Q14. Thief on the Cross

[Pastor Ralph]

Q14. (Luke 23:39-43) How does the story of the thief on the cross illustrate salvation by faith? How does it show the triumph of grace over sin to those who don’t deserve it?

[Lottie]

Q14. (Luke 23:39-43) How does the story of the thief on the cross illustrate salvation by faith? How does it show the triumph of grace over sin to those who don't deserve it?

It shows the abundant grace of Jesus towards the thief in telling him that he will be with him in paradise. That even though the thief did not deserve it Jesus forgave him and pardoned him. That the thief believed that He was the Son of God and could save him.

It shows how grace overlooks sin and forgives no matter what a person has done. We only have to believe, and we will be saved. Even though we did not earn it He did it out of love.

 

[Diane D.]

• The thief on the cross may or may not have listened to Jesus' preaching. He knew enough about Him, however, to tell the other thief to be quiet and to turn to Jesus and ask Him to remember him.  He had enough faith to turn against whatever theology he had been brought up with and become a follower of Christ.  He believed that Jesus could save his soul, now that the physical existence was coming to a close.  He had nothing to base this on during the last hours of his life but believed in spite of that.  We see the contrast with the other thief who rejected him.
• The gift granting him Paradise for eternity was granted in spite of all the other things that the thief had done in his life. Because grace is a gift of God and there is no power high than Him, it will always triumph over sin. It is also interesting that the only reason why he could get into Paradise with this grace was the man he was talking to was taking on his sin and the whole world's as their punishment so he could get to Paradise.  I wonder, in the last hours, the thief recognized that Jesus was taking on his punishment?

[Katy]

Q14. The ‘good thief’ had led a bad life, committed crimes and this life had condemned him and he was now paying for his crimes! As he struggled on his cross to breathe something happened , he realised who Jesus was and he rebuked his fellow criminal when he ridiculed Jesus. He revealed his faith and belief in Jesus when he said to Jesus “ Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom”. He had done nothing to show he had any belief or trust in Jesus. It demonstrates to us that faith is what is important to be saved. 

[Krissi]

Jesus "promise" to the man that he would be with him in paradise is definitely a statement of salvation. The thief didn’t say he expected to be in paradise – that would be a statement of faith – but that he wanted to be “remembered” by Jesus who would surely be in paradise. His faith was in Jesus' character and Jesus' future in heaven.

The man admitted his guilt. There was, then, a confession of his sin or sinful past. He knew that Jesus wasn't guilty though I'm not sure he understood Jesus to be God. In his mind, Jesus was able to remember him when in paradise.

--

Question: Didn't Jesus descend into hell straightaway after he died? I'm Anglican. In every service we recite the apostle's creed which describes how Jesus ...

"... suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and buried; he descended into hell. The third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven ..."

 

[Carl Williams]

Please give me the Bible verse when it say “Jesus descended into hell” before He ascended into Heaven.

Carl Williams

Thank you.

[Liliane]

There was absolutely no time for thief on the cross to do any good works. He simply recognized Jesus was God the Savior and saw that he himself had evil inside ( repentance of sins)

[hanks]

Q14. (Luke 23:39-43) 
How does the story of the thief on the cross illustrate salvation by faith? How does it show the triumph of grace over sin to those who don't deserve it? 
This story of the thief on the cross teaches us that salvation is by grace through faith alone. The thief is transformed by the Holy Spirit from a blasphemer to the understanding that Jesus is the Messiah. This is a massive transformation. All of a sudden the thief becomes very aware of God and the fear of God. He openly admits his own sin, and recognises Jesus for who He is. Jesus is no ordinary man, He has the power to forgive sins, and is the thief’s only hope. He knows that he is in urgent need of mercy and grace, nothing else can save him. He is about to die, so, he decides to throw himself at Jesus’ mercy, and turns in true repentance to Jesus for forgiveness. "Lord, remember me. Have mercy upon me." In the same way, when we as a sinner realise that we are lost, that we are helpless, that we are hopeless, and that we are hell-bound; there is only one thing left for us to do and that is to repent and put our faith in Christ as Lord and Saviour. Once we come to the fear of God, His wrath, and our sinfulness, the only thing left for us to do is to repent and put our faith in Jesus. This is all the result of the miraculous work of the Holy Spirit on our dark heart. Salvation is so clearly by grace through faith, and not of works. Faith alone in Christ alone - nothing more, nothing less. The gospel is so simple, and that is what offends us because it does away with our pride and power. The Cross affords no possibility of pride in earning salvation, and no potential for power in manipulating one's way into the kingdom. This thief was guilty and all he deserved was death: “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 6:23). A classic example of God’s grace, mercy, and forgiveness - grace that is neither earned nor deserved. 
 

[BoazNigel]

This is one of my favourite stories.

Did this thief deserve salvation ... a resounding NO!

1. he has lived a 'horrible life' not deserving salvation
2. he has been declared guilty by the world/others
3. can he 'earn his salvation'? NO!
   1. he is soon to die - he has no time left to do anything
   2. he will never go to church
   3. he will never tithe or give money
   4. he will never 'do a good deed'
   5. he is at the end

But by God's revelation he looks to Jesus & knows Who He is & what He is able to do ... & Jesus makes him an astounding promise

[t-c]

The thief on the the cross was condemned to death and had no opportunity or time to do good works for the Lord. Although he did stand up to the other criminal who was abusing Christ by his insults. Christ knew that the thief on the cross had saving faith and believed He was the Son of God.

God’s grace is sufficient for our sins as well as the sins of the thief on the cross. God’s grace and His discernment of our heart condition is a divine mystery to us. 

[Janzie]

On 10/6/2022 at 7:32 PM, Pastor Ralph said:

Q14. (Luke 23:39-43) How does the story of the thief on the cross illustrate salvation by faith? How does it show the triumph of grace over sin to those who don’t deserve it?

The thief knew he was guilty and Jesus was innocent. He believed Jesus was the Messiah. He knew he was getting what he deserved.  The thief was repentant and said  to Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom and Jesus by His grace forgave him and said to him, today you will be with me in paradise.

Where sin abounds, grace does much more abound.  This sinner deserved death, but God's grace triumphed.

[Sonia Ugodike]

Q14. (Luke 23:39-43) How does the story of the thief on the cross illustrate salvation by faith? How does it show the triumph of grace over sin to those who don't deserve it?

The story illustrates salvation by faith when the good thief recognizes the personality of Jesus and accepted him not only as saviour but also as lord. While the bad thief recognizes the personality of Jesus and accepted him only as saviour.

It shows the triumph of grace over sin because at the point the good thief gave up his ghost,he received an eternal life. Something he didn't deserve.

 

[haar]

Q14. (Luke 23:39-43) How does the story of the thief on the cross illustrate salvation by faith? How does it show the triumph of grace over sin to those who don't deserve it?

The story of the thief on the cross illustrates salvation by faith because the thief believed that Jesus who was suffering for no just cause had the power to forgive his sin thus his request to be remembered when he resurrected.

This story shows that grace always triumph over sin to those who do not deserve it.
 

[Rob Mc.]

The undeniable point I get every time I read this passage is that it is never to late to repent and spend eternity in heaven.  Even at the last breath, if we ask God, we will receive forgiveness.  Most of us have already accepted Jesus Christ as our savior and have been granted eternal life.  As we live our lives, we will meet many people. Hopefully, by our actions and words we will influence some of them to turn to the Lord.  These verses should direct us to never give up hope that those we care about will accept Jesus, even if it is at their last breath.  Be there for them until the end.

[Zanele Tlhakanelo]

The story illustrates salvation by faith in that it does matter how long or how short you put your faith in Jesus Christ as long as you believe that He is the Savior of the world. The thief asked Jesus to remember him in His Kingdom and because Jesus is full of compassion, He did not even say to him he must repent but there and then assured him that he will be with Him in paradise. 

Grace always triumphs over sin because even if the devil thinks he has an upper hand over our lives, grace kicks in and God wins. The devil is always a loser because we are hot his but God's. Even the last second and minute prayer of repentance will make grace take over and wipe all the sins. It doe not however give us the platform to crucify Jesus Christ over and over again by sinning. We need to understand that His grace is sufficient for us and the God we serve is faithful. 

[Debra Grant]

Q14. (Luke 23:39-43) How does the story of the thief on the cross illustrate salvation by faith? How does it show the triumph of grace over sin to those who don’t deserve it?

1.  The thief knew he had done wrong. He recognized Jesus as Lord who had not did anything to desire the punishment given to him. He believed in Jesus which showed by asking to be with him.  The thief asked to be with Jesus and Jesus said yes. Jesus was not concerned about the length of time the thief believed in him. Jesus had grace upon the thief, love, forgiveness, and compassion.

2. Jeus has the authority to give grace because of his love. His love, forgiveness, and compassion rules over sin because of his great power. Jesus knows our hearts.

[lighthouse2014]

The story of the thief on the cross illustrates that faith in Jesus Christ is enough for his sins to be forgiven.

The story also illustrates that Gods grace triumphs for the forgiveness of our sins even we do not deserve it.    

[Irmela]

Q14. (Luke 23:39-43)

How does the story of the thief on the cross illustrate salvation by faith?

How does it show the triumph of grace over sin to those who don't deserve it?

The evildoers on either side of Yeshuah, heard all that was said by the mockers that were standing around and watching the crucifixions.   They saw the inscription on the cross just as the others did.  The one evildoer even mocked with the others suggesting that if Yeshuah was really the Messiah surely He could set them all free.  The second evildoer obviously feared God and realized that very soon they would be standing before Him to be judged, so he called out to him and basically told him to think carefully what he was doing.  The two of them were getting the punishment they deserved, but Yeshuah was innocent and just and certainly did not deserve to die in this manner.  (This was him acknowledging his sinful actions and being sorry that he had lived this kind of life).  Then he turned to Yeshuah and asked to be remembered by Him, when He came  in His Kingdom.  This showed that He believed that Yeshuah was indeed the Messiah. He entrusted his future beyond the grave to Yeshuah.  Yeshuah's answer confirms that this faith showed by the repentant evildoer, assured him, that he would indeed be with Yeshuah in Paradise that very day still.  The repentant evildoer realized too that he did not deserve this grace because of the life he had lived.  

[pickledilly]

As natural-born rebellious sinners, we are quite like the thief who “had lived a horrible life”. I don’t think this man would have ever recognized the reality of Jesus’ identity apart from the shared experience of the cross that day. As he hung there realizing the depth of his sins while suffering and dying as a just penalty, he was right next to the Savior and they were “in it together” - both dying for sins. He understood that innocent Jesus, not guilty of even a trace of sin, was dying an undeserved death to redeem this guilty man hanging next to Him who had earned that penalty all his sinful life. He grasped the truth that he didn’t deserve pardon for his eternity and believed that Jesus was dying for his sins. What a blessing this criminal’s faith must have been in the midst of Jesus’ suffering on that cross to encourage Him with the very picture of why He was hanging there with the burden of all humanity’s sin on His shoulders. I’ve never considered this scenario in this way before, and it moves me to tears as I write.

In a sense, innocent perfect Jesus is always right here next to sinful guilty humanity. He already took our place to die for our sins and now we don’t have to. He suffered our penalty and triumphed over sin for us, “in it together” as He invites us face-to-face (spiritually) to accept the pardon of full forgiveness we could never qualify for on our merit. He offers restoration to God and eternal life in His presence – for every offender on an individual basis. We can only truly appreciate the undeserved and unmerited favor of God if we view it through the cross, and for me, this exchange with the believing thief enhances that appreciation. All we must do is recognize who He is, confess personal sin, and respond to His offer of grace in authentic faith.

In response to Carl Williams' request, here is a good website that provides some insight into the question of Jesus going into hell. https://www.gotquestions.org/did-Jesus-go-to-hell.html

[blezed]

Q14. (Luke 23:39-43) How does the story of the thief on the cross illustrate salvation by faith? How does it show the triumph of grace over sin to those who don’t deserve it?

The story of the thief on the cross illustrates salvation by faith when the thief asked to be remembered in Jesus Kingdom. He knew she had sinned but recognized Jesus as the Son of God.  God's grace extends to sinful people who don't deserve it and will always triumph over sin.

[JOLLAM BANDA]

The story of the repentant thief on the cross (Luke 23:39-43) illustrates the principle of salvation by faith as well as the grace of God to sinful people who don't deserve it. The repentant thief did not deserve salvation. He was a thief and deserved punishment but was saved by Jesus Christ upon repenting and seeking salvation from Jesus Christ though at the very last minute.

[Old Jerry]

The thief on the cross hadn’t done anything to deserve be saved but because of the man’s faith Jesus for gave him. This shows that grace is more powerful than any sin can be.

[Lisa Wolf]

Q14. (Luke 23:39-43) How does the story of the thief on the cross illustrate salvation by faith? How does it show the triumph of grace over sin to those who don’t deserve it?

The thief on the cross could not move.  He did not have any life time remaining.  He could DO nothing to earn salvation, all he could do was recognize Jesus as a savior and humble himself before Him. This man only saw Jesus crucified, yet he knew He was Savior. He showed his faith in seeking Jesus and speaking with the other thief.  The thief's situation on the cross, and his telling that he deserved his sentence did not exemplify someone who deserved favor.  Yet, Jesus bestowed grace upon Him.

[HCDukes]

Topic: Thief on the Cross

Q14. Luke 23:39-43 (AMP) “One of the criminals who had been hanged [on a cross beside Him] kept hurling abuse at Him, saying, “Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us [from death]!” But the other one rebuked him, saying, “Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? We are suffering justly, because we are getting what we deserve for what we have done; but this Man has done nothing wrong.” And he was saying, “Jesus, [please] remember me when You come into Your kingdom!” Jesus said to him, “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.” [2 Cor 12:4; Rev 2:7]”

‭Question(s):

1. How does the story of the thief on the cross illustrate salvation by faith? 
2. How does it show the triumph of grace over sin to those who don't deserve it?

Answer(s):

1. The story of the thief on the cross illustrate salvation by faith because in Romans 10:9-10  (AMP) it states: 9 because if you acknowledge andconfess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord [recognizing His power, authority, and majesty as God], and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart a person believes [in Christ as Savior] resulting in his justification [that is, being made righteous—being freed of the guilt of sin and made acceptable to God]; and with the mouth he acknowledges and confesses [his faith openly], resulting in and confirming [his] salvation.
2. Even though he was a convicted criminal, sentenced to die, he acknowledged his wrongs and had Faith in who Jesus was as the Messiah. Even though he was guilty of death because of his sin, Jesus extended him grace and eternal life because of his faith and belief in Jesus.