Jesus, the Cross, A Thief, and Forgiveness (Part 1 of 2) by Ney Reiber
Two others also, who were criminals, were being led away to be put to death with Him. When they came to the place called The Skull, there they crucified Him and the criminals, one on the right and the other on the left. But Jesus was saying, "Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing." And they cast lots, dividing up His garments among themselves. And the people stood by, looking on. And even the rulers were sneering at Him, saying, "He saved others; let Him save Himself if this is the Christ of God, His Chosen One." The soldiers also mocked Him, coming up to Him, offering Him sour wine, and saying, "If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself!" Now there was also an inscription above Him, "THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS." One of the criminals who were hanged there was hurling abuse at Him, saying, "Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!" But the other answered, and rebuking him said, "Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation?"And we indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong." And he was saying, "Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!" And He said to him, "Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise." (Luke 23:32-43, NAS 95)
The above narrative is one of the most touching in the entire Bible. While the Lord was experiencing the physical, emotional and perhaps even spiritual agony of the cross, he still expressed the divine nature of His love for man. He had the compassion to listen to the pleas of one who had great need. He made the effort to repress his own pain to and answer to the needs of a sinner. He promised that man, that that very day; He would be with Jesus in Paradise. What a wonderful assurance.
Because of the assurance Jesus gave his companion in death, many today profess that like the thief crucified next to Jesus, we may have the assurance of Paradise by making a similar appeal to the Lord. However, the New Testament, Jesus' Covenant teaches that baptism stands between man and the forgiveness of sin. The Bible tells us what Christ requires of us to be saved. In spite of the plain statement of Jesus, many teach and believe baptism is not necessary to be saved. They believe they can be saved like the thief on the cross. They also assume that the thief on the cross had never been baptized as the New Testament requires, hence they do not need to be baptized.
Even if the thief on the cross had never been baptized, his salvation should not be an excuse to remove the divine mandate of baptism from us today. Let us look at why the thief is not an example of how man is saved today.
The first principle that we must understand is the fact that Jesus had the power to forgive sins while on the earth.
And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee. And, behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemeth. And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, "Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts?" For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and walk? But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house. And he arose, and departed to his house. (Matthew 9:2)
When Jesus spoke to a person and forgave them of their sins, their sins were forgiven. The same would hold true today. If Jesus were walking the earth and told someone that their sins were forgiven, it would be so. However, Jesus is in heaven at the right hand of God.
The second principle that we must consider is that the New Covenant had not yet been established.
It had not yet been sealed with the blood of Jesus. Jesus was still alive. The thief lived and died under the Old Covenant, and we are under the New Covenant. If the covenant in which baptism is commanded had not yet come into force when Jesus spoke to the thief, and it is in force now, the rules for salvation have been changed by the changing of covenants. The New Covenant changed the rules.
And for this cause he is the mediator of the New Testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. (Hebrews 9:15,16)
The third principle is that neither you nor I are face to face with Jesus like the thief was.
Jesus spoke directly to the thief. There is absolutely no scriptural principle that will allow us to take a statement made to a specific individual and generalize it to make it apply to all men. Jesus speaks to us through the Bible today, not face to face. That means we must listen to what he has said to us through the Word. Just as surely as the thief heard Jesus then, we must hear Jesus now. He is not speaking to us face to face as he did the thief. He is speaking to us through the written Word of God.
While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. (Matthew 17:5)
Examine Yourself - How Honestly We See Ourselves Will Determine
What We Become by W. Frank Walton (wfwalton@juno.com)
"Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine
yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves that
Jesus Christ is in you--unless indeed you fail the test?"
(2 Cor 13:5).
The unruly Corinthians had given the apostle Paul fits, while
overlooking their own sins. Yet, Paul turns the tables on them
that they must be more concerned with examining themselves than
him. The objective test is if Jesus' personality is truly being
formed within themselves. Failure would result in the tragic results
of wasted life.
In 1 Cor 11:28, each Sunday at the Lord's Table is a commanded
time for "a check up from the neck up." As I contemplate
His great sacrifice for me at the Lord's Supper, I must look inside
my mind to see if Jesus really means everything to me. I must
examine my heart to see if I am honestly and openly living for
Jesus as first in my life. Accurate self-examination is a key
to spiritual self-development. No one else can do this for me.
Self-awareness is when I stand apart from myself and evaluate
myself as I really am. We are not helpless pawns of our environment
or conditioning.
Yet, completely candid self-examination may not be a pretty sight!
There are 3 views of self: how I see myself, how others see me,
and then how God sees me. Others may have only a partial view
of me, or even a skewed one due to my self-serving desire to fake
an image better than my true self. Or, I may rationalize and distort
how I see myself to flatter and protect my fragile ego. This denial
of my real, flawed self is being out of touch with reality. However,
if I can honestly see myself more clearly, as God does, it is
like I can begin a new and better life, as God intended me to
be. We need the courage to recognize that
only "the poor in spirit" (those penitent sinners who
see themselves as a holy God does) qualify for God's kingdom (Matt
5:3-4). "Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and
know my anxious thoughts; and see if there be any hurtful way
in me, and lead me in the everlasting way" (Psalm 139:23-24).
Candid self-examination can be a wake up call for the soul. This
is illustrated by the intriguing story of a rich Swedish industrialist
name Alfred. One morning in 1888, this inventor of dynamite was
shocked to read his own obituary! The newspaper had made a simple
but profound mistake. It was Alfred's brother that had died, but
the reporter had carelessly reported the death of the more famous
but wrong brother. Instead of being enraged, Alfred became very
sober and introspective. He saw himself as the world saw him,
"The Dynamite King." He was only seen as the great industrialist
who had made an immense fortune as a death merchant. This, as
far as the general public was concerned, was the entire meaning
of Alfred's life. As he read the obituary with horror, he resolved
to make clear to the world the true purpose of his life. His personal
ideals would be manifest through the final disposition of his
fortune. The last will and testament of Alfred Nobel created the
annual award called the "Nobel Peace Prize." The turning
point of his life came through seeing himself as he came across
to others.
If someone accurately wrote your obituary, what would it say?
What would your co-workers say about you? What would your children
remember most about growing up around you? In marriage, I must
ask myself, how would it be to be married to me? Am I demanding
my spouse to do ALL the changing for us to have a better marriage?
Although we will not be around to read our obituary, we can begin
rewriting by starting today to examine and change myself by God's
Word.
First, I must use God's Word as a mirror to see my authentic self,
in order to improve my personality (James 1:22-25). Second, it
is most helpful to have a mature and gentle friend who will honestly
help me evaluate my flaws and how I come across to others (Romans
15:4, Proverbs 27:6). Such loving honesty may hurt at first, but
we can heal. We'll be better for it. We can make the world a better
place for Jesus' sake, when we authentically make a better self.
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MONTHLY BIBLE READING: 2 Samuel and 1 Kings
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BIBLE INSIGHT is published for the members of, and
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