How are
we to understand this?
The day
ended at sundown and whatever you believe Paradise to be, wherever you think
Paradise might be, it would be difficult to construct a scenario that would
explain how this thief could possibly arrive there with the Lord before the sun
set. The
Syriac version of the Greek Scriptures renders the phrase with “from this
moment you will be with me in Paradise.”
Is there a stronger evidence of the
fact that we are not saved by works?
There
was no baptism, no holy communion, no sacraments, no Sabbath keeping, no kosher
keeping, no tithing, or church or synagogue attendance or commitment. If there
was repentance, it wasn't of works or deeds.
Now you
might question my assessment of the thief's salvation. But I am not the
one who declared him to be on his way to Paradise.
That
declaration wasn't made by a local clergyman. It wasn't a church official. It
wasn't a elder or deacon or bishop or cardinal. The man who declared this thief
to be saved has the highest spiritual credentials. And if this malefactor was
indeed instantly and supernaturally saved on the basis of his confession and
testimony, then we can all be saved without works, without waiting,
without worthiness and without worry.
Mitch
Triestman
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