The Thief on the Cross

[deacon blues]

There is no greater picture of the grace of God than the thief on the cross. The man, suspended between heaven and earth next to the Savior of the World, cannot do anything but beg for mercy. "Remember me..." were his words to Jesus. Christ's response, "Today you will be with me in Paradise" displays to us succinctly what unmerited favor means.

To argue this scenario any other way is to ignore the power of its truth. Some say, "Well, the thief was under a different dispensation. Water baptism in Jesus Name and the gift of the Holy Ghost was not available to him. Therefore we cannot say that the thief is not a picture of NT salvation". After they broke the legs of the thieves to expedite their death, they found Jesus already dead. Jesus was dead before the thief. Jesus cried out "It is finished". The blood of the New Testament was shed. The thief very well could've been the first man in the door of the New Testament!

The argument that the thief was under the OT covenant fails as well on the basis of the fact the man could not do what the law required. He couldn't go offer animal sacrifices, observe Passover, be circumcised (if not a Jew), follow the Jewish traditions and customs. And if you argue he falls under the OT covenant, you are saying it was easier to get to heaven in the OT than the NT.

A preacher told one time about a man who was on his deathbed and was not ready for heaven. He said he was frustrated because he felt helpless to help that man. Later he said he felt the Lord showed him what he could've done. He said, "The Lord told me 'you could go get a glass of water for that man, because where he's going, there'll be no water there. You could go find that man a baby and show him the face of an infant because where he's going there'll be no babies there. You could smile at that man because where he's going there'll be only weeping and gnashing of teeth.'" He then went on to say, "I don't know why I felt led to tell you that story, brother, but maybe you can use it next Sunday." I got off the phone and thought, "How depressing!" I then said, "Lord, if that man on his deathbed could not utter a prayer of repentance and you couldn't save him in his desperate cry for help, I don't know that you are really that much of a Savior." In the time that preacher got a glass of water, found a baby or smiled, he could've led the man to repentance, and in my opinion, salvation.

But if you don't believe salvation comes by grace through faith, I guess you'd feel hopeless to help a man in his dying moments.

I think the thief on the cross was included in the Bible to show us just how hopeful and powerful the grace of God is. What a gift!