Forgivness is complete.

Opening statement: One of the hardest things for me growing up was the fact that fogginess was a complete task that Christ had done.

Testimony: Raised in a church that preached you could lose your salvation if you were not good enough. Genuinely struggled with the idea that I had to be good enough at all times or I was not worth it.

Goal: If the thief on the cross was forgiven, we can be forgiven too.

Luke 23:32–43 (ESV)

Two others, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him. And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments. And the people stood by, watching, but the rulers scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One!” The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” There was also an inscription over him, “This is the King of the Jews.”

One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

Who were the thieves?

A Walk with God: Luke 101. The Crucifixion (Luke 23:32–43)

Crucifixion was a method of execution originally practised in the East but adopted by the Romans to punish serious crimes. It was not inflicted on Roman citizens, but was reserved for slaves, pirates, and religious and political rebels.

So by this fact we know that these two thieves were not just run of the mill thieves but hardened criminals that were being used as an example.

He states he knows he deserves to be on the cross in one of the two sentences the bible records.

“Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.”

The two request from the thieves

A Walk with God: Luke 101. The Crucifixion (Luke 23:32–43)

Save yourself and us!’ It was his last hope, but was obviously done in a disbelieving, sneering way, for the other thief rebuked him and said, ‘Don’t you fear God, since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong’ (23:40–41).

Save your self and us!

A Walk with God: Luke 101. The Crucifixion (Luke 23:32–43)

Then he said to Jesus, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom’ (23:42). This man was being crucified as a criminal, but as he looked at Christ, through the Holy Spirit, he saw more than a fellow sufferer; he recognized his Redeemer and he made a confession of faith. He has recognized in Jesus his own King and he submits himself to him, calling him Lord.

Remember me when you come with your kingdom.

One was rebuked the other was accepted. Why?

The first thief mocked Jesus. He did not believe that he would/could. We see this as the previous verses take place. The leaders the rulers the guards etc were all mocking Him.

The thief on the cross feared God and asked to be Saved by the Lord of all.

What happened after this request?

Christ said that He was forgiving him.

43 And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Lk 23:43.

That is it. That is the entire story.

If we believe that Jesus was being truthful here ( He is God so he cannot lie.) He was not only forgiving this mans sins, he was making it abundantly clear that this man would be in heaven that day.

2. He died. Crucifixion was a sure way to kill some one in a gruesome way. This man died later that day.

Why is this important?

What did not happen after this account?

He did not get off the cross.

He did not get baptised

He did not apologize

He did not make amends for his actions

He did not preach to the people like the disciples.

He did not do good works.

He did nothing extra and yet he is in heaven with the rest of the super christians.

Why is this possible?

English Standard Version Chapter 3

22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

English Standard Version Chapter 5

5 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

We have peace with God through his loving sacrifice

While we were weak, God died for us

While we were ungodly Christ died for us

While we were sinners Christ Justified us

While were the enemies of God, His son came and died for us and paid our debt.

What does this not mean.

6 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For one who has died has been set free from sin. 8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Ro 6:1–11.

We are not to use this as an excuse to sin and live ungodly. In fact this is freedom to do good and allow ourselves to know are standing with God. We do not have to live to sin and death and shame for we are forgiven.

I believe that Christians are the first people to forget and condemn others and ourselves if we do not meet the standard we put on others.

There is no condemnation.

English Standard Version Chapter 8

8 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh,

For our past, for our current struggles, for our future mistakes.

It is a process to look like Christ but we are promised that we are loved by Jesus and the salvation we have is ours. The thief on the cross is in heaven right now. He has been their since he died as Jesus promised Him.

This same Jesus promises us that we are 100% saved and in Him the moment of our salvation.

Will you find the freedom in that? Will you stop judging those who are not “meeting your standard”. Will you take advantage of the grace given and not live a life of forgiveness?