In this compelling episode of the International Gospel Hour, we dive deep into one of the most intriguing questions concerning salvation: the story of the thief on the cross. Host Jeff Archie examines the assumptions about the thief’s conversion, challenging common beliefs and drawing insights from the Christian scripture. This thought-provoking discussion pushes us to reconsider our understanding of salvation, repentance, and the role of baptism in a Christian’s life. Join us as we navigate through the biblical verses, exploring how the narrative of the crucified thief has historically influenced teachings on salvation. Through an earnest study of the
What about the thief on the cross? You know, that is an often asked question concerning salvation. And that is our study today from the International Gospel Hour. Stay with us.
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On Jordan’s thorny banks I stand.
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Hi, this is Jay Webb for International Gospel Hour. Welcome to our broadcast today. For over 90 years, churches of Christ have proclaimed God’s word through our broadcasts. Just ahead is another Bible-based lesson with Jeff Archie of International Gospel Hour. Let’s begin.
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Bound for the promised land.
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Well, thank you always to our J-Web for his kind words. And friends, you’ll hear from Jay throughout our broadcast with our free study offers and information about International Gospel Hour. We are blessed to have you tune in today and how honored we are each and every time that you join us for our studies here from the International Gospel Hour. It is indeed delightful, dear friends, to even think about the fine opportunity that has been afforded us by the Creator of all things to assemble or to come together, if you will, by way of this broadcast for the purpose of studying the Word of the Lord. I trust that we have set aside our petty thought and human ideas. Let’s open our hearts for the reception of God’s Word. Jesus said, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. Matthew 16, verse 24. Through our broadcast, we will do our best to give a Bible answer to any question that may arise. If I cannot give you a Bible answer, I will be frank and say so. And I will absolutely refuse to advance to you my opinion, for I am sure that your opinions are just as good as mine, if not better. I am sure that human thoughts and opinions are responsible for so many honest souls going contrary to heaven’s will. For God said that his thoughts and ways are not like man’s, Isaiah 55, 8 and 9. Therefore, when man follows his own thoughts or walks in his own ways, he can go but wrong, or he can but go wrong, for God says that his thoughts and ways are not like man’s. Our study for this time concerns the thief on the cross. We hear asked often, Preacher, the thief on the cross was saved without being baptized. Why can’t we be saved without it? First, friends, the querist said that the thief was saved without being baptized. But let me ask you something. How do you know that the thief wasn’t baptized? Now, just because he was a thief doesn’t imply that he wasn’t baptized. I know of many thieves who were baptized, and John did quite a bit of baptizing back there. Therefore, we assume absolutely too much when we assume that the thief wasn’t baptized just because he was a thief. This question, to my mind, is one of no little importance, and I am sure that it deserves close and sincere study for thousands of the religious world look upon the case of the thief on the cross as a model case of conversion under the Christian dispensation. Yes, even more it is often referred to as a model case of salvation in the kingdom of ultimate glory. Therefore, from the case of the thief on the cross, thousands are being taught that although they may have lived in sin and open rebellion against God all the days of their lives, if they can only in their last dying moments, view Jesus by faith, dying on the cross, shedding His blood for their sins, and call upon Him as the poor dying malefactor did, that all will be well, that as soon as the breath leaves their body, the Spirit shall be wafted on the balmy wings of Jesus and tenderly conveyed into the peaceful presence of God and there to dwell forever. With this teaching so imminent in our land, the hand of the wicked, friends, is being strengthened, and they continue in wickedness with the happy thought that just as the thief on the cross was wafted away to the ports of eternal glory, they too, when called from this stage of action, will leave with the bright assurance of future blessedness at God’s own right hand in heaven. Friends, such teaching is erroneous and extremely dangerous. Therefore, I earnestly ask that we give this question sincere, honest, and prayerful study. Now let us turn to Luke 23, 39-43. And one of the malefactors which was hanged railed on him, saying, If you be the Christ, save yourself 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 decision, or of our deeds. But this man has done nothing amiss. And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today that shalt thou be with me in paradise. Now, friends, I ask that we face the facts just as they are in this question without trying to bend them about to justify some petty desire of our own. It is contended by some that the thief was saved. This we neither affirm nor deny, for the Bible teaches neither. The fact in the case is, the thief that engages our attention did not ask Christ to save him anyway. He only asked him to remember him when he came into his kingdom. And Christ said unto him, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise. Because of this promise of Jesus, thousands think that as soon as the breath left their bodies, Christ and the thief were carried away to heaven, where the thief abides today. But, my friends, there is nothing further from the truth than this contention. And this contention is the result of man’s failure to rightly divide the word of truth. I admit that Christ said, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise. But where did they go that day? Christ surely didn’t go to heaven that day, for he said to himself, or he said so himself. Hear him, John 20, verse 16, when Jesus said unto her, Mary, she turned herself and said unto him, Rabbani, which is to say, Master. Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not, for I am not yet ascended to my Father. This is at least three days after his conversation with the thief on the cross, and he says, I am not yet ascended. Furthermore, according to Acts 1 in verse 3, he didn’t ascend until 40 days thereafter. This, of course, makes 43 days from the conversation between Christ and the thief and the ascension of Christ. Therefore, it is evident that Christ did not go to heaven that day, but where did he next go? He went next to the tomb of Joseph, Luke 23, 51-53, and to Hades, or hell, the unseen world. The thief went with him, for Jesus told him that today shalt thou be with me in paradise. As for the proof that Jesus went to Hades, Peter quotes David, Acts 2, 31, hear him. He, seeing this before, spake of the resurrection of Christ that his soul was not left in Hades, or hell. Neither his flesh did see corruption. How could David say that Christ’s soul was not left in Hades if he did not go there? This Hades seems to refer to the unseen abode of the spirits of the dead, the receptacle of disembodied spirits between death and the resurrection. Therefore paradise, the place or state in which Christ said that the thief would be with him that day, must be included in that unseen abode, or the Greek word Hades. It certainly could not be heaven where the Father dwells, for Christ did not go there that day himself, but he went first into the lower parts of the earth. Hear the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 4, 8-10. Wherefore he saith, when he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. Now he that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? He that descended is the same also that ascended far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.” According to history, it was understood that in the past ages that Hades was divided into two parts. First, paradise, the unseen abode of the disembodied spirits of the righteous. And secondly, Tartarus, or the unseen abode of disembodied spirits of the wicked. Hear the Apostle Paul in 2 Peter 2 and verse 4. For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, or the Greek word Tartarus here, and delivered them into chains of darkness to be reserved unto the judgment. This makes it very clear that Christ and the thief went to Hades, but it is also clear that about 43 days from the time of the conversation between Christ and the thief, Christ mounted the clouds and ascended to the Father, Acts 1, 3-11. But we do not have a record of Christ taking the thief with him, Therefore, so far as the record goes, the thief is still in Hades awaiting the great resurrection. But let us grant that the thief was saved. However, the Bible doesn’t say that he was. But for the sake of a better understanding, let us say that he was saved. Well, friends, you couldn’t be saved like him. For if he was saved, and it does appear he’s there waiting the resurrection in paradise, He was saved under the law, or the old covenant, and we are living under the new and living way, or the new covenant, which became effective after the death of Christ. Christ had not died at the time of his conversation with the thief, and the new covenant did not become effective until he did die. Hebrews 9, 15-17 Furthermore, while Christ was here on earth, he had the power to forgive sins as he pleased. In Matthew 9, verse 8, He said, But that you may know that the Son of Man hath power on earth to forgive sins. He could say, Thy sins be forgiven thee, go in peace, and sin no more, etc., before His new will became effective. But since He has died, and His new will having come into effect at His death, If we are saved today, it must be according to His will or by complying with the conditions of salvation as stipulated in the new will or the new covenant. There is no way around this, friends. So we had better come out from behind that thief on the cross and obey the Lord. Again, the question often asked is, Along the lines of, the thief on the cross was saved without being baptized, and one wants to know why we can’t be saved without it. Now, friends, in the first place, as we have said, we don’t know whether the thief was baptized or not, and that is pure assumption on one’s part that the thief wasn’t baptized. Furthermore, the thief was dead when Christ commanded baptism. Let us call the thief to record and see what he has to say about it. Let’s picture ourselves calling the thief in question regarding this matter. All right, here we go. Mr. Thief, do you know that Christ died? Answer. Sure, I know that Christ died. I was crucified with him. Thank you, Mr. Thief. But another question, if you will. Do you know that Christ was buried? The thief. No, I was dead at that time. Well, Mr. Thief, do you know that Christ rose again from the dead? Answer. Oh, I know I was dead before that time. Well, one last question. Do you know that Christ commanded baptism? The thief? Well, no, I was dead at that time. Thank you, Mr. Thief. I know that you are telling the truth, for Christ didn’t command baptism until after he had risen from the dead. Listen to Matthew 28, 18 and 19. And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. These words were spoken by the Savior after he had risen from the dead, and the thief had been dead for at least three days. The one asking the question wants to know why one can’t or why can’t we be saved without being baptized. Well, friends, you will have to see Jesus about that, for Jesus is the one who taught that baptism is a condition of salvation. Hear him from Mark 16, 16, He that believes and is baptized shall be saved, but he that believes not shall be damned. Again, John 3 and verse 5, Verily, verily, I say unto you, except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. In Acts 2 and verse 38, that Peter answered and said unto them, Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. And in Acts 22 and verse 16, when Saul was told by Ananias, And now why do you tarry? Why do you wait? Arise and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord. So my dear friends, why not give up excuses and stop trying to go around the word of the Lord? If you and I are ever saved, we must obey the Lord. The Savior is interested in you and it is not His will that any should perish, friends. So we call upon you to flee from such that are purely human in every phase and feature. And we are blessed and honored and we are glad to present to you a church founded by Jesus Christ, bought with His own precious blood, filled with His Spirit and guided by His unerring counsel. The terms of induction into it are such as you can easily understand. And I am hoping, trusting and praying that you are willing to obey them and then trust Him for the fulfillment of His every promise. If you understand these terms and are willing to accept them, we are always indeed happy to again extend to you the precious gospel call. By one putting one’s trust in Christ the Savior, sincerely repenting of every sin, publicly acknowledge one’s faith in Him as being the Son of God, and surrendering to the divine ordinance of baptism for the remission of sins, and then live faithfully thereafter to Him. If such one will do, heaven will be one’s home. Friends, we concur, we would affirm, we need to focus on the cross of Christ more than the thief on the cross. We hope this study has helped you clear some matters of an often stated example of salvation. But friends, we want you to think on these matters. And we’d like to also encourage further study in these matters. We always like to share tools from our broadcast at our International Gospel Hour. We are seed sowers, and the seed is the Word of God, Luke 8-11. We’d like to encourage you to study these matters further. We also try to help with the location of a church of Christ in your community that maybe in a one-on-one study or a discussion may help to clear things a little easier and to expedite the study and the desire you have to serve the Lord. But for now, we pause and here is our J-Web with a very special booklet we’d love to send you titled, God and Man, How to Be Saved from Sin. And here is Jay with the details.
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An additional Bible study by mail is now available from International Gospel Hour. It’s titled, God and Man, How to be Saved from Sin. This study booklet addresses a number of questions about the salvation from God to man. And friends, like all materials, it’s free. Call us toll-free at 855-444-6988 and leave your name, address, and just say, God and Man. Or you can go to our website at internationalgospelhour.com, click on the Contact tab, and leave us the same information, name, address, and type God and man in the message box. Another Bible study that is free from IGH and our friends at godandman.com. That’s god-and-man.com. And, you know, since you can’t see it, let me just spell that out for you. g-o-d-a-n-d-m-a-n.com We’d love to hear from you.
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And again, friends, we would love to send you God and Man, How to Be Saved from Sin, and we’d love to send that to you right away. Again, you can access it by mail or online. Permit me to say that our Turn Back the Clock broadcast today has allowed us to present the lesson, The Thief on the Cross, by the late R. N. Hogan. Brother Hogan lived from 1902 to 1997, a good long life, and he was one of many African-American evangelists who dealt with discrimination throughout his years of preaching, but such did not deter him. He baptized thousands, established a number of churches of Christ, and influenced over 100 men to preach the gospel. there is no doubt that his work is still carried on today. His work in the kingdom is well noted in the annals of history, in all that he provided and all that he did. It is my honor to deliver this lesson today, and we are grateful for the work of Brother R. N. Hogan, and in the spirit of Abel 11 and verse 4, although being dead, he still speaks. Yes, friends, his study about the thief on the cross. We receive that question quite often. Well, the thief on the cross wasn’t baptized. And I do believe Brother Hogan makes a very good point. The thief on the cross, friends, we really don’t know for sure. I like to ask this question. What did he steal? Was he married? What was he like? You see, a lot of that we just simply don’t know. However, we seem to know that he wasn’t baptized, but in reality we don’t. And let’s not forget how Jesus indeed, according to Matthew 9, 8, had power on earth to forgive sins. We saw him do that with the woman taken in adultery in John chapter 8. But we never say, well, she wasn’t baptized. We never make her the issue. So, friends, we’re looking at the wrong cross when we think of baptism. We need to be looking at the cross of Christ and, of course, His commands when He resurrected from the dead and before He ascended into the Father. And that’s why, friends, we will study with you either through our offers by mail, or if you would love to have a visit from someone of the Church of Christ in your community, we will do our best to arrange that. You can call us and leave us your name and number and say you’d like to have a visit, and then we will call you first and talk about it. And then we will handle that in a discreet, gracious way of which you are comfortable therein. Again, we like to encourage good Bible study material, and I want to pause and offer you another tool that we can send this to you along with God and man. We can send you two for one in the same mailing. I’m going to defer back to our J-Web with a very special little booklet. Many we have given away concerning something is wrong, but the Bible is right. Here is our J-Web once again.
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In a world of division and even confusion in the religious world, friends, please know this. The Bible is always right. The free booklet, Something is Wrong, But the Bible is Right, is available from International Gospel Hour. Please call us toll-free at 855-444-6988 and leave your name, your address, and just say, Bible Tract. That’s it. You may also go to our website at internationalgospelhour.com And again, friends, we will send you both, God and man, how to be saved from sin and the free booklet, Something is Wrong, But the Bible is Right.
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So when you call, please request for both of them and we will send them to you in the same mailing. You know, as we think about salvation and the thief on the cross and as we’ve talked about today, I’m reminded of some words that I read recently by the late Stafford North that says salvation is a partnership between God and us. God sent Christ and gave the inspired Word to tell us about Him. We need not go to heaven or Hades to seek salvation. God has provided, and it is near us. God has provided that through the Gospel of John, chapter 3, when He sent His only begotten Son into the world, John 3, 16. Our part in this matter, friends, to accept what God gave us, to believe it in our hearts and confess it with our lips. These things are not all God has told us to do, but they are the first steps in our acceptance, as we studied earlier. Then the best news, whosoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. And whether Jew or Gentile understand Christ… or under Christ, all can call on Him. This calling is not just shouting or saying, I believe, but rather God calls us through the gospel, 2 Thessalonians 2.14, and by obeying all the commands of the gospel, our faith, repentance, confession, and baptism, we accept its call. I’m mindful of a man who was in prison who heard the gospel from a fellow inmate. He accepted its call and was baptized into Christ. And then, through the mail, this prisoner converted his mother, who later converted his son. And eventually his wife accepted the gospel. And after his release from prison, he baptized his daughter. Friends, no doubt the gospel brings a better life and makes better families and gives more hope. And again, we hope our studies will help you toward that end. Maybe our study today is something you’d love to share with your family or friends. You can go to our website at internationalgospelhour.com, click on or scroll down to our 30-minute broadcast, and seek the one that says The Thief on the Cross. And you can play this once again and share this with your family and friends and study together. We strive to deliver the truth and nothing but the truth through our work here at International Gospel Hour. As we think about our study today, we hope that our study will be of help to you and is helpful. And we’re grateful to share the things that we have brought forth today from the inspired Word of God. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete or perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. 2 Timothy 3.16-17 Indeed, the scripture from the end of Genesis to the Amen of the Revelation is inspired of God, and it is our joy to study the Bible with you on our broadcast from the International Gospel Hour. Whether our weekly broadcast, as you hear at this time, but also our daily broadcast that go about 13 to 15 minutes or so, but we hope that that will be of an advantage to you as well, along with our study material. Let’s also keep in mind that God has provided unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, according to 2 Peter 1, 3, and 4, and that through His Word we have His guidance, His care, His love, and His instruction. We will take His Word and study it together at another time. But for now, friends, thank you for joining me today here on the International Gospel Hour broadcast. I’m Jeff Archie, and friends, keep listening.
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God be with you till we meet again.
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Thank you for listening to our broadcast today, and we hope you continue onward with your search and study of God’s Word. Please join us next time and visit our website at internationalgospelhour.com.
