DID THE

GOOD
THIEF
BELIEVE
THE
GOSPEL?
 Two "malefactors" were crucified on either side
of the Lord Jesus Christ on that fateful day just outside the
walls of Jerusalem. Luke's gospel (Luke 23:39-43) tells us
that one thief "railed on him [Jesus]," and dared him to save
himself and them. The other was miraculously "saved" that
day, but why? Did this condemned criminal know the gospel?
Did he understand that Christ was dying a substitutionary
death on his behalf so that by simply believing in his death,
burial, and resurrection, he would be saved? Of course not!
Christ had not yet died, been buried or risen. Was Jesus
simply being magnanimous in granting him entrance into
"paradise" as a reward for his being sympathetic to him?
Surely there's more to it than that!

The words of both thieves indicate that they were Jews who
did have a rudimentary knowledge of the claim that Jesus was
Israel's Messiah. The unrepentant thief said, "If thou be the
Christ, save thyself and us." If we examine the words of the
other, repentant, thief, we will find some clues as to what this
man believed about Christ: "Lord, remember me when thou
comest into thy kingdom." By calling Jesus, "Lord," he
acknowledged that he is worthy of the highest respect. When
he asks Jesus to "remember me," he is implying a belief that
Jesus will survive beyond that day. By referring to Jesus
coming "into thy kingdom," he is revealing that he believed
Jesus was Israel's messiah who would someday certainly sit
on the throne of David.

This condemned man understood and believed the Gospel of

the Kingdom! He was convinced that Jesus of Nazareth
fulfilled the messianic prophecies given to the fathers of the
nation Israel. He believed that Jesus is the Messiah of Israel;
and because of that, he received the promise "that whosoever
believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
(John 3:15).

Some Christians point to the thief on the cross to prove that

water baptism was never necessary for salvation. But Acts
2:38 and many instances of water baptism taking place after
conversion in the Book of Acts would destroy this argument.
We understand today, through the epistles of our apostle,
Paul, that the "one baptism" (Eph. 4:5) necessary for believers
today is the Spirit baptism into Christ's body at the moment
we believe. (1 Cor. 12:13). But at the time that the thief hung
on that cross next to our Lord, water baptism was very much
required as a prescription for cleansing for the believing
remnant of the nation of Israel. So what about our thief? He
was never water-baptized! No, but unlike most other kingdom
believers, he could answer yes to Jesus' question of his
disciples, "Can ye drink of the cup that I drink of? and be
baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?" (Mark
10:38b). The thief suffered to a much lesser extent, of course,
and unlike Christ, was deserving of his punishment, but yet
he did experience an excruciating crucifixion also.
The "good" thief on the cross that day represents all those
Jews who believed in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, their
Messiah and King. Israel was never required to believe or
understand that Christ shed his life's blood in our place as a
propitiation for sin, or that his resurrection justifies us from
all sin. It was enough that they believed he was who he said
he was: Israel's Messiah, the Son of God.

Today, we are saved by the gospel of the grace of God

revealed to us through a new and different apostle - the
Apostle of the Gentiles, Paul. His epistles make it clear that
we must place our faith not only in who Christ is - the Son of
God - but what he accomplished for us at Calvary. He's not
our Messiah; he's our Head; we're his Body.

Believe what God tells us today and be saved!