soul? How often do you pull back the veil and let the fullness of God’s presence flood your life?

 

<The Veil in the Bible>

James W. Goll continues,

"In the beginning, Adam and Eve had an open relationship and intimate fellowship with God as they walked together in the garden in the cool of the day with their Creator. But sin destroyed that relationship, creating the veil between a holy God and His creation. God longed to be close to us, so He became flesh through His Son and dwelt among us" (John 1:14).

 Through His death and resurrection, Christ tore the veil that separated God and humanity, opening the way for believers to have face-to-face fellowship with God the Father. God desires us to fellowship with Him in our Father’s house.”

As I preached in the Summer about “God’s temple”, we originally had an intimate relationship with God in the first temple, the Garden of Eden. After the Fall, we had to put in much effort to restore that intimacy by building the Tabernacle, Solomon’s Temple, and the Second Temple. Even though these temples were built, the people experienced intimate fellowship with God only once a year—through a high priest who sacrificed animals for his sins before entering the Most Holy Place, passing through the veil.

The entrance to the outer sanctuary of the temple was a staggering 65 feet tall, with a terraced roof 165 feet high. The veil itself was 4 inches thick and woven with a map of the known world, hanging across the doorway so that no one could see inside except for the high priest. This veil was not easily torn, but Jesus Christ, through His sacrifice, tore it for us.

In today’s scripture, we are reminded that we now have the confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus. He opened the way for us through the veil, giving us access to a new and living path. Nothing is impossible in God. He tore a physically, emotionally, and spiritually thick veil. Now, God can dwell in us without any restrictions, restraints, or resistance. Even God called us His temple, and He promised to dwell within us forever until we dwell within him in the eternal God’s temple.

<Removing the Veils>

Do we live as God’s temple? Are we filled with the brightness of God’s glory? A.W. Tozer, in his book The Pursuit of God, said that there is nothing on God’s side to prevent us from entering His presence. However, what hinders us? What keeps us away but the presence of a veil in our hearts?

When I read the sentence, “What but the presence of a veil in our hearts?” I realized that I still have many veils in my heart, even though, through Jesus Christ, no veil is needed anymore. This veil in my heart remains, shutting out the light and hiding the face of God from me. Tozer explains that these veils are the self-sins: self-righteousness, self-pity, self-confidence, self-sufficiency, self-admiration, self-love, and more.

Among the famous sayings of the church fathers, none is better known than Augustine’s: “Thou hast formed us for Thyself, and our hearts are restless till they find rest in Thee.” If our hearts are filled with self-sins, we are restless without God’s presence. But if our hearts are filled with the presence of God, we can find rest in Him. The journey of removing the veils of self-sins is essential to finding that rest.

As there is a journey to remove the veils in our hearts, Teresa of Avila, in her book The Inner Castle, describes the obstacles and joys encountered in the spiritual journey through seven mansions. As one moves from room to room, Christians grow from worldliness to holiness and union with Christ. These rooms are named: Humility, Longing for the Lord, Exemplary Living, Quiet Prayer, Prayer of Unity, Growing in Intimacy, and Spiritual Marriage.

James W. Goll similarly describes seven doors to enter the sanctuary: Forgiveness, Cleansing by the Blood, Humble Heart, Grace, Mercy, Union with Christ, and Divine Fellowship.

Many spiritual mentors encourage us to remove our veils and draw closer to the place where we can fully feel God’s presence in our spiritual journey. It might be painful. As A.W. Tozer says, “To touch that veil is to touch a tender spot.” However, when the glory of God shines His light without veils, we will experience the joy of spiritual renewal.

 

<My heart, Christ’s Home with Many Windows, Without Veils>

What veils do we still hold on to? What veils must we remove before we meet God face-to-face? As I meditated on the veils in my heart, the word “self-righteousness” came to mind, prompting me to enter the mansion of “Submission.”

“I, the Almighty Creator, submitted to the world for your sake. How can you, mere dust and ashes, not submit to others for God's sake?” (Imitation of Christ, p. 122).

Thomas à Kempis reminds us that God humbled Himself by living under human authority. If God, through Christ’s example, has shown us the way, we too must follow in humble submission. Adele Calhoun adds that the Trinity models this submission, where the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit respect and follow each other’s will. Obedience to God is not oppression, but a choice that brings freedom when grounded in love. As members of Christ’s body, we are called to submit to one another, reflecting the unity and love of the Trinity.

When I entered a house filled with many windows and no curtains, the sunlight poured in. Similarly, as Christ’s home, we are to let God’s presence fill us without barriers. May God remove all our veils, allowing His light to shine through. As the Trinity dances in mutual submission, may we do the same, so that all who enter our church may feel the presence of God.

In conclusion, I would like to pray with A.W. Tozer’s prayer.

“Lord, how excellent are Thy ways, and how devious and dark are the ways of man. Show us how to die, that we may rise again to the newness of life. Rend the veil of our self-life from the top down as Thou didst rend the veil of the Temple. We would draw near in full assurance of faith. We would dwell with Thee in daily experience here on this earth so that we may be accustomed to the glory when we enter Thy heaven to dwell with Thee there. In Jesus’ name. Amen”