Luke 23:39–43 (ESV)
One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”
This is a fascinating case study because we know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that this guy was saved. What did he do right? Let’s list the clues.
First, he feared God. ”Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation?”
Second, he was aware of his sin and was repentant. ”We are receiving the due reward of our deeds.” He had absolutely no sense of deserving anything other than crucifixion.
Third, he knew that Jesus was innocent. ”But this man has done nothing wrong.” Taken literally, this means Jesus was without sin, but in context it just means He wasn’t a criminal.
Fourth, he knew that Jesus’ crucifixion didn’t stop Him from entering His kingdom. ”Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” This is big, even puzzling. How did he know?
Fifth, that same sentence implies that he was asking Jesus to save him, not in the way the other thief asked, but spiritually.
From our vantage point, number four (Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom) means he believes in something functionally equivalent to resurrection–that Jesus wasn’t done. His request for spiritual salvation (#5) means he believes in God (#1). Number three is obvious. So, the thief’s valid confession of faith is—repentance plus believing Jesus is the resurrected king plus asking for salvation.
That’s it. That has to be a valid confession of faith. But there’s something amazing missing—any understanding of the purpose of the crucifixion. Jesus paid for our sins, but understanding that isn’t required. Like many things we teach, the mechanism of salvation is good to know but not definitive. This lines up perfectly with Romans 10:9.
If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (ESV)
One of the great truths of Christianity is that saving faith isn’t complicated. These DEEP studies often tackle complex issues, but do not think that they are essential. They aren’t.
Our understanding of eternal things is simple-minded anyway. We can’t understand eternity until we get there. Complex faith is useful, even valuable, but if it isn’t rooted in simple faith, it’s built on sand.
Worship the Lord, not the doctrine.
