Pontius Pilate saved?

We all know Pontius Pilate- the Roman Governor from the Easter story. We also know that it was He who sent Christ to the Cross. Yet, is it possible, that he was a faithful servant of the Most High God? John 19:10-15 may attest to the fact that he was:

“So Pilate said to Him, Will You not speak [even] to me? Do You not know that I have power (authority) to release You and I have power to crucify You? Jesus answered, You would not have any power or authority whatsoever against (over) Me if it were not given you from above. For this reason the sin and guilt of the one who delivered Me over to you is greater. Upon this, Pilate wanted (sought, was anxious) to release Him, but the Jews kept shrieking, If you release this Man, you are no friend of Caesar! Anybody who makes himself [out to be] a king sets himself up against Caesar [is a rebel against the emperor]! Hearing this, Pilate brought Jesus out and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called the Pavement [the Mosaic Pavement, the Stone Platform]—in Hebrew, Gabbatha. Now it was the day of Preparation for the Passover, and it was about the sixth hour (about twelve o’clock noon). He said to the Jews, See, [here is] your King! But they shouted, Away with Him! Away with Him! Crucify Him! Pilate said to them, Crucify your King? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar!”

Pilate, here, declared his power. Jesus then declares His sovereignty and divine control, thus making His last legal testimony, affirming His position and testifying of the guilt of pharisees. Its interesting to note that Pilate sought to release Him after that. As can be read, he was anxious to free Him. The word 'anxious' means ‘to crave’. Pilate sought the Freedom of Christ so much that it was his full internal desire.

Next, as Governor of the region, he declares, in a hearing, whilst sitting on the Judgment Seat that Christ will soon eternally claim (Romans 14:10), “…Here is your King.” The word ‘king’ here is the Greek basileous which means sovereign/foundation of power. Now, I want you to imagine in our common court (very much similar to that of Roman antiquity) the judge standing up in a formal occasion and declaring a man charged with, say, fraud, Sovereign or the Foundation of Power. No one, especially in that era, would have made such a formal statement without sufficient evidence and thus personal conviction.

We all know the story hereafter. Pilate declares himself innocent, as per both Jewish and Roman tradition. According to Christ’s standards, he is not. Nonetheless, during this time, in which He must have thought about what had happened (remembering that Pilate’s wife had come to him about the truth of Jesus and Jesus, when asked, declared Himself w Witness to the Truth and may, I suspect, have expounded upon that), the multilingual Governor crafted a titlet- the wooden sign on Christ’s cross that will often read INRI- the Latin for Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.

The title sounds all good. Perhaps good old Pontius sought to make amends for what he did to Jesus. You know. Send Him to die. Or maybe not. Well, certainly not. You see, without knowledge of Hebrew language, we miss the vital point here. The story, found in John 19:19-22 reveals that the Pharisees were very much unhappy about what was written. Why? Surely, if it were making amends or mocking, the title would be fine. But no. The Pharisees were damn upset, posing a point for us to ponder. Why?

In the Hebrew, the transliterated phrasing would be YESHUA HANOTZRI WEMELECH HAYEHUDIM or Jesus of Nazareth and King of the Jews. Nor ‘King of Israel’ as the state was called and is now. Of the Jews, to which he held no affiliation nor preference. Note deeper, the first letters of each of these words. Y and H and W and H. Or, simply, YHWH- the Sacred Name of God. The Pharisees understood this. Yet, despite Pilate not desiring an uproar, his response to their requests that it be altered was simply splendid: “What I have written, I have written.”

He knew. Let’s cut to the chase. His wife believed through a prophesy. He craved for Christ’s freedom. As any Christian does. He declared seven times that ‘I find not fault in Him’ which is, in law, more than enough to affirm acquittal and is in Jewish mysticism, the number of spiritual completion. This titlet only further evidences it. He knew. And He believed. More evidence?

A couple of days after the crucifixion, when it was said that Christ would rise, as Pilate would have known full well, the Jews demanded a guard at the tomb (as if it had been stolen, chaos would have undoubtedly ensued). Pilate’s words were classic: ‘Make it as sure as you can.’ For some reason, I can just imagine him saying it with a hopeful smile. I don’t believe Pilate was surprised when Christ rose. I believe that, though he may have doubted, just as Peter, the great apostle did, he was prepared for it. And I believe that he continued to prepare himself for eternity with the One who died for all sin, despite its size. But that may just be me.

This is an amazing writing to me, Jak Hardy.  I hold that Pontius Pilate has been resurrected, and I was put before him though I was falsely accused.  This occured for the most part in the spring of the same year you wrote this, yet I was in bonds, and I am the resurrected John (the Baptist), him who Christ had born witness was the Elijah to come.  I have come to know the Catechism of Christ's establishment of the priestly, prophetic, and kingly offices in our lives.  For me to experience these three offices, it has taken a birth (as Elijah), a rebirth (as John), and now, a resurrection (as the king of Daniel 8:23; 11:3-4; 11:21).  I had heard back in the early 1970's that Pontius Pilate was resurrected.  I've heard the same of Adam, the first man.  And I have strong experience of Judas Iscariot having been resurrected (almost simultaneously) with me.

It seems so easy to point the finger at biblical characters such as Judas and Pontius, even Adam, thinking ourselves so much the better.  But in God's overall plan, are we really?  It seems more so that such judgments are hasty.

I really like the strong proof you gave of the soundness of Pontius' heart and mind.  He feared the crowd, as anyone would have.  In court with him last year, he had no such pressures, and the last words from his mouth were "not guilty".  And he was/is right.

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania owes me restitution from damages, inclusive to my automobiles, house, and livelihood, which to date, it has stolen.

Pontius Pilate does take a lot of heat.  Every time I read the Nicene Creed I am reminded how much of the blame he gets.  I'm sure that God will set the record straight.

In terms of our salvation, I'm glad that the day Christ died happened the way it did, for, otherwise, I would still be damned, forever, even as born again as I was.  ("the least in the kingdom of God is greater than he" - Matthew 11:11)  But we are reminded in the Gospel that the option for Christ to deliver Himself was still available, and that His anguish was real, even as stated in the Creed, which echoes historical fact.  Crucifixion is no picnic.

To answer the original question, though, posed in the thread title, of course he is saved.

That Christ died once for all is the message of the Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ, to minimize the 100% Perfect Sacrifice of His Atonement in any way, shape, and/or form, is to speak the words of the father of lies.

"This is an amazing writing to me, Jak Hardy"-the_sign

Agreed!