Things You Should Know About the Thief on the Cross
The most well-known thief of all time is one of the thieves crucified beside Jesus. One of the thieves repented and acknowledged his wrong-doing. Jesus said to him, “Today shalt thou be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43).
Even though this man was labeled a “thief,” in his dying hour he demonstrated some commendable qualities. First, he wanted to prepare for death. He said to the other thief, “Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation?” (Luke 23:40). Notice that the penitent thief feared God. He knew he was about to die, and he wanted to be prepared to meet God. This is an attitude we all need. If the Lord does not come during our lifetime, we will die and we need to prepare to meet God in judgment. “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). We all need to prepare for death by obeying the Gospel of Christ.
Second, the thief acknowledged his sin. He stated, “for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss” (Luke 23:41). Many will never be saved because they are unwilling to admit their need for God and repent of sin. No one can be saved without first realizing he/she is lost. The Bible teaches that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, and the wages of sin is death (Romans 3:23; 6:23). It takes humility to admit one’s need for God and repent. Jesus said, “Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish” (Luke 13:3).
There are additional things we should know about the thief on the cross: 1) The thief on the cross was saved while the Law of Moses was still in effect; 2) The thief on the cross was never required to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins. This command would not become effective until after Jesus arose from the grave and established His church (Acts 2:1-47). Those who lived under the Old Testament system were not required to be baptized; 3) The thief did not believe God had raised Jesus from the dead (cf. Romans 10:9). The thief was not required to believe this because Jesus had not even been buried when the thief died. This proves that the thief was not saved under the terms of the New Testament; 4) No one today can be saved in the same manner that the thief was saved!
Today, in order for one to be saved, one must realize his/her need for salvation. Then, one must believe (John 8:24), repent (Acts 17:30), confess (Romans 10:10), and be baptized for the remission of sins (Acts 22:16).
The thief on the cross demonstrated some good qualities before he died, but no one today can be saved as the thief was saved.
