171. The penitent
thief on the cross- Luke 23:39-43
-“Truly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise
(A place of blessedness above the earth, the same word is used for the Garden
of Eden in the Septuagint and indicates complete, intimate, and personal
restoration and unification with the Father, Luke 23:43).” What better words
could a dying man hear from the Savior of the world and the Sovereign Lord? The
penitent thief began, as we see in another gospel account (Matthew 27:44),
denouncing and ridiculing Jesus, but he was observant and began to spot the
innocence of the Man and power of His message that he no doubt had heard
before. He was aware of the Kingdom proclamation and the Lord’s eternal value
as we can see in his comments (Luke 23:42). This was a confession of faith in
Jesus, a fear of the Lord, and a turning away from his personal sins that he
owned up to (Luke 23:40). This, as we conclude from this theologically
important passage, is all that is required for a man to be saved eternally.
Notice what is not required: water baptism, circumcision, obedience to all the
Law, self-works, synagogue attendance, etc. What was required was a humble
heart change. This was all it took to include this new born saint of the Spirit
into God’s Heavenly Kingdom. So then, we can see from the passage even in
Christ’s death there are two types of people: 1) those who reject His message
with hard hearts, unbelief, selfish-ambition, mocking, and ridicule, and 2) those who with deep contrition
receive the gospel and trust in Him for forgiveness and remembrance before the
Eternal Judge. *Application* What hope and encouragement this should give all
of us who have believed in the One and Only Son of God for salvation! It is
never too late while you have breath on this earth to inherit eternal life and
be with the Savior forever! Give it all to Him and live! Keep sharing the
message of the Kingdom to all those around you for you never know whom the Lord
may be saving. In Jesus’ final moments before leaving earth in this incarnation,
He was still seeking and saving the lost (Luke 19:10).
Verse to Memorize-
Luke 23:43
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