What About the
Thief on the Cross?
A few years ago, I was engaged in a
discussion over what one must do to be saved. The person I was
discussing this topic with was an advocate of the salvation by faith
alone doctrine and he insisted that one could be saved without being
baptized. One of the things he offered as proof of his
position was that the thief on the cross was saved by faith alone
without baptism. Those who teach the doctrine of salvation by
faith only frequently point to the thief on the cross that appealed
to Jesus in his last moments. They claim that the thief was saved by
faith without the need of being baptized or of any other work of
righteousness. They go on to contend that since the thief on the
cross was never baptized and that since he was promised a place in
paradise that New Testament Christians likewise can be saved by
faith alone. The purpose of this lesson is to examine in
detail and see if the scriptures teach whether or not the thief on
the cross was really saved by faith alone. we are also going
to examine the differences between being saved before Jesus died on
the cross and afterwards.
Was The Thief on the Cross Saved
by Faith Only?
In Luke 23:40 the thief openly
rebuked his counterpart saying “Dost not thou fear God”? This man
knew who God was and knew he was to be feared more than dying on
that cross. That is a demonstration of faith in God. So we see
that the thief indeed had faith. But was that enough to save
him?
One must ask, would he have been
saved if he had never made his appeal to Jesus? Would faith alone in
his heart have been enough without anything else? In Luke 23:42 the
thief on the cross made an appeal directly to Jesus addressing him
as “Lord.” In Luke 12:8 we see Jesus saying “Whosoever shall confess
me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the
angels of God”. This man knew who Jesus was and addressed him as
Lord before everyone present including the other thief. So we
see here that the thief demonstrated faith in Jesus and confessed
that faith when he addressed Jesus Christ as Lord before men.
If the thief were really saved by faith alone, then he could have
been saved without addressing Jesus as Lord.
Concerning the thief we read in
Matthew 27:38-44 "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."
Both the thieves crucified alongside
Jesus started out mocking and reviling Him just like everybody else.
But in Luke's account we have recorded for us a change in one of
them later on. Luke 23:39, "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".
Repentance is defined as a change in
behavior resulting from sorrow over wrongdoing. If one does
not have sorrow, one has not repented. Likewise if one does not
change their behavior, they have not repented. 2 Corinthians
7:10 reads "For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation..."
Did the thief exhibited a change in
his behavior? Of course he did. Was he sorry? He
was dieing on a cross for his wrongdoing and he confessed in front
of everybody present that he was being justly punished. Of course he
was sorry. He knew he was guilty, he had sorrow and he changed
his behavior from what it had earlier been. He started out
reviling Jesus but now he had changed his behavior and was appealing
to Him. There can be no doubt that the thief repented.
Now one must ask the question, if the thief had not of repented,
would Jesus have saved him? If salvation were really by faith
alone, and if the thief on the cross is a valid example of someone
being saved by faith alone, then that thief could have been saved
without ever opening his mouth to Jesus Christ. If anything
more than faith in one's heart is necessary for salvation, then one
cannot be saved by faith alone. The thief was not saved by
faith alone, therefore one cannot use him as an example for
salvation by faith alone.
Was the thief baptized?
It is often the case that the subject
of the thief on the cross comes up when the subject of baptism is
being discussed. The thief on the cross is used as an example
of someone who was saved without being baptized. First of all,
there is not one single shred of scripture anywhere in all of the
Bible which says this thief was not baptized. When people
argue salvation without baptism by using the example of the thief on
the cross, they are making an assumption that he was never baptized.
They are assuming that since he was a condemned thief and that he
was being executed that he had never received any prior instruction
on Jesus Christ and had never been baptized. The truth is, we
don't know for sure whether or not he was baptized because the Bible
doesn't say one way or another.
So what we are going to do now, is to
examine the evidence we have from scripture and we are going to look
at which way it leads. The evidence against him being baptized
is purely an assumption that a condemned thief is automatically
unbaptized. That's all we have to support this belief.
Now what about evidence in favor of his having been baptized?
Let's read Luke 23:38-43 again and
then make some observations:
“And there was also a
superscription over him, THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS. And one
of the malefactors that were hanged railed on him, saying, Art
not thou the Christ? Save thyself and us. But the other
answered, and rebuking him said, Dost thou not even 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, Jesus, remember me when thou
comest in thy kingdom. And he said unto him, Verily I say unto
thee, Today shalt thou be with me in Paradise.”
Several important facts come to light
by a careful analysis of this paragraph.
(1) By comparing Luke’s record with
that of Matthew and Mark, it is obvious that there was a change in
the man’s view regarding Jesus. Instead of reviling the Lord, he
glorified him and petitioned the Savior; and Jesus graciously
responded to him.
(2) The penitent thief had a good
deal of information concerning Christ; exactly when he learned these
facts is not specified. But there are two possibilities. Either he
learned about Christ, and became convinced of his royalty, during
the six hours of crucifixion, or, else he knew about the Savior from
teachings before his crucifixion.
It is not impossible that this man
had learned of Christ earlier in his life, had been impressed by it,
and, later, had regressed into a life of crime. He certainly
wouldn't be the only one who ever did that. Let's consider
some things about this man’s beliefs.
(3) He acknowledged the existence of
God. He believed in a standard of right and wrong, he confessed that
he and his companion had transgressed divine law, and he admitted
they were being punished “justly.”
(4) The thief acknowledged the
innocence of Christ. He knew and declared that Jesus had done
“nothing amiss.” And let's remember, Jesus was being crucified for
his affirmation of being the “Son of the Blessed One” (Mark
14:61-62). Jesus' claim to be the Son of God was the excuse the
Jewish leaders used to crucify Him. When the thief
declared Jesus' innocence he acknowledged that he knew Jesus' claim
to be the son of God was the truth. The robber’s statement,
therefore, is basically an acknowledgement of the truth of Jesus’
claim to be the Son of God.
(5) The penitent thief believed that
Christ was a “king,” and that his crucifixion would not be the end
of Jesus' life. Let's recall his words, "Jesus, remember me
when thou comest in thy kingdom". This man knew they were
going to physically die, yet he asked Jesus to remember him when he
came into His kingdom. The thief therefore had to believe in
the resurrection of the dead. One must ask how this man would
know of these things without being taught.
(6) He was confident that Jesus would
be able to bless him when he arrived in His kingdom. At the very
least, these expressions indicate that the thief believed it was
possible to have association with the Lord after both of them were
dead. This man knew that even though he and Jesus were going
to die, there was something beyond the cross for both of them.
This man hanging beside our Lord had
a lot of information. It is highly unlikely that this man
received this amount of instruction while hanging on the cross.
It is entirely possible and even probable, that this man had been
exposed to some earlier teaching concerning Jesus Christ.
Let's consider this scenario. Is it
not possible that this man could have been a disciple of John the
Baptist, or of Jesus Christ Himself, or of one of Christ’s disciples
as they went forth teaching (Matthew 10:5; Luke 10:1)? If such were
the case, the man might well have been baptized for the forgiveness
of his sins on some past occasion (Mark 1:4; John 4:1-2).
While we can never be certain this side of eternity, there is
sufficient evidence to draw the conclusion that it is possible.
At the very least, given the amount of information this man
possessed concerning Christ, no one can rightfully make the dogmatic
statement: “The thief had never been baptized.” That is an unknown
factor. He might well have been an “erring child of God” at this
point.
The Bible never tells us for sure
whether or not the thief was baptized. The Bible never says the
thief was baptized. It also never says he wasn't.
Anyone using the thief on the cross to support the doctrine of
salvation by faith alone is basing their beliefs on something that
1) does not in any way support their position and 2) is
improvable. What we need to take from this is that if
someone is going to make a decision that is going to have eternal
consequences, then they need to make those decisions based on facts
and not on assumptions. We need to make decisions that effect
our eternal souls on fact and not on guesses or feelings.
As a side note before we move along,
let's just suppose for arguments sake that the thief was not
baptized? Does that make any difference to us today? A
careful Bible student must understand that there are different
periods of history with different religious requirements. Abraham
was never commanded to be baptized or to observe the Lord’s supper.
Cain and Abel were not required to be circumcised. In today’s
era of religious history, we are not obligated to observe the
Passover, or to offer animal sacrifices. God has given different
requirements in different periods of history.
During his personal ministry, Jesus
possessed the authority to forgive men’s sins personally and
directly. For example, once while in the city of Capernaum, Jesus
encountered a man who was paralyzed. The unfortunate man had been
carried to where Christ was by four of his friends. When Jesus saw
“their faith,” he said to the Palsied man, “Son, your sins are
forgiven” (Mark 2:5). Then after Christ established his “authority”
in the matter of personally forgiving sins “on earth” (2:10), He
afterwards healed the man of his Palsy.
While Jesus was alive on earth he had
the authority to forgive sins. At the time of his death,
however, his authority to forgive sins was transferred to His
testamentary “will” (Hebrews 9:15-17). And the terms of that
covenant specify baptism as a condition for the forgiveness of sin
(Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; 22:16; 1 Peter 3:21, etc.). What that
means is that While Jesus was alive on earth, He had the authority
to forgive sins directly. Jesus is not alive on earth anymore.
He has been resurrected and now lives in heaven. What He
left behind was His new Testament or new Covenant. This new
covenant specifies how sin is to be forgiven. The thief had
his sins forgiven before Christ died on the cross. It is not
possible today for anyone to be forgiven of their sins by Jesus
Christ before He died on the cross. Whether or not the thief
was baptized or not really makes no difference to us at all.
He was forgiven under a covenant that is no longer in force today.
Hebrews 9:15-17, "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." The New Testament came into force at the
death of Christ. We are living 2000 years or so after the
death of Christ. The thief was forgiven before Christ died on
the cross. No one today can be saved 2000 years ago. No
one today can be saved before the death of Christ. We live
under the new covenant now and it says we must be baptized for the
forgiveness of our sins.
In conclusion,
The thief on the cross believed.
He had faith. He repented and confessed Jesus as Lord before
men. He had sorrow over his guilt and he changed his
mind. He asked Jesus for help and he got it. Only the
most careless and irresponsible Bible student could try and say that
the thief would have been saved by Jesus if he had not made the
response he did on that cross. If salvation were obtainable by
faith alone, then that thief could have been saved without saying or
doing anything because it is glaringly obvious from the appeal he
made to Jesus that he already had faith.
Jesus died on that cross. He
shed His blood for us that day and he died. When He died, he
left a testament in force which tells us today what we have to do to
be saved. We have to do what we know the thief did. Like
the thief on the cross, we have to believe and have faith: Hebrews
11:6, "But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he
that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a
rewarder of them that diligently seek him".
Like the thief on the cross we have
to confess Jesus Christ as the Son of God before men: Romans
10:9-10, "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord
Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him
from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth
unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto
salvation."
Like the thief on the cross we have
to Repent, we have to be sorry for our sin and turn away from it.
We have to change our way of thinking and our behavior: Luke 13:3, "I
tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish".
We must be baptized: Mark
16:16, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he
that believeth not shall be damned". Concerning being baptized
Jesus told Nicodemus, "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a
man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the
kingdom of God." Baptism in not an option. Acts
2:38, Acts 22:16 and Colossians 2:13 teach us that baptism is for
the forgiveness of sin and nobody can be saved if their sins are not
forgiven.
And after faith, repentance,
confession and baptism comes faithful living for the rest of our
lives. Living, serving and obeying God in accordance with His
will. This is called "walking in the light" and concerning
this John wrote in 1John 1:7-9, "But if we walk in the light, as
he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the
blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we
say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not
in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to
forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
We continue to walk in the light, confessing our sins when we fall
short, picking ourselves up when we fall and keep on keeping on for
life.
Instead of using the thief on the
cross incorrectly to support the false doctrine of salvation by
faith alone, we need to use his story to see how quickly, how easily
and how readily Christ wants to forgive us. The thief had been
reviling Jesus just a few hours before. He was hung on a cross
and breathing out his last few breaths on earth. His time was
up, he was lost and he knew it. In his last moments on this
earth he turned to the only person on this earth who could help him
and instead of finding someone bitter and angry, he found a savior
who was ready willing and able to accept him and offer him life.
The savior that thief turned to is the same savior we have today.
He is just as eager, willing and ready to save as he was when he was
dieing on that cross. There is no reason whatsoever anybody
should leave today without the same hope that thief had. Two
thieves died on a cross that day with Jesus Christ. As far as
we know, one of them died lost and we know for sure the other one
went to paradise with Jesus. Where do you want to go when you
die?
What About the Thief on the
Cross? Sermon Outline:
Introduction:
Many people claim the thief on the cross was saved by faith alone,
without baptism or obedience. This claim is often used to reject
God’s plan of salvation under the New Covenant. In this lesson, we
will carefully examine the thief’s example and compare it with
Christ’s commands today.
(Luke 23:39–43)
I. The Thief’s Faith and
Confession
-
The thief recognized God’s power and feared Him.
(Luke
23:40)
-
He confessed his guilt and declared Jesus’
innocence.
(Luke 23:41)
-
He addressed Jesus as “Lord,” openly confessing
Him before others.
(Luke 23:42; Luke 12:8)
-
His actions demonstrate
more than belief—they show faith expressed through confession
and humility before Christ.
II. The Thief’s Repentance
-
Repentance means a change of heart that leads to
a change of behavior.
(2
Corinthians 7:10)
-
Both thieves initially mocked Jesus.
(Matthew
27:44)
-
Later, one thief
rebuked the other and turned to Jesus—clearly showing
repentance.
(Luke 23:39–42)
-
His sorrow over sin and
his appeal for mercy show the essential elements of repentance.
III. Was the Thief Baptized?
-
The Bible never says he
was baptized—but it also never says he wasn’t.
-
He knew much about
Jesus: His innocence, kingship, and future kingdom.
(Luke
23:42)
-
His knowledge likely
came from prior teaching by John, Jesus, or His disciples.
(Mark 1:4; John 4:1–2; Luke 10:1)
-
Therefore, the claim that
he was unbaptized is based on assumption, not fact.
IV. Jesus’ Authority to
Forgive Sins
-
During His earthly
ministry, Jesus personally forgave sins.
(Mark
2:5–10)
-
Jesus extended this
forgiveness to the thief before His death.
(Luke
23:43)
-
This happened before
the New Covenant took effect.
(Hebrews
9:15–17)
-
After His death and
resurrection, forgiveness comes through obedience to His
revealed gospel.
(Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38)
V. Different Covenants –
Before and After the Cross
-
The thief lived under the
Old Covenant.
-
The New Covenant
came into effect after Jesus’ death.
(Hebrews
9:15–17)
-
Today, salvation requires:
-
Faith: Believe that Jesus is
the Son of God.
(Hebrews 11:6; John 3:16)
-
Repentance: Turn away from
sin.
(Luke 13:3; Acts 3:19)
-
Confession: Acknowledge
Christ before men.
(Romans
10:9–10)
-
Baptism: Be immersed for the
forgiveness of sins.
(Mark
16:16; Acts 22:16; 1 Peter 3:21)
-
Faithful Living: Walk in the
light and remain obedient.
(1 John
1:7–9)
VI. The True Lesson from the
Thief
-
The thief’s story shows
Jesus’ mercy and willingness to forgive.
-
He repented and confessed
his faith when it mattered most.
-
His example shows Jesus’
readiness to save those who turn to Him in faith and obedience.
-
We must not misuse his
story to justify disobedience under the New Covenant.
Call to
Action:
The thief turned to Jesus at the end of his life and found mercy.
You have the same opportunity today, but you must respond under the
covenant now in effect. Jesus calls you to believe, repent, confess,
be baptized, and live faithfully. The same Savior who forgave the
thief waits to forgive you today—if you obey His word while you
still have time.
Key Takeaways:
-
The thief showed
faith, confession, and repentance—not faith alone.
(Luke
23:40–43; 2 Corinthians 7:10)
-
The Bible is silent on his
baptism; assumption cannot replace truth.
The
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