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And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness. Romans 4:5
D.L. MOODY
The thief had nails through both hands, so he could not work; and a nail through each foot, so he could not run errands for the Lord. He could not lift a hand or a foot toward his salvation, and yet Christ offered him the gift of God, and he took it. He threw him a passport, and took him with Him into paradise.
ERWIN LUTZER
Look again at this remarkable conversion story—the thief on the cross. One of the criminals who hung there, hurled insults at Jesus. “Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself and us.” But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly for weare getting what our deeds deserve, but this man has done nothing wrong” (see Luke 23:39–41). It’s no accident Jesus hung on the middle cross between two thieves.
He hung there as a dividing symbol of the whole human race between those who believe and those who mock. The thief who believed was probably as wicked as the thief who did not, but that was not important in his dying moment. The issue was which one looked to Christ as Savior. Can you imagine this thief arriving in heaven to dine with Christ that very evening! If he is asked how he got there, all he can say is, “The man on the cross gave me permission to come.” As Moody said, Jesus threw him a passport and took him with Him to Paradise! And that is all that we can say when we arrive at heaven’s doorstep: The man on the cross gave us permission to enter the divine sanctuary of eternity. What a Savior!
PRAYER
Father, I thank you for the gift of saving faith. I thank you that this thief, in his dying moments, looked to Christ as King, and though his faith was meager, it was sufficient. Grant me such a gift of faith that I, too, might be welcomed into your presence.REFLECTION QUESTIONS
What does the story of the thief on the cross tell us about the nature of the Gospel?Read Ephesians 2:8-10. What do you contribute to your salvation, and what is the result of our salvation?