LifeWay Explore the Bible Series for May 20: He offers salvation: Believe

LifeWay Explore the Bible Series for May 20: He offers salvation: Believe focuses on Luke 23:32-49.

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The thief on the cross gives me such hope. His story, found in Luke 23:39-43, magnifies the grace of God and reminds us that the mercy of the cross gives hope for salvation to everyone alive, for as long as they are alive. If I ever doubt the power of the gospel to save someone, I can go to this passage and be encouraged that God is mighty to save.

When we meditate upon this man’s story, we are reminded of the simplicity of salvation. In our day, we have a tendency to augment the salvation experience with stuff. Not all of this stuff is bad. In fact, some of it is very good. But in the end, everything apart from repentance and faith in Jesus is unnecessary for salvation.

Consider the setting. No church building, no stage or altar. They were out on a hill in a place of execution. No dimmed lights, no soft music. Just the sounds of mockers and scoffers, chanting crowds and grunting soldiers.

Are you ever tempted to put off sharing Jesus because the place doesn’t seem appropriate? I’ll admit to having that thought at times. Maybe I don’t think the place is quiet enough or private enough. Maybe I’m afraid too many distractions are present.

Sometimes we can get into a mindset that acts as if there are temples today, just like in the Old Testament, and we have to get to one of these temples in order to meet the Lord. Even our use of the word “sanctuary” in our church buildings betrays this mistaken mindset. We consider some places to be where God works: the worship center, the Sunday School room, the preacher’s living room, the tabernacle at the Christian camp, etc.

But we know when Jesus died the temple veil was torn from top to bottom, God’s tangible expression of a new truth: No physical, geographic location is more holy than any other. Like Jesus foretold to the women at the well, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father … . The hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth” (John 4:21, 23).

If a man can be saved on Golgotha, then anyone can be saved anywhere. Don’t wait until you think you’re in the right place. The right place to share the gospel is anywhere you find a lost person.

Consider, also, the methodology. How did Jesus go about leading the thief on the cross to salvation? Was it the Romans Road? Nope. Paul’s letter to the Roman Christians hadn’t been written. Was it the F.A.I.T.H. outline or the line of questions taught by Evangelism Explosion? Or perhaps the thief on the cross came to faith at the climactic conclusion of a sermon, singing “Just As I Am,” walking an aisle and taking the hand of an altar counselor? No. Was it a baptism? As precious as the ordinance of baptism is, it does not save.

I’m a fan of evangelism training, and I think every Christian should be ready to give a reason for hope that is in them. We should be prepared to share the gospel, and there are many evangelistic training programs that help us in that process. I believe in inviting people to respond to the gospel call in every sermon. I think baptism is an important step of obedience for everyone who is saved. But the account of the thief on the cross reminds us methodology and message must not be confused.


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Quite apart from any formal method, the man who asked Jesus to remember him in the kingdom was responding to the gospel message. He was an eyewitness to the Son of God being crucified by sinful man. He saw Jesus’ purity of heart while he endured mocking and suffering, heard him ask, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (23:34).

That man didn’t hear a formal sermon preaching the gospel story. He saw the gospel story with his eyes, heard it with his own ears, even felt it as he realized that the deserved agony he was experiencing on his cross was being shared willingly by this innocent man on the cross next to him.

The gospel message has the power to save. The power of salvation rests solely in the message of Christ crucified, not in any rote recitation of words or any center aisle in a church house or favorite hymn after a sermon or even in a baptismal fount.

Lastly, consider the person. He was just moments from his death. A condemned criminal, he was certainly undeserving. How would he ever be able to repay the Lord for his forgiveness? How would he serve the church? What would he do to even the scales after receiving such a gift of grace?

He would never repay the Lord; none of us will. He would never balance those scales; none of us will. When we remember that Jesus saved a thief on a cross, we should remember that none of us is saved because of what we can do for God. Our salvation is entirely about what God has done for us in Christ.

For that reason, we should never attempt to figure out what kind of person we should tell about Jesus. As far as the Lord is concerned, there are two kinds of people: lost and found. We are to take the gospel to every lost person.

Do you trust the gospel story to save? Do you believe the message of Jesus Christ, his death and resurrection, is sufficient to save? Do you think there’s anyone beyond the reach of the Lord? Can salvation really be that, well, simple? If we believe the story of the thief on the cross, then we must answer in the affirmative. Don’t discriminate based on setting, method or person. Share Jesus everywhere, every way, with everyone.


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