By:  Nana Yaw Aidoo

The record of the thief who was saved by Christ is as follows;

There were also two others, criminals, led with Him to be put to death. And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left…Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him saying, “If you are the Christ, save Yourself and us.” But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, “Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.” (Luke 23:32-43)

The Prophet Isaiah, 700 years before Christ was born, spoke about this incident as if it had already happened. “And they made His grave with the wicked…” (Isa.53:9). This should give us confidence that the Bible as we have it today is indeed the word of God.

As for the thief, it seems he and his counterpart were of the same mind, in their reviling of Jesus Christ. (Mark 15:32). However, after sometime, he apparently changed his mind about Jesus Christ, whereas the other criminal continued in his derision of the Son of God. We have no idea why the thief changed his mind but change he did and this change of mind led to him receiving eternal salvation. Some religious people argue that, since the thief was not baptized but yet received eternal salvation, likewise men living today can receive salvation even if they do not get baptized. “Therefore” say they “baptism is not essential to salvation.”

However, it is nothing but pure speculation to say that the thief was not baptized. A careful look at what transpired on the cross challenges that idea. His knowledge of spiritual issues and his faith, even surpassed the apostles who had been with Christ for some three and a half years and from Luke’s account, we gather that;

1. The thief believed in and feared God. (v.40).
2. The thief knew that Jesus Christ was sinless. (v41).
3. The thief knew that Jesus was “Lord.” (v42).
4. The thief knew that death was not the end for both Jesus Christ and himself. (v42).
5. The thief knew that the death of Christ meant He would come in His kingdom. (v42).

These points, especially the last one, show a faith and knowledge, which surpassed that of the apostles. The apostles fled and went into hiding when Christ was arrested, thinking all was lost. Even after the resurrection, they still thought the kingdom would be a physical one, the commonly held view at the time. (Acts 1:6).

That was not the case however, with the thief. He knew and believed things the apostles of Christ, at the time of the death of Christ, didn’t know and believe. Did he learn all of these spiritual truths on the cross? Highly doubtful! Roman crucifixion was such that, it is impossible to imagine our Lord giving a six-hour lecture on the kingdom in such a condition.

Most likely, the thief learnt these truths whiles he was a free man. He probably learnt them either from John’s preaching (Matt.3:1-2), Jesus’ preaching (Matt.4:17), the preaching of the disciples of John (John 3:25), the preaching of the twelve (Matt. 10ff), the preaching of the seventy disciples of Christ (Luke 10ff) or from all of them. If that is the case, and that the thief learnt about Christ and His kingdom whiles  he was a free man, is it beyond the realm of possibility that he was a part of “all the land of Judea, and those from Jerusalem” who went out to John to be baptized by Him in the Jordan River (Mark 1:5) or by the disciples of Christ (John 4:1-2)? All who believed in the message of the kingdom, allowed themselves to be baptized. Who can say with certainty that the thief wasn’t a part of this number?

The point is that, all who claim the thief was not baptized, have absolutely no way of knowing and proving that. It’s nothing but pure speculation to speak with certainty on this issue.

Nonetheless, even if we grant that the thief wasn’t baptized, his salvation would not and does not serve as a pattern for us in the Christian age. Without controversy, Jesus Christ came to this world to bring a new and a better covenant. The book of Hebrews plainly teaches this fact. He is said to have become a surety of a better covenant (Heb.7:22) and a Mediator of a better covenant (Heb.8:6). “Then He said, ‘Behold I have come to do Your will, O God.’ He takes away the first that He may establish the second.” (Heb.10:9). However, He Himself was born under the old or first covenant.

Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world. But when the fulness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. (Gal.4:3-5).

Therefore, since He came to this world to bring a new covenant and yet was born under the old one, it was necessary that He die for His covenant, the New Testament, to come into force. The Hebrews writer wrote;

For where there is a testament, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is in force after men are dead, since it has no power at all while the testator lives. (Heb.9:16-17).

Thus, everything that happened, prior to the death of Christ happened under the old covenant. This means that, the thief received salvation under the old covenant and not the new because Christ was not yet dead at this time. However, it is the case that baptism into the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit was obligated on men only after the death of Christ (Matt.28:18-19), a dispensation in which the thief never lived. Therefore, to argue against the essentiality of baptism because of the thief, is to argue against a New Testament command because of an Old Testament example.

Another thing that we need to realize is that, a testator of a will has the right to do with his will, whatever he wants, so long as he is alive. He can change it if he so wishes or handle it in any way, he deems fit. That explains why the Hebrews writer wrote that, “…a testament is in force after men are dead…” In like manner, Jesus Christ, the testator of the New Covenant had the right to do with His will or covenant, whatever He wanted to, so long as He was alive. That being the case, we see instances where He forgave the sins of people at His behest. (see Mark 2:5). The thief on the cross was not the only one who had his sins forgiven whiles Christ was on earth. Jesus Christ could do that because He was alive on earth. However, He no longer is on earth but in heaven. (Col.3:2). And He went to heaven only after His death. (Eph.4:9). Thus, His will is now in force. And in this will, He commands that men be baptized to be saved. (Matt.28:19; Mark 16:16). Jesus Christ gave the command to be baptized after He had died and resurrected. Think about this.