Problem

Did the Thief Repent unto Salvation?

Luke 23:43 - And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.
Matthew 27:44 - The thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth.
Mark 15:32 - Let Christ the King of Israel descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe. And they that were crucified with him reviled him.

Matthew and Mark say the thieves "reviled" Jesus and "cast the same in their teeth" but Luke teaches one the the thieves repented. John was present at Jesus crucifixion and gives no account of a death bed conversion.


Solution

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84%
15%

84%

This is another case of different perspectives.

Both Matthew and Mark show that the two thieves did revile Jesus. Yet, when one thief saw everything that had been done to Jesus and all the mocking spewed at Jesus, even from himself, and seeing how Jesus responded, hearing the first few words of Jesus (Luke 23:34; John 19:26), that the thief understood that Jesus did nothing wrong to deserve death and he repented, believed in Jesus Christ, and confessed his faith (Luke 23:41-43; Rom. 10:9).

And really, that is all one needs to do in order to be saved. The thief never had the opportunity to be baptized or change his way of life, or do any thing that a Christian should do when living one’s life, but God knew that in his heart he truly repented of sins, believed and confessed the Lord Jesus Christ. For God, that was all that was needed.

Now as for John’s account of the Crucifixion. The reason why it was not mentioned in his account was because “there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen”(John 21:25), and “many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.” (John 20:30-31).

And that is exactly what the thief on the cross did. Give Praise and Glory and Love to our Lord God Jesus Christ.

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