Why are the scriptures relating the story of the two thieves being crucified on either side of Jesus so important? (Luke 23:32-43).

Well, it shows how someone, no matter what they have done, if they truly believe in Jesus with a sincere and repentant heart, can be saved even in the last few minutes before they die. That is an awesome thing to know.

It is also interesting to note that the thief who received from Jesus what must have been the most comforting words imaginable under the circumstances was not required to do anything at all other than believe in Jesus with a contrite and repentant heart.

Imagine his relief when he heard the Messiah, the Son of God, say to him, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in Paradise.”

As a side note, this article is not about the placement of the comma and whether it is before or after the word today.

That is another discussion and a very interesting one. Many an article has been written about the placement of that one little comma.

No, this article is about the simple act of truly believing in the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. The one thief mocked Jesus, and the other thief believed that Jesus had the power and authority to save him, and he said so. He even defended the innocence of Jesus and rebuked the other thief for his mockery.

He believed with his heart and declared it in front of all the witnesses gathered there at Calvary. The penitent thief did this without the benefit of Romans 10:9-10 which, of course, came later after Saul became Paul and said, “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.”

The saved thief did this even before Jesus had died and was raised, so great was his “belief” in Jesus.

The repentant thief followed the truth which John 3:16 declares. “For God so loved the world that He gave His One and Only Son, that whosoever “believes in Him” shall not perish but have eternal life.” [Emphasis mine]

The penitent thief, like the other thief, had not lived a very nice life. He had robbed people and very likely hurt people physically in the process. And yet, as his life was ebbing away, at the very end of that wretched, unrighteous life, in the closing minutes, he believed and was saved for all eternity.

There was no time for him to go to church, get baptized, pass out tracts, tithe, study scripture, or do any good works of any kind other than chastising the other thief.

Once saved, those are all good things to do, and there are many more as well. The point being that none of those things are requirements for salvation. Jesus and the grateful repentant thief demonstrated that as they each hung upon a cross that unforgettable day upon the hill called Calvary.

It is not God’s will that any should perish, and so He made salvation as simple as possible. (2 Peter 3:9) and about 100 other scripture verses.)

I believe the reason He made it so simple is because His grace really and truly is amazing, and His mercy actually does overflow like a fountain. Also, He absolutely does love us that much, even when we have done nothing to deserve such love.

It is worthwhile to recall this story about the repentant thief when we find ourselves feeling unworthy or that our salvation is in jeopardy because we feel we are not doing enough to please the Lord.

Number one, it is the evil one who accuses us before our Lord and attempts to lay a burden of guilt upon us (Zechariah 3:1-2; Revelation 12:10).

Number two, if you, or if I, truly believe that Jesus is who He says He is and has the power and the authority to save all who believe, then like the thief on the cross, we are saved.

Everything else we do for the Lord is wonderful, and yet, even if we do nothing else but believe with all of our hearts, we are saved for all eternity, and our precious Lord and Savior promises that not even one of us shall be, or even can be, lost out of His arms (John 10:28-29).

“I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.” Jesus is talking about you and about me. This makes me cry. My heart is overflowing with gratefulness right this very minute as I attempt to continue typing.

Salvation is secure in the incomprehensible overflowing mercy of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Don’t ever let anyone, especially the wicked one, tell you otherwise.

John 3:17 continues by defining Our Heavenly Father’s purpose for sending His Son, saying, “For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved.”

In Matthew 18:2, Jesus says that we must “become as little children” in order to enter the kingdom of God. The simple faith of a child. Not in any way complicated.

That is exactly how the thief on the cross next to Jesus expressed his belief that day.

Lord, I praise you and thank you with all of my heart for your overflowing mercy and amazing grace. I pray that many who do not yet know how blessed it is to believe in you will invite you in to be their Savior this very day.

Soon, the Lord will call His loved ones’ home, so while there is yet time, believe in Him as did the thief on the cross, like a child.

May the blessed heavenly tears of overwhelming thankfulness flow from your eyes as you rest in the arms of our most precious Lord and Savior.

Your friend in Him, Rick Segoine

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All are invited to visit ricksegoine.net for free downloads of my book, From God to Eternity, or to order a paperback copy. Downloads are also available for original gospel songs and story songs.

 

Today, I proudly proclaim that Jesus the Christ, The Son of the Most High Lord God Jehovah, is absolutely my blessed Redeemer and Shepherd. There is no doubt in my mind whatsoever that He is the Way, and the Truth, and the Life, and the only way that I will be able to spend eternity in a Heavenly Home prepared for me by His own hand (John 14:6; John 14:1-3). (ESV – all emphasis mine)

Just about 40 years ago, I could not truthfully make the above statement. Far too many “professing Christians” today will tell you they believe in Jesus and God but have never really formed a saving relationship with the Holy Trinity. My prayers today include a heartfelt “Thank You” that my soul was not required before I was able to truly ask Jesus to be my Savior forever.

For those who have not yet fully received and accepted Jesus as their Savior, the Holy Spirit does not live within them. There are numerous Bible verses that tell of the Holy Spirit indwelling all who are in the true flock of the Shepherd. Some are Romans 8:9-11; Romans 8:15-16; John 14:17; John 16:13-14; 1 John 2:27; Luke 11:13, and many many more.

For those who believe they cannot sing and carry a note in a bushel basket, Our Father loves for us to sing praises to Him no matter what we think we sound like. Psalm 5:11, “But let all who take refuge in You rejoice; let them ever sing for joy, and spread Your protection over them, that those who love Your name may exult in You.”

Then 1 Chronicles 6:9-10, “Sing to Him, sing praises to Him; tell of all His wondrous works. Glory in His name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice!”

Also, 1 Corinthians 14:15, “What am I to do? I will pray with my Spirit, but I will pray with my mind also; I will sing praise with My Spirit, but I will sing with my mind also.”

And one more, Psalm 96:1-4; “Oh sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord all the earth! Sing to the Lord, bless His name; tell of His Salvation from day to day. Declare His glory among the nations; His marvelous works among all the peoples! For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; He is to be feared above all gods.” (Note the small “g.”)

The secular world does not understand all of this. In fact, for today’s believers in our Lord and Savior, we are called “haters” because we do not participate in all the various lifestyles they have come up with. What is misunderstood is that we do not hate the people, but we actually love them for their immortal souls. We just don’t like what they do, as their actions are abominations to our Heavenly Father.

Please note that our Savior loved everyone He came in touch with, which was evidenced by His asking forgiveness even for those who put Him on a cruel cross. He just didn’t like their ways and actually had the most issues with the religious leaders of His day.

Our Heavenly Father gave His commandments to His people through Moses after they had left Egypt. The instructions were clear, but through the ages and up to the time our Jesus was on this earth, a whole lot of “tweaking” took place. It was as if priests and rabbis or whomever took issue with God’s commandments, and they would just add to or take away from them as it suited them. This possibly pleased many worshipers, but they were challenging the Lord God Jehovah, Creator of the heavens and the earth, and each and every human that had ever lived here before their time.

As a member of the fallible human race, I’m sure that there were events in my lifetime that I just couldn’t wrap my mind around. I am also certain that I have asked God why they took place. That does not mean I would ever challenge any decision the Father would make, but some enlightenment on why the issues were present would be appreciated. Sometimes, an answer would form in my mind, and sometimes not. I have learned that either way, I would thank Him for loving me no matter what.

Philip P. Bliss (1838-1876) wrote a song called “I Will Sing of My Redeemer.” It is a praise song that is still used in many different services that haven’t gone to the “modernized religion” side. This song proclaims our Jesus is our Redeemer who freely gave us a gift that we just have to receive and accept. The words are just as significant today as when written.

1.) I will sing of my Redeemer and His wondrous love for me. On the cruel cross, He suffered from the curse to set me free.

Ref.) Sing, Oh Sing of my Redeemer; with His blood, He purchased me. On the cross, He sealed my pardon, paid the debt, and made me free – and made me free.

2.) I will tell the wondrous story of how my lost estate to save; In His boundless love and mercy, He the ransom freely gave.

3.) I will praise my dear Redeemer; of His mighty power I’ll tell how He rose and stood victorious over sin and death and hell.

4.) I will sing of my Redeemer and his heavenly love for me. He, from death to life, has brought me, Son of God, with Him to be.

Romans 10:9-13 gives us the uncomplicated steps to spending eternity with our precious Savior. For anyone to believe they are right with the Lord and “good enough” without any relationship, please see Romans 3:10, Romans 3:23, and Romans 6:23. They tell us we all are sinners deserving to be punished, but through the death, burial, and resurrection of our Jesus, our sins are paid for when we receive and accept Him as our Savior.

Ephesians 2:8-9 gives us the fact that we are saved by grace through faith and not by any works or deeds that we can possibly do. There is no price we can pay to buy our Salvation. We’re told by our Jesus that this is a “hard” concept, in that we are taught from our childhood that we have to work and earn our living here. It just seems too easy that someone else would pay our fee and give us the absolutely marvelous gift of eternal life in Heaven.

This may be a large reason why so many will reject the offer and turn to the so-called “treasures” of this earth. What they don’t realize is that this is all a lie supplied by Satan and his false prophets and antichrists. For some, it’s difficult to believe in a concept they can’t see or touch.

The unforgivable sin right now is to take your last breath on this earth without having Jesus as your precious Shepherd. The results are found in Revelation 20:11-15, and no matter what Satan tries to tell you, there is no other option.

God cannot lie, as told in several scriptures, including Titus 1:2. He has promised that all who:

A – admit or confess we are all sinners in need of a Savior.

B – believe and have faith that Jesus is truly God’s Son who came to earth and died the only sinless blood sacrifice on a cruel cross that the Father could ever accept, and was raised from the dead to conquer sin and death for us forever.

C – all who call on the name of the Lord will be saved.

We’re told in 1 Corinthians 1:18 that this is foolishness to the rest of the world. Jesus knew that more would reject Him than receive Him, as given in Matthew 7:13-14.

It’s a free-will choice that each of us has to make. God forces no one either way. Just remember that Satan is the king of liars, which for us humans started in the Garden of Eden in Genesis 3. He knows what his final fate will be, yet he wants as many souls to join him in eternal punishment as possible.

Choose today; choose wisely. Jesus is waiting for your call and will turn no one away who truly seeks Him. It’s a totally wonderful feeling to be able to “Sing of My Redeemer.”

Shalom B’Yeshua Hamashiakh! (Peace in Jesus the Messiah!)

huebshman46@gmail.com