THE MOST POPULAR MAN IN THE WORLD or

THE THIEF ON THE CROSS

I chose the title of "The Most Popular Man in the World" for an examination of the thief on the cross because that is what he is for so many. This moving example of penitent faith has become the rallying point for those who seek to circumvent the command to be baptized for the remission of sins. 

When discussing immersion in water and its absolute necessity for salvation, it seems inevitable that someone will ask the question, "What about the thief on the cross?" That is a good question when asked from a heart that is sincerely seeking the truth. It is an abysmal misuse of scripture when it is asked by one who is seeking to deny the clear meaning of the Lord's statement, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned" (Mark 16:16). 

THE THIEF WAS NOT BAPTIZED!!!

If I was going to base my salvation upon something, I would be absolutely sure that it was true.  I am amazed at the number of people willing to argue a point that cannot be proven and that they themselves must view as the only exception to the rule.

I don't know if the thief was baptized or not, and neither does anybody else. If he was baptized, he was baptized with John's baptism, and that is a real possibility. Matthew 3: 5-6 tells us of the reaction to John's work. It says, "Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan, and were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins." Mark 1:5 tells us the same thing. Was the thief on the cross one of these individuals? I don't know. He certainly could have been. But one thing I do know. The thief was not baptized with the baptism that Jesus commanded in the Great Commission. The thief was not immersed in water by the authority of Jesus Christ, into the death of Christ, for the remission of his sins. That then leads us to the next question. 

WAS THE THIEF SAVED?

Let us turn now to the actual accounts. 

"Then were there two thieves crucified with him, one on the right hand, and another on the left. And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads, and saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross. Likewise also the chief priests mocking him with the scribes and elders, said, He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him. He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God. The thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth" (Matthew 27:38-44). 

"And with him they crucify two thieves: the one on his right hand, and the other on his left. And the scripture was fulfilled, which saith, And he was numbered with the transgressors. And they that passed by railed on him, wagging their heads, and saying, Ah, thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself, and come down from the cross.   Likewise also the chief priests mocking said among themselves with the scribes, He saved others, himself he cannot save. Let Christ the King of Israel descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe. And they that were crucified with him reviled him" (Mark 15:27 - 32). 

"And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left." 

    "And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation?  And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise" (Luke 23: 33, 39-43).

There can be little doubt that the thief was saved on the cross by the Lord. At the beginning of the crucifixion, both of the robbers who were put to death with Jesus taunted him. As the event went on, one of them repented.  Perhaps it was the dignified conduct of Jesus on the cross that had such a tremendous impact on that man. He repented. As a matter of fact, his was the only voice to be raised in protest against the death of Jesus. His statement in Luke 23:42, "Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom" certainly indicates belief in Jesus and a belief, however primitive it might have been, that Jesus would continue after His death. The thief did not ask to be removed from the cross, but to be "remembered" when Jesus came into His kingdom. 

The Lord's response was, "Verily I say unto thee, today shalt thou be with me in paradise." Jesus was telling that man that he was saved. According to Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament , p. 480, the word "paradise" means, "That part of Hades which was thought to be the abode of the souls of the pious until the resurrection." Acts 2:27- 31, informs us that after His death, Jesus went to Hades. He did not remain there, but He went there. "Paradise" corresponds to "Abraham's bosom" mentioned in the account of the rich man and Lazarus of Luke 16. In Hades the rich man was in torments, while Lazarus was in Abraham's bosom. Between the two locations in Hades there was a great gulf fixed (Luke 16:26), and there was no passing from one side to the other. Abraham said of Lazarus that "now he is comforted" (verse 25) while the rich man was "tormented." The penitent, believing thief on the cross would be in Abraham's bosom (paradise) that very day and he, too, would be comforted. 

How did the forgiveness of this man's sins come about? We can gain insight into that question by considering an event that took place in Matthew 9:1-6, Mark 2:1-12, and Luke 5:17-26. We will read Matthew's account. There the Bible says, "And he entered into a ship, and passed over, and came into his own city. 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." 

The parallel passages indicate a correct understanding of the scribes concerning the significance of Jesus' statement related to the forgiveness of sins. They said, "Who can forgive sins but God only?" Jesus forgave the palsied man of His sins because He had the power and prerogative, as God on earth, to do so.

The same is true of the thief on the cross.  Jesus forgave that man's sins because He had the power to do so on earth. 

THE LAW OF MOSES

It is equally important for us to understand that the thief on the cross lived and died under the Law of Moses and was never commanded to be baptized in water, into the death of Christ, for the remission of his sins. In Hebrews 9:15-17, the Bible says, "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. For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth." 

When the Lord pronounced that this man would be with Him in paradise that very day, thus forgiving the thief of his sins, Jesus was very much alive. His New Testament, which was ratified with His blood in His death, was not yet in effect. While alive a man may bestow his goods in any way he desires. After his death, his goods are distributed according to the terms of his will, or testament, when those terms are announced. The terms of salvation under the New Testament were announced on the Jewish feast day of Pentecost, which occurred 51 days after the death of Jesus. We read about this marvelous announcement in Acts 2. The thief lived and died under the Law of Moses and that law did not require baptism in water for the remission of sins. 

Let me borrow an illustration that may make this point a little easier to understand. Prior to 1913 and the passing of the sixteenth amendment to the constitution, the government had no right to assess an income tax. Hence, my great-great- grandfather paid no income tax to the United States of America. If I were to send a letter to the I.R.S. today, along with my blank tax form, explaining that since my great-great-grandfather paid no income tax I was not going to pay any either, it would not take them very long at all to explain that my great-great-grandfather lived under a different law than I do. He was not required to pay income tax, but I am. 

The thief on the cross was not required to be immersed in water, into the death of Christ, for the remission of his sins; but I am. 

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

The real question is not "What About the Thief on The Cross?"        The real question is "What about you and me?" The real question is, "Must you and I be baptized in water to reach the cleansing blood of the Lord and to have our sins forgiven?" The answer to that question is yes. 

Before His ascension into heaven, Jesus said "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned"      (Mark 16:15-16). As the apostles carried out that commission, they taught the necessity of baptism for salvation. Indeed, in Acts 2:37-38, Peter responded to the question, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" by saying that baptism was for the remission of sins. He said, "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." 

In his letter to the Romans, the Apostle Paul taught that baptism is "into the death" of the Lord Jesus. Romans 6:3-4 says, "Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into His death? Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life." 

In Galatians 3:26-27, Paul once again made the point that the way into Christ is through baptism. The passage states, "For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ -have put on Christ…” 

Peter even declared that the salvation of Noah and his family through water was typical of baptism today in I Peter 3:20-21. He wrote, “Which sometime were disobedient, when once the long-suffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water. The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ." 

No one who has ever asked me the question, "What about the thief on the cross?" was living under the Law of Moses. Obviously, no one who has put that question to me has been in the position to have Jesus, in person and in the flesh, forgive his sins here on earth.           But everyone who has asked me that question has been in the position to respond in humble, obedient faith to the commands of the Lord and be saved. Every single questioner has been able to believe, repent, confess their faith, and be baptized for the remission of their sins. 

On the great Day of Judgment it isn't going to do any good to ask the Lord, "What about the thief on the cross?" The question is "WHAT ABOUT YOU?"