Featured What Are Your Thoughts About The Thief On The Cross?

Hmm. If Luke 23:42 isn't a confession, what is it?

the other thief didn't change because he rejected Jesus' claim ... and even the testimony of the saved thief.

I don't see election/pre-destination here ... as in he didn't' have the ability/opportunity to make the choice to surrender to Jesus. He didn't because he rejected Jesus. Big difference in God's knowing the choice to be made by each person and revoking the free-will to make the choice to accept/reject.

except that the one who was saved believed and confessed. That made him like Jesus in God's eyes.

ya know ... come to think of it ... in the anals of uniqueness ... the criminal on the cross is one of the most unique people in human history, to have been justly tried for his crimes, but then to have recognized his need for a savior in his last bit of time to live.

We don't deify him as some do with other characters of that day; Mary, Peter, John ... et al. Sorry for the digression, but the uniqueness of this guy's circumstance and decision was worth highlighting.

great post.

 

Is this the file you were looking for Bro Glen? @tyndale1946

This particular one only seems to go to page 32 though.

https://hopecollege.com/wp-content/...Seven-Sayings-of-the-Saviour-on-the-Cross.pdf

 

An errant child of God who committed sin unto death. His children are capable of doing everything they’re told not to do in The Book.

 

The saved thief is how the Gospel affects the born-again. That's why we preach the gospel instead of offering it. Those who believe are saved. This day you will be with me in paradise = believers have eternal life.

 

The thief on the cross
1. Confessed that He was a sinner, and was justly under condemnation.
2. Called the Saviour 'Lord' [as per the Majority Text. If he called Him 'Jesus' without any further qualification (like e.g. 'Son of David' - Mark 10:47-48), he is the only person in the N.T. to do so]
3. Confessed the Lord Jesus to be sinless and a king with power to save him.

People may argue, if they will, that the thief worked all this out for himself, but it is plain to me that God opened his heart to understand it all and to believe it (c.f. Matthew 16:17).

 

Also, I reject the premise that [tyndale1946 sez:] "There are no redeeming qualities to either man crucified on either side of Jesus Christ."
There is absolutely no way to come to this conclusion, since as AFAIK (subject to correction), there is no other info re: these 2 in Scripture!
The one saved, could just have been a wayward son of very devout parents, & the other the son of a couple of yokels; the one saved being starkly reminded of his upbringing and responding accordingly!!
I see nothing that supports God's CHOOSING who will/will not ACCEPT salvation. All I see here is two persons having the same experience & opportunity, but responding very differently.

 

So you're a cut above the rest? And chose Christ to your glory? God saves those who cannot believe or save themselves.

 

????????

Sorry, but I see no correlation between my post & your reply, as I don’t disagree with any of the above.

 

Who made you Judge? He might have been more Christian than those who call themselves Christian.

You find a GOOD hearted person he can find a redeeming quality from even the worst of the worst.


Did Jesus turn and say you will be with me in paradise to the thief mocking him?

Wouldn't that have been a stronger case?

The gospel of "If God likes you then you are saved and if he hates you then you are damned" does not take 40,000 verses to explain.

 

There are no redeeming qualities to anybody who has ever been alive save Christ. Nobody is good hearted for the heart is a wicked and deceitful creature and man is totally depraved.

 

If that were true then there is nothing to "SAVE". Like having "murder" find salvation.

 

Was reminded of this. No point intended, it just reminded me of it.

 

Looks like the image of God is redeemable.

 

This episode is far too rich, too profound to fathom, to care about some C-A debate. Instead, I wonder.

I don’t know what faith that dying rebel had, or what hope, but he said the right things at the right time. Saying Jesus did nothing wrong is saying Jesus is the Messiah. I wonder how much he had heard before, seen before, but never believed till face-to-face. Talk about your captive audience.

I don’t know what such a “deserving” man would expect to hear after asking to be remembered so late, but I wonder about the look on Jesus’ face when he answered, and the look on the thief’s when he heard. Did he get a glimpse of Jesus’ anticipation of the joy set before him as he endured the cross?

I don’t know what that saved man thought as he watched his Messiah suffer, witnessed his agony, heard his death cry, but I wonder if he didn’t thank God for the Sabbath rest that meant he would be finally broken, hastening their reunion. As he too died, did he try to mouth those yet unuttered words of Stephen, “‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit’”?

I wonder.