wholly holy (part 1)

The Word for today:
Matthew 27:1-14

mark this: Matthew 27:1-2 --
When morning came, all the chief priests and elders of the people plotted against Jesus to put Him to death. And when they had bound Him, they led Him away and delivered Him to Pontius Pilate the governor.

Today, we read that Jesus is bound, led away, and put on trial.

But Jesus had been on trial all his life. He'd been inspected from all angles, by all kinds of people, under every circumstance. Long before he was interrogated by the civil and religious authorities, his life's evidence had been examined by family, friends, and foes.

And not one of them could convict him of sin.

They tried mightily to find just one sin that they could hang on him. Just one transgression would have disqualified him, because the Lamb had to be spotless, without flaw, in order to atone for sin:
You must present a male without defect from the cattle, sheep or goats in order that it may be accepted on your behalf. Do not bring anything with a defect, because it will not be accepted on your behalf. (Leviticus 22:19-20)

So who testified at Jesus' life-long trial?

John the Baptist testified.
Jesus' brother James testified.
The Pharisees testified.
The disciples testified.
Pontius Pilate testified.
Judas Iscariot testified.
The thief on the cross testified.
The centurion who directed the crucifixion testified.
And there were more.

We read that God is love; that God so loves the world that he wants to save us.

Alright, he wants to. But is he able to? Jesus' love alone can not save. He has to be wholly holy as well.

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We hope you return tomorrow, when we will hear testimony from all walks of life concerning one question:

Is Jesus able to save?

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