The
thief on the cross
Some will ask, “Well, what about
the thief on the cross? He wasn’t baptized and Jesus very clearly told
him he would be in paradise. Doesn’t that prove baptism is not essential for
salvation?”
This is a perfectly valid question
and makes sense at first glance. However, the problem arises from not having a
clear understanding of what baptism represents and what the scriptures tell us
about it. According to Romans 6:3-6, baptism represents being unified with
Christ in His death, burial and resurrection. The
problem with the thief on the cross when Jesus told him he would be with Him in
paradise, is that Jesus was still alive. Christ had not yet died
or been buried, so He had certainly not risen yet either. Baptism
into Christ was not put into practice until Pentecost chapter 2 after
Christ had risen from the dead and ascended to heaven.
I) The thief on the cross was
still under the Old Covenant and therefore not subject
to this baptism. He was saved just like anyone else under the Old Covenant.
. . .
II) But besides that,
when Christ was on this earth, He had the authority to forgive people of their
sins. Look at Mark 2:9-12:
Which is easier to tell the
paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven;’ or to say, ‘Arise, and take up your bed,
and walk? ‘But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth
to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic—“I tell you, arise, take up your
mat, and go to your house.” He arose, and immediately took up the mat, and went
out in front of them all; so that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying,
“We never saw anything like this!”
When Christ was on the cross, He
was still on this earth. And He had the authority to forgive sins.
III)
See also Mark 1:4-5—who can really say the thief on the cross was never
baptized in the first place? (Jeff McFadden, One Baptism [2006], 118)
