"A THIEF, A RULER, AND YOU"

 The man is surely the most popular thief of all time. He has been the subject of countless sermons. He is the man upon whom millions have staked their salvation.

You may ask, "Why would anyone stake their salvation on a thief?" It is really kind of strange, but it is what many have done. The thief is the man in Luke 23:39-43. He died alongside of Jesus.

He said to Jesus, "Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom." Jesus replied, "Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise."

There is no doubt about this man's eternal destiny. Jesus declared that the man would be with Him in Paradise. Saved! Case closed!

But why is this man popular? It is because of what he did not do. It is rather obvious that he did not come down from his cross to be baptized. And that's what folks are staking their salvation on! Jesus commanded baptism when He gave the great commission in Mark 16:16: "He who believes and is baptized shall be saved."

But it is objected that "The thief was not baptized to be saved; therefore, I don't need to be baptized to be saved. I want to be saved like the thief was saved."

Do you think that is the proper use of the story of the thief? If you do, I want you to think about another man--a rich young ruler. He is found in Matthew 19:16-22.

This ruler asked, "What good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?" After discussing God's commands with him, Jesus told him, "Go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven."

Have you ever heard anyone say, "I want to be saved according to what Jesus told this man"? Why does no one argue that way? Because it would mean giving up all their stuff!

However, to argue that you want to be saved according to what Jesus told the ruler makes every bit as much sense as arguing that you want to be saved like the thief.

THE FINAL WORD

There is something that is neglected in both cases mentioned above. It is the principle found in Mark 2:1-12. In this case of a paralyzed man who was healed by Jesus, you quickly learn that Jesus forgave the man's sins. 

The key to understanding cases like this is found in verse 10 where Jesus said "the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins." That's it. Jesus could forgive sin; while on earth He could forgive sin in any way He chose. He had the power!

But Jesus is not on earth today. He is in heaven. He still has power to forgive, but He forgives by means of the terms He gave in the great commission. You remember, don't you? ...that thing about "He who believes and is baptized..."?

Now, what about you? Don't make the mistake of staking your salvation on the thief, or the rich young ruler. Trust Jesus. Believe His word. Obey Him. He promises salvation to all who will follow Him ... all the way to the water!

“IMPORTANCE OF DOCTRINE”

Doctrinal knowledge is the foundation of true religion. It is here asserted, not merely that doctrinal knowledge is of great importance in religion, that it enlightens, strengthens, and confirms the Christian in his duties and his hopes, but that it is the foundation of true religion, — that, without which the thing cannot exist, and all pretension to it is either delusion or hypocrisy. This will be sufficiently evident to every reader who candidly considers the following facts.

The duties of the Bible are founded upon its doctrines. What God has required his creatures to do, He has not arbitrarily required but required for good and sufficient reasons. These reasons are found in the doctrines which He has revealed. 

The duty of loving God is founded upon the doctrine that He is supremely good. If He was not a good Being, it could not be the duty of creatures to love Him. And if He was not the best of all beings, it could not be their duty to love Him supremely.

The duty of repentance is founded upon the doctrine that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” If mankind are not sinners, they have nothing to repent of. And the question respecting the extent of their sinfulness, must obviously settle the question respecting the extent to which repentance is a duty.

The duty of faith in Christ depends upon the doctrine that he is the true Messiah. Unless He is, as He claims to be, the Son of God, unless He actually "made his soul an offering for sin," and unless "He is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by him," it cannot be the duty of perishing sinners to trust in Him as their Saviour.

The duty of submission to the will of God under trials, depends upon the doctrine that God governs the world in righteousness. If there is any event which takes place without His agency and in opposition to His wise and holy purposes, we cannot be under obligation to be reconciled to it. True submission to the will of God under trials, is nothing more or less than submission to these things, so far as the design and hand of God are in them.

It is generally agreed that prayer is a duty. But this cannot be a fact unless the doctrine of our dependence upon God is true. If there is any respect in which we are not dependent on God, in that respect it cannot be our duty to pray.

It is our duty to love our neighbor as ourselves, to love our enemies, to pray for them, and to do them all the good in our power. But all these duties are founded upon the doctrine of disinterested affection. If it is right, as some pretend, to make our own interest or pleasure the principal object of our regard, it cannot be our duty to love others as ourselves. If, as is often asserted, mankind is incapable of exercising a disinterested affection, it cannot be their duty to love their enemies; for it is impossible that a known enemy should be embraced by any other than a disinterested affection. 

Written in 1832: Anonymous 

“BEFORE and AFTER”

AFTER JESUS’ RESURRECTION AND ASCENSION: When Peter and John taught, the Jews “…were astonished at the confidence with which they taught and recognized that they had been with Jesus.” (Acts 4:13)

BEFORE JESUS’ RESURRECTION AND ASCENSION: Following Jesus’ arrest, Peter followed ‘afar off’. One of the bystanders came up and said to Peter, “Surely you too are one of them; for even the way you talk gives you away.” — (Matthew 26:73).

In both instances, Peter’s speech associated him as having been with Jesus. In both instances, we see ‘boldness’ in Peter’s speech. Yet, there is a glaring difference…FEAR OF DEATH. Note a change in Peter’s fear of dying…what prompted it?

Notice the change in Peter’s own reaction to his speech. In the “BEFORE” instance, Peter “…went out and wept bitterly.” (Matthew 26:75) Why?

In the “AFTER” instance, when threatened, Peter rejoiced that he “… had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name…and…kept right on teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.” (Acts 5:41-42)

What about those whose speech associate them as ‘having been with Jesus’? Does your FEAR OF DEATH, dictate your speech

How can a change in your fear of dying take place? It will be the same as with Peter. He said, “…we must OBEY God…God of our fathers raised up Jesus…He is the one whom God exalted to His right hand as a Prince and a Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. And we are witnesses of these things; and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given TO THOSE WHO OBEY HIM.” (Acts 5:29-32).

"GOD'S OMNISCIENCE of the WHAT IF'S..."

“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes…For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.” (Matthew 11:21, 23).

This passage contains a tremendously important concept. This text is not merely another in a long string of woes pronounced in Scripture against those who reject God's word, although it IS that to be sure. It also addresses what we might call “contingent knowledge”; i.e., God knows what would be done in various circumstances that did not, in fact, occur – just as He knows what will happen even though it has not yet happened. It gives new meaning to the word “omniscient”. God knows not only what has been and what is and what will be, but He also knows what would have been under different circumstances; He has knowledge of the contingent. He knows what Sodom would have done if Sodom had seen the miracles: Sodom would have repented.

 

Many people have speculated about the fate of those who have not had opportunity to hear the gospel, or pose some hypothetical question like “what if…someone is hit by a falling tree before they can be baptized?” My answer: “I don’t know. But God does!” More important, God knows what I would do if given opportunity. It is very likely based, at least in part, on the best predictor of future behavior: past behavior. How have I responded to opportunities presented by God’s grace and His revelation in the past?

 

How about you? God’s ultimate judgment takes into account God’s perfect knowledge of events and God’s perfect knowledge of the contingent. He knows what would have been under different circumstances, which guarantees that God’s judgment on the last day will be perfect. There is no factor He hasn’t taken into account.

“LYDIA’S CONVERSION”

We find the conversion of Lydia in Acts 16:13-15. As we examine her conversion, we find the same pattern as in all previous cases. Her conversion involved her “calling upon the name of the Lord.” This was necessary as the prophecy made by Joel, (and quoted by the apostle Peter in Acts 2:21), is now in effect. All who come the Lord must call upon His name. "Calling” has never been by a prayer to God, asking Him for pardon. Previously, in the book of Acts we have found people who were religious, devout, and praying individuals prior to hearing of salvation through Jesus, but upon hearing this good news, they responded in the following manner: They believed what was proclaimed about Jesus, (i.e., that He had been made both Lord and Christ – Acts 2:36). They repented of their past sins, because Jesus commanded it (Luke 24:47). They confessed their faith in Jesus as the Son of God (Acts 8:37; Rom. 10:9-10). They were also immersed in water, for Jesus had commanded everyone to be buried in the likeness of His death (Romans 6:4-5). This constituted the “form of doctrine” to be obeyed (Romans 6:17-18). This constituted the pattern of "calling upon His name” as recorded in Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-16; and Luke 24:44-49.

Notice the facts provided of Lydia’s conversion: First, the description given of her prior to her hearing of Jesus. It is said that she “worshiped God”. She was a religious person. Yet even though she was religious, she lived AFTER Christ’s resurrection from the dead. This is significant. Remember the Hebrew writer in Hebrews 9:15-17 explained that the old covenant (i.e., the Law of Moses) was no longer in effect, being replaced by a new covenant. What the Law could not provide by animal blood, Jesus did by the shedding of His blood (Acts 4:12).

To ‘call upon’ is to make an appeal for help. Paul appealed to Caesar to rule on the charges made against him (Acts 25:11). Paul himself called upon Jesus’ name (Acts 22:16). He taught that calling was impossible apart from belief and that belief required hearing God’s will. (Romans 10:14, 17). Jesus preached His Father’s will (John 12:49; 17:8). Jesus commanded that “repentance and remission of sins” were to be proclaimed IN HIS NAME, (i.e., by His authority – Luke 24:47). This command took effect in Jerusalem on Pentecost (ibid).

THOUGHT QUESTIONS: 

About what did Paul speak to her? We can know by what is recorded of Lydia after hearing Paul speak. It says, “And when she was baptized, and her household...”. We can accurately conclude that when Paul spoke to her, he commanded her to be baptized. We can also accurately conclude that this, in part, was how she attended to the things spoken by Paul. The text demands these conclusions. Her heart was opened by the word of the Lord, for faith cometh by hearing the word of God (Romans 10:17). Through her repentance and immersion in water, she “...attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul.”

We might ask also regarding her baptism, for what PURPOSE was she and her household baptized? The New Testament is consistent as to baptism’s PURPOSE.

·    Romans 6:3-5 – baptism is for the PURPOSE of an unsaved person undergoing a burial in the likeness of Christ’s death; one cannot be raised up to walk in newness of life without this planting in the likeness of Christ’s death.

· Galatians 3:27 – in baptism, one “puts on” Christ. Christ is not “put on” before and without baptism.

·   Acts 22:16 – sins are said to be “washed away” by baptism in water.

·   1 Peter 3:21 – water baptism is said to be a “like figure” of salvation. Water, in some way ‘saved’ Noah’s family. In whatever way it ‘saved’ them, it ‘saves’ all today in a ‘like-figure’.

Having shown these passages, let us now notice what the Bible does NOT say about the PURPOSE of baptism. The Bible does NOT say that baptism is to be performed on one who is “already saved”. Baptism is never said to be a church “ordinance” to be performed upon some who was saved at the point of their faith, for faith alone does not justify (James 2:17-26).

The Bible is clear that remission follows baptism, rather than precedes it. Lydia was immersed in water, because Paul commanded it of her. That is the only conclusion any honest inquirer can come to. She was not baptized to “outwardly show” what had already taken place “inwardly”. She was not baptized to be added to a denominational body, for none existed. She was not “in Christ” before her immersion, even though she was a worshiper of God. Paul preached the same message to her that Peter preached to the Jews on the Day of Pentecost. The Lord ‘opened her heart’ in the same way that everyone’s heart is ‘opened’.

“WHILE MEN SLEPT”

“Another parable set he before them, saying, the kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man that sowed good seed in his field: but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares also among the wheat, and went away...” (Matthew 13:24-25).

This parable is explained in vss. 36-42. The focus of this article is v. 25. It concerns those who slept. While the explanation of the article defines the sower, the field, the enemy, the wheat, the tares, the harvest, and the reapers, it does not identify who these were that slept. Therefore, we must rely on the expanded context in the chapter, and remote contexts which will identify them. This will also identify for us the pattern of Satan’s work amidst the Lord’s work.

The explanation of the parable indicates that the men who slept were among the owner’s own servants.  They are identified in v. 38 as the ‘sons of the kingdom’ (i.e., God’s own people). The Son of man had sown good seed which would produce wheat (good seed). Isaiah and Jeremiah pictured Israel as a choice vine planted by God in His vineyard (cf. Isaiah 5:1-4). Yet this vine turned degenerate. “I had planted thee a noble vine, wholly a right seed: how then art thou turned into the degenerate branches of a foreign vine unto me?” (Jeremiah 2:21). This picture of the nation of Israel gives us a bigger picture of how to interpret the many parables of the kingdom of heaven taught by Jesus. This concept of planting a seed is used in connection with the word of God (cf. 1 Cor. 3:6; James 1:21; 1 Peter 1:23).

That those who slept in v. 25 were those among God’s own people is seen from Jesus’ answer to the disciples’ question (cf. vss. 10-15). For example, in v. 15, Isaiah’s prophecy was of those among the nation of Israel (God’s people) who had become dull in their understanding. We know that the majority of God’s people Israel in the O. T. fell because of unbelief. The majority hardened their hearts against God and His statues (cf. Romans 11:25). In essence, they ‘went to sleep’. Paul was referring to them in 1 Corinthians 10. Satan did his damage while Israel lusted, played, committed fornication, made trial of Jehovah, and murmured. By the time they awoke from their spiritual sleep, there was no remedy (cf. 2 Chronicles 36:15-16). Only a remnant took heed to their ways, remaining awake. As the apostle Paul noted, ‘only a remnant was spared’ (cf. Isaiah 1:9; Romans 9:27).

The story has been played out again and again. Those who know that their Lord could return at any time and day, know to, “…awake out of sleep: for now is salvation nearer to us than when we first believed” (Romans 13:11). They redeem the time, knowing the days are evil (Ephesians 5:16).

This sleep is manifest in marital responsibilities, as spouses endure/tolerate one another in the relationship, but don’t cultivate their love for each another. They sleep in their pursuit of satisfaction of the flesh (cf. 1 John 2:15-17). The children will also suffer. They experience the absence of a warm and loving environment. The children are being trained nonetheless; trained in self-centeredness. When they come of age, God and His word is no longer sought, but endured/tolerated.  By the time parents realize this (awake), there is no remedy. The elders may be called in; the preacher may be called in; panic will set in…only to realize too late, that while they slept, the enemy already came in.

Today, as in Malachi’s day, worship has become a weariness to the majority of God’s people (Malachi 1:13). They render to God an offering, but it is a lame offering. Personal study of God’s will is absent from their daily routine, their prayers are amiss, and they murmur in their tents. There is no joy in their life. Consequently, they long for a ‘return to their Egypt’ for their old life of sin was more pleasurable (cf. Numbers 14:3-4; Hebrews 11:26). While they sleep, the enemy is planting tares.

We must realize that Satan’s success at sowing tares among the wheat is due to spiritual sleep: i.e., indecision (1 Kings 18:21); procrastination (Proverbs 26:14), and lukewarmness (Revelation 3:16). Those who are presently “limping between two masters” (Luke 16:13) are asleep (cf. Romans 11:8). Satan’s work will never be known until the tares have taken root. They will grow alongside the wheat until the harvest.

As has always been the case, the number of those ‘awake’ are in the minority. “Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace.” (Romans 11:5). They are the wheat, who must grow amidst the tares. They plant, water, but they must also hoe weeds (Romans 16:17-18) because the laborers are too few (Luke 10:2). Few will enter the gate to eternal life because it is ‘straitened’. It requires seeking, not sleeping (Matthew 7:13-14). For this same reason, “many are called, but few chosen” (Matthew 22:14).

 

“CHEAP GRACE”

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German pastor and theologian (1906-1945), was asked in 1943 how it was possible for the church to sit back and let Hitler seize absolute power. His firm answer: “It was the teaching of cheap grace.” He wrote in THE COST OF DISCIPLESHIP:

“Cheap grace is the grace we bestow upon ourselves. Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, communion without confession, absolution without personal confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ.”

It’s like receiving forgiveness without truly turning away from wrongdoing or following Christ wholeheartedly. Bonhoeffer emphasized the need for costly grace, which involves genuine repentance, discipleship, and a willingness to take up one’s cross in following Jesus. We live in a time and culture that not only teaches cheap grace but praises it.

The apostle Peter described costly grace as follows: “For the grace of God hath appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us, to the intent that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly and righteously and godly in this present world…” (Titus 2:11-12).