When we look at baptism as the work of God— a tool or action designed, initiated, and empowered by the Lord to cleanse man of the disease of sin, restore him to spiritual health and save him from eternal death— we can clearly see man’s actions for what they are. Baptism is a work in which man is intimately involved, but its design comes from beyond his mind; its authority and the effective power of the act comes from another entity altogether.
Baptism comes from God; devised to achieve man’s salvation, it is God Who authorized and commanded its use. Moreover, it is by His omnipotence that it achieves what He has ordained. It is when we understand the interconnections of grace, faith and baptism with all the other elements of God’s plan that we can truly appreciate the examples, which Luke recorded for us in the book of Acts.
It is then that we can place baptism and the Holy Spirit in their proper context in each of these situations. Moreover, it is in understanding these interactions that we discover all that He accomplished through them. However, before we look at those cases we will take the time to look at another event of interest to those who seek to understand the connection between baptism and salvation— the story of the thief on the cross.
Often when one proclaims that baptism is necessary for salvation, the first response to that assertion are the questions, “What about the thief on the cross? Wasn’t he saved without baptism?” There are three accounts of the thief: in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Matthew recorded:
Then two robbers were crucified with Him, one on the right and one on the left. And those who passed by derided Him, wagging their heads and saying, "You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross." So also, the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked Him, saying, "He saved others; He cannot save Himself. He is the King of Israel; let Him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in Him. He trusts in God; let God deliver Him now, if He desires Him. For He said, 'I am the Son of God.'" And the robbers who were crucified with Him also reviled Him in the same way (Matthew 27:38-44).
The account in Mark 15:27-38 coincides in almost every detail with this account. Neither gives us any reason to think the thief was saved; in fact, both criminals crucified with Christ are only seen as reviling the Lord.
Luke, however, provides a fuller picture of what occurred between these two men at the crucifixion. The recorded exchange between the two criminals on either side of Jesus, and the words that passed between the penitent thief and our Lord, are very brief, but it is one of the more extraordinary conversations recorded in the Bible. Luke wrote:
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… 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” (Luke 23:32-33, 39-43).
As Matthew and Mark’s narratives note, both criminals, along with the crowd, originally mocked Jesus. Luke’s account goes beyond theirs, however. Apparently as the day wore on, and their pain and discomfort increased and weariness set in, the one man observed Jesus’ behavior (“Father, forgive them for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34)), and that of those around Him.
Due to his observations of the events unfolding around him, and possibly privy to other words of Christ that we are not, he had a change of heart. Why did he reconsider? What do we know of him? For one thing, he was a convicted criminal who admitted his guilt. But who was he? Was he merely a rogue, a rebellious Jew, or perhaps a wayward disciple of John? What did he know of Jesus before that day? He seems to have known something of Jesus’ innocence, and His kingdom, but whether it was gleaned only from that day’s events or previous knowledge, we cannot say.
In fact, we do not know the answer to any of these questions. We do not know the heart of the man. We know nothing except this: that he came to recognize the innocence of Jesus, that he feared God, and in the end, when both men faced certain death, indeed, when their lives were already ebbing away, he defended our Lord, and he asked Christ to remember him from His throne.
Baptism comes from God; devised to achieve man’s salvation, it is God Who authorized and commanded its use. Moreover, it is by His omnipotence that it achieves what He has ordained. It is when we understand the interconnections of grace, faith and baptism with all the other elements of God’s plan that we can truly appreciate the examples, which Luke recorded for us in the book of Acts.
It is then that we can place baptism and the Holy Spirit in their proper context in each of these situations. Moreover, it is in understanding these interactions that we discover all that He accomplished through them. However, before we look at those cases we will take the time to look at another event of interest to those who seek to understand the connection between baptism and salvation— the story of the thief on the cross.
Often when one proclaims that baptism is necessary for salvation, the first response to that assertion are the questions, “What about the thief on the cross? Wasn’t he saved without baptism?” There are three accounts of the thief: in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Matthew recorded:
Then two robbers were crucified with Him, one on the right and one on the left. And those who passed by derided Him, wagging their heads and saying, "You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross." So also, the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked Him, saying, "He saved others; He cannot save Himself. He is the King of Israel; let Him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in Him. He trusts in God; let God deliver Him now, if He desires Him. For He said, 'I am the Son of God.'" And the robbers who were crucified with Him also reviled Him in the same way (Matthew 27:38-44).
The account in Mark 15:27-38 coincides in almost every detail with this account. Neither gives us any reason to think the thief was saved; in fact, both criminals crucified with Christ are only seen as reviling the Lord.
Luke, however, provides a fuller picture of what occurred between these two men at the crucifixion. The recorded exchange between the two criminals on either side of Jesus, and the words that passed between the penitent thief and our Lord, are very brief, but it is one of the more extraordinary conversations recorded in the Bible. Luke wrote:
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… 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” (Luke 23:32-33, 39-43).
As Matthew and Mark’s narratives note, both criminals, along with the crowd, originally mocked Jesus. Luke’s account goes beyond theirs, however. Apparently as the day wore on, and their pain and discomfort increased and weariness set in, the one man observed Jesus’ behavior (“Father, forgive them for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34)), and that of those around Him.
Due to his observations of the events unfolding around him, and possibly privy to other words of Christ that we are not, he had a change of heart. Why did he reconsider? What do we know of him? For one thing, he was a convicted criminal who admitted his guilt. But who was he? Was he merely a rogue, a rebellious Jew, or perhaps a wayward disciple of John? What did he know of Jesus before that day? He seems to have known something of Jesus’ innocence, and His kingdom, but whether it was gleaned only from that day’s events or previous knowledge, we cannot say.
In fact, we do not know the answer to any of these questions. We do not know the heart of the man. We know nothing except this: that he came to recognize the innocence of Jesus, that he feared God, and in the end, when both men faced certain death, indeed, when their lives were already ebbing away, he defended our Lord, and he asked Christ to remember him from His throne.