Quote:
Originally Posted by jfrog
Assuming that Jesus meant the thief would go to heaven, this story shows that faith alone is enough to save.
I know one common argument to my assertion is that this story falls under the old covenant. However, I marvel at this argument because if Jesus forgave the thief under the old covenant for not obeying the law then how much greater shall Christ's forgiveness be toward us who live not under the law but under the new covenant of grace?
Therefore even if baptism is required under the new covenant, then those that either do it wrong or don't do it at all still have hope because Christ has already shown by forgiving the thief on the cross, that if a person has sincere faith then Christ can forgive that person of not obeying God's covenant.
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Also consider this... Jesus was functioning as the theif's high priest, offering up himself as a sacrifice for sin. In this way, Christ satisified the Law for the theif's salvation.
If that theif could speak to us today, I believe that he'd say, "Hey, turn from sin and obey, being water baptized in Jesus name, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. I wish I could have experienced the fulness of what Jesus came to provide, but were were still under the law. You're so free, now simply obey."
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