Re-read the very short narrative of the Thief on the Cross on Luke 23:39-43
Note the focus of both thieves on the cross.
Thief #1: Salvation ONLY
If he got freed by Christ, it is natural to expect that he would go back to his old lifestyle of thievery and robbing people. There was no remorse nor intention to repent, no commitment to be submitted to the King, no interest in the things of God! This pretty much describes the many who seem to come to Christ today. How many people do you know who just want the salvation that Christ can give but with no intention to submit to Him as Lord and make a definite commitment to be consistent in that mindset?
So this thief did NOT get what he wanted at all. Neither will anyone who is like-minded.
Thief #2: Lordship PRIMARILY
Guess what? He was the one that got saved!!!
What profound theology this demonstrates! At the heart of true salvation is Lordship and not necessarily the desire for salvation. So whoever preaches that Lordship is not necessary for salvation must be reading from a different Bible, and God is NOT the author.
God's Biblical priority is RELATIONSHIP and NOT SALVATION. Salvation through forgiveness is simply the first and necessary step to get into that relationship.
"Believe in the LORD, Jesus Christ AND you will be saved". Note the construction of the sentence. The objective is "be saved", but the means to be saved is: to recognized Jesus Christ as Lord first and then believe in Him!
In John 6:26-27, Jesus criticized the crowds that were following Him just because He can feed them with bread. They were seeking Him for what they can get and nothing else. They were seeking Him for a temporal instead of an eternal purpose.
This places ANYONE who claims to be Christian, but does not demonstrate that Jesus Christ is Lord of his life, in jeopardy of Christ's warning in Matthew 7:21-23,
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
The story and it's interpretation is consistent with our theological framework with the chief end of man: The Great Commandment also found in Luke 10:25-28 (where loving God and loving others truly is a life style) and the chief end of God: creating a people of faith who would love him back the way he loves them!!! The salvation of the thief on the cross clearly completes that cycle of give-and-take (or take-and-give) and creates the love relationship that God desires and planned from the foundation of the world. No one can love his neighbor if they do not truly love God first. One cannot love God without making him Lord of his life.
Christian, are you living a life style that shows that Jesus is your Lord and are you obedient to His will as revealed in His Word?
Note the focus of both thieves on the cross.
Thief #1: Salvation ONLY
“Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!”
The one who riled or hurled insults at Christ KNEW that He was the Messiah. He had quite enough knowledge about who Christ claimed to be and the signs and wonders He wrought during his brief ministry. However, this thief wanted ONLY salvation from his predicament and NOTHING ELSE.If he got freed by Christ, it is natural to expect that he would go back to his old lifestyle of thievery and robbing people. There was no remorse nor intention to repent, no commitment to be submitted to the King, no interest in the things of God! This pretty much describes the many who seem to come to Christ today. How many people do you know who just want the salvation that Christ can give but with no intention to submit to Him as Lord and make a definite commitment to be consistent in that mindset?
So this thief did NOT get what he wanted at all. Neither will anyone who is like-minded.
Thief #2: Lordship PRIMARILY
“Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
The repentant thief's very words simply focused on Lordship. There is no mention of salvation in any of his short statements on the cross. The only thing that stands out is his recognition of Jesus Christ as Lord. He did not even pray any of the sinner's prayers we have heard in many evangelistic presentations.Guess what? He was the one that got saved!!!
What profound theology this demonstrates! At the heart of true salvation is Lordship and not necessarily the desire for salvation. So whoever preaches that Lordship is not necessary for salvation must be reading from a different Bible, and God is NOT the author.
God's Biblical priority is RELATIONSHIP and NOT SALVATION. Salvation through forgiveness is simply the first and necessary step to get into that relationship.
"Believe in the Lord, Jesus Christ..."
In the book of Acts 16:31, Paul declares in the most concise statement on how to be saved to answer the jailer's question, "What must I do to be saved?"."Believe in the LORD, Jesus Christ AND you will be saved". Note the construction of the sentence. The objective is "be saved", but the means to be saved is: to recognized Jesus Christ as Lord first and then believe in Him!
Getting vs. Giving
We should come to Christ not only for what we can get but for what we can give as well, Desiring salvation only betrays that we only come to Him for what we can get. But making Him Lord is coming to Him to give ourselves to Him. He gave Himself up for us all, we should give ourselves up to Him too.In John 6:26-27, Jesus criticized the crowds that were following Him just because He can feed them with bread. They were seeking Him for what they can get and nothing else. They were seeking Him for a temporal instead of an eternal purpose.
This places ANYONE who claims to be Christian, but does not demonstrate that Jesus Christ is Lord of his life, in jeopardy of Christ's warning in Matthew 7:21-23,
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
The story and it's interpretation is consistent with our theological framework with the chief end of man: The Great Commandment also found in Luke 10:25-28 (where loving God and loving others truly is a life style) and the chief end of God: creating a people of faith who would love him back the way he loves them!!! The salvation of the thief on the cross clearly completes that cycle of give-and-take (or take-and-give) and creates the love relationship that God desires and planned from the foundation of the world. No one can love his neighbor if they do not truly love God first. One cannot love God without making him Lord of his life.
Christian, are you living a life style that shows that Jesus is your Lord and are you obedient to His will as revealed in His Word?
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