Often when the plan of salvation and the necessity of baptism is taught, the thief on the cross is brought up. Sadly the reason many bring up this account from scripture is that they hope to use it as an excuse. So they do not have to do certain things taught elsewhere in the Bible.
Many have taken this passage from scripture that shows the love and mercy of God. Then twisted it so they can use it as an excuse. They take the account of one man’s salvation and try to make it mean that they don’t have to do as scripture says they must.
They see one man in scripture who was granted the gift of salvation without ever doing anything and want to the same path. What they fail to see is that we are all the same as this man. Because we are not saved by anything we do but by grace through faith alone. That being said it is our willingness to heed to the Bible after we come to faith that shows whether or not we are truly saved.
Let’s back up for just a second and look at the account of the thief in scripture. The Bible tells us that Jesus was not crucified alone. Two other men were also crucified on the same hill one on each side of Jesus. One of the men showed his lack of faith in Jesus by his words. While the other showed he believed in Jesus as the son of God by what he said. He requested to be brought in the Kingdom of Heaven and our merciful Lord brought him into paradise with Him.
Luke 23:39–43 (ESV)
39 One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” 40 But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? 41 And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” 42 And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” 43 And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
The thief was saved but never was baptized, never converted another soul, never attended the first church service, and never gave a cent. Really he never did anything else we hold as important statutes of the faith. Yet he still received the very same salvation as someone who did all those things and more. All because he placed his faith in Jesus. It is easy to look at this case and believe that none of us need to do those things to receive salvation.
However, it really is not that simple. The thief only knew to place his faith in Christ. He didn’t know the rest of Jesus’s teaching, he didn’t have a Bible to read. Nor a church service to attend, or even a chance to learn more about God. Beyond that, he never even had the opportunity to do another thing besides hang on a cross next to his savior after having come to faith. Just a few chapters before this account in Luke we read that to the one who little is given little is expected and to the one much is given much is expected. The thief had so little and because of that, little was expected of him.
Luke 12:48 (ESV)
48 But the one who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, will receive a light beating. Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.
Christians must understand that there is a big difference between a person who comes to faith and almost immediately passes away. And the person who spends years knowing the truth of God. The one is given no opportunity to serve God or even be baptized. While the other is given every single opportunity. The one who only lives a very short time as a Christian will be judged according to the opportunity they had. Just as the person who had more time will be and more will be expected from this person because he had the greater opportunity.
Scripture makes the case for the importance of Baptism in the Christian life. So when someone chooses to use an account such as one of the thieves on the cross to say they don’t need to be baptized it shows a lack of faith in the Bible. It also shows a lack of love for the one who said all nations should be baptized. Because the same person that said that also said if you love me keep my commandments.
Matthew 28:19 (ESV)
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
John 14:15 (ESV)
15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
John 14:21 (ESV)
21 Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.”
No matter when we come to faith whether it be young with many years in our life or in the final minutes we will all receive the same reward. Jesus taught us this very truth in a parable. What we often miss in this parable though is that while the same reward is given to each more work is also expected from each. Those who started early in the day are expected to do more than those who came at the end of the day.
Matthew 20:9 (ESV)
9 And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius.
Matthew 20:13–16 (ESV)
13 But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? 14 Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. 15 Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?’ 16 So the last will be first, and the first last.”
God is all-knowing. He knows our hearts, thoughts, motives, and every opportunity we have had to do His will. He will use all this and more when we stand before Him on the day of judgment. Each of us will be rewarded or punished for our own actions. Not those of others or even those who came before us and are mentioned in scripture. Everyone is judged on an individual basis based on what they did with the time they were given.
Matthew 16:27 (ESV)
27 For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done.
Romans 2:6 (ESV)
6 He will render to each one according to his works:
If you are blessed with time be sure you use it to do God’s will in your life. Don’t use the thief as an excuse not to do certain things. Do the very things we are instructed to do in scripture. Fellowship with other believers, give generously, be baptized, make disciples, extend love to all people, do good, pray always, worship God thanking Him for all he has done, study your Bible, seek after God with your whole heart! The thief on the cross is in Heaven with many others who have a very similar story to his. That is a great testimony to God’s love and mercy. Whatever you do though, don’t keep using it as an excuse to not do what the Bible says we must.
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