The Thief on the Cross by Joe La Bianca

Was the thief on the cross a member of a church? No. Was he a Calvinist? No. Was he baptized? No. Did he speak in tongues? No. Was he filled with a life of good works which contributed to his own salvation? No. Did he work in the fields even for an hour? No. Was he saved? Yes!!
The salvation of the thief on the cross has shown us how simple being saved really is. It is a refutation of anything that adds to the simple gospel message. The thief minimizes what is really necessary for salvation. His example gets rid of non-essential issues, as far as salvation is concerned. He shows us the one thing needful.
Remember that moments before, this thief was reviling Jesus. He was actually attacking Jesus along with the other thief, Matthew 27:44. It seems that Jesus doesn’t hold a grudge. It seems that Jesus understands that we are sinful people and is willing to accept anyone who will come to Him, no matter the timing.
All the righteousness of Jesus was transferred to this unworthy thief. In order for this man to be with God in heaven, he was perfected by the cross of the One which was only a few feet away. How does this work? You can spend a lifetime looking into it and never exhaust the wonders of the knowledge of imputed righteousness. Somehow because Jesus lived the only perfect life, and because He died in our place as our sin bearer, this satisfies God when we believe it.
What did this thief demonstrate to acquire the same salvation that every other believer has? Luke 23 has the account. There were two thieves. The thief who was not to be redeemed asked Jesus to save them. He said that if Jesus was the Christ, He should save Himself and both the thieves. He thought that salvation was earthly and maybe even political. This is how the first century Jews believed. They thought that the Messiah was going to destroy the Romans and give Israel the kingdom. But Jesus said that His kingdom was not of this world. If it were, the disciples would fight. Christians would do well to remember this. Jesus doesn’t want zealots, He wants believers.
The unsaved thief was asking Jesus to not die for sin. If Jesus would have saved His human life, we would have been lost. For the price of sin would have been left unpaid. This was a satanic request from the unsaved thief. Satan was giving his last effort to stop the Lamb of God from dying for the world. Jesus ignored this request and the thief perished. But the saved thief answered the unsaved one.
The saved thief said that the unsaved thief was not fearing God. The bad thief didn’t reckon his situation. He was a sinner, dying for his crimes. He was ignoring his fallen state. Do you do this? We all need to know that we are sinners deserving of death. This is the first step to being saved.
Then the saved thief said that Jesus did no evil. He said that Jesus didn’t deserve to die. We all need to realize that Jesus is the only One to not earn death by sinning. Jesus gave His life away as the Lamb of God, without blemish. This is the second step toward salvation.
Then the saved thief spoke to Jesus. Jesus, although beaten terribly, bearing the sin of the world, and forsaken by God for us, was yet willing to talk with this thief. Do you look down on those in prison? Do you think you are better than thieves? Are you too holy to talk with them because you go to church on Sunday and they do not?
The thief simply asked to be remembered by Jesus when Jesus went into His kingdom. This shows that the thief believed death was not the end for Jesus. This is the third step.
Do you see it? It’s the gospel right here. Step one, believe that you are a sinner. Step two, believe that Jesus was the innocent sufferer. And step three, believe in the resurrection of Jesus. I do not believe the thief understood all this. But Jesus saved him anyway!
Jesus told the thief that he would be with Him in paradise. He was forgiven. Imagine how he felt. The full weight of all his sin was gone. He could cry tears of joy, right there on the cross. He could die in peace, knowing that for all eternity, he would be in Heaven. Jesus saved that man in his last hour, just because he asked to be remembered.
Jesus, thank you for being so kind. When it’s my time, please remember me too. I know you will. People, don’t be harsh legalists who try to earn salvation. Don’t be unkind, even to a bloody, no good thief. Because if you are, you are not resembling the One you claim to know. And lastly, if you add ceremonies, doctrines, works or religion to salvation, you are only placing unbearable burdens on your own backs. The measure you use will be measured to you again.