The Thief on the Cross
The Truth About Our Salvation By Chris Bunton
Every one of us stands condemned
before God. We know this in our hearts. Whether we understand it or not, we know that something is wrong and that we need
help. We desire to know the one who made us, yet we cannot. It is because we are filled
with the plague of Sin from birth, which causes us to live lives apart from God. It causes us
to do the things we do, that we know are wrong. Like a plague, it works in us to bring about symptoms
of evil. It causes us to knowingly rebel against God, and to reject the helping hand He
offers us.
Therefore, we stand condemned,
whether we think it is fair or understand it or not. We have been
nailed to a cross to die like condemned criminals, dangling above the
fiery pit of eternity. We are like the thief on the cross. ( The Book
Of Romans)
When Jesus was crucified, he was executed
along with two thieves; one on each side of Him. This event was prophesied hundreds of years before when Isaiah said
“…because He hath poured out His soul unto death: and He was numbered among the
transgressors” (Isa.53:12b)
So, how does this apply to
us? We
are all thieves on the cross. God Almighty came to Earth in the form of
Jesus Christ and was crucified with us in our sin and wretchedness.
He took it all upon His shoulders, and paid the price for us; so that we
would
not be eternally condemned. We are to suffer death in this life, but
not eternal
damnation.
We see our salvation experience
in the crucifixion. Jesus Christ was made sin for us. (2 Cor.5: 19-21)
This is symbolized when the soldiers put a scarlet (red) robe upon
him and a crown of thorns upon His head. Both are symbols for Sin.
(Matt. 27: 27-38) This shows
that Sin itself was crucified. Sin was judged, while sinners were set
free.
He was crucified between two
thieves; One on the right and one on the left. Both of the thieves mocked Him, at first. This is how all humans are. We reject
God. We reject His love and His Lordship of our lives. We choose Sin and the World system. We choose
Satan, whether we know it or not. We make Lucifer our Lord, and reject the salvation that God
freely offers.
But, one of the thieves comes to the
realization of who Jesus really is. The Holy Spirit spoke truth to his
heart and he believed the Word given to him. The thief was
mocking, but suddenly a change occurs. He saw the truth. He believed.
That is faith. God called Him
by His grace, and through faith the thief believed and was made
righteous, at that instant. That is the same with us. We live our lives, and something happens that wakes us up.
God comes to us and calls us and speaks to our hearts and we believe. We are saved at that
instant.(Eph. 2:8-10)
Next, we see the
awakened thief witnessing to the unsaved thief.
He tells him that Jesus is not worthy of death but the thieves are. Just like when we
witness of Jesus Christ we tell people that Jesus came to die for us, the innocent for the guilty.
Jesus said “If you confess me before men, I will confess you before my father” ( Matt. 10:31-33
) This thief was confessing Jesus before men.
Next we see the
thief speak to Jesus and he says “Lord”.
He confesses Jesus is The Lord. As it says in Romans 10:9-10.
“ that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord
Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the
dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth
confession is made unto salvation” He
believed that Jesus is the Son of God, the Messiah and confessed Him as Lord. This is what each of us is called to do. (Acts 8:26-40)
The thief said,
“Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” The thief believed upon Jesus, and put his future hope in Him, for a better
day. A hope for something greater beyond this life, and wicked world. This hope is the same
hope the prophets, the great men of old, believed in. It is the same hope we have. (Heb.
11:8-16, 11:32-40)
Jesus Himself,
said “Verily I say unto you, that today, you shall be with me in paradise.” Many take this to mean that since they died that day, they
went to paradise together. This is certainly true. But, it also means that on this day, in
this instant, you are saved. You will be with me in paradise, or heaven, forever. This is the same with
us. We are saved forever, the second we first believe, and confess Him as Lord.
The thief was
not baptized. He did not go to church. He did not give money to charity or churches. He did not behave himself perfectly for 80 years
of his life. He did absolutely nothing, but believe in Him, Confess Him as His Lord, and witness to
the lost. That’s it. That’s all that is needed for salvation.
After our
salvation we seek to know God’s will for our lives by studying His Word. We are baptized, take communion, and gather with other believers.
We give, and show love to others, as God works in our lives. We learn of the gifts He has given
us, and we use them to build His kingdom. We struggle with our old nature, letting the new
man come forth as God works. We deny the world system of Satan, and build God’s kingdom.
We are all
thieves on the cross. We are wretched sinners, just one step from death and destruction. The only thing saving us is Jesus Christ. Believe it, and Tell
others.
-----
Bio: Chris Bunton is a writer, poet and blogger from Southern Illinois. He has published in several magazines, and has written a poetry Ebook called "Against The Man" and an Addiction Recovery Ebook called "Made Free: Overcoming Addiction"
Photo by the writer. A memorial to Pere Marquette, along the highway in Pere Marquette State Park, Illinois.
Follow Him on Medium: https://medium.com/@chris-bunton
Buy a cup of Coffee
Support the work on Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13514235&fan_landing=true&view_as=public
No comments:
Post a Comment