If Christian Biblical salvation is found in the Book of Acts, how is it that the thief on the cross was saved without having to be baptized in Jesus name and receiving the Holy Ghost?
Many have asked this question of myself and other Apostolic believers who believe that the Apostles of Jesus Christ were correct in their teachings that only through repentance, baptism in Jesus name and the infilling gift of the Holy Spirit can a person be saved and ready for Heaven. After all didn’t the criminal mentioned in Luke 23:42, say to Jesus Christ as they hung dying together on their perspective crosses, “Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom”. Didn’t Jesus Christ say to him, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with me in paradise. (Luke 23:43 NIV) It sounds to me that that criminal was saved. After all doesn’t the Bible say that the Lord Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life in the gospel according to John in verse 14 in the 6th line?
That criminal was saved by the Lord that day and we do not doubt that in any way. What makes this account quite extraordinary is that the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ happened during the time of the Law of Moses. The church age of grace didn’t begin until the Day of Pentecost, which was 10 days after Christ’s ascension and 50 days after the crucifixion. That was the day that Peter preached the salvation message of the church age: Repent and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and your children and for all that are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself. (Acts 2:38-39 NIV)
Simply remember that to be saved under the Law of Moses the obeying believer had to have a high priest and a sacrifice unto God. Hanging next to that criminal was Jesus Christ, the criminal’s and our High Priest as mentioned in Hebrews 4:14, and also his and our sacrifice as mentioned in John 1:36 and again in Galatians 4:4-5. That believing criminal fulfilled the requirements of the law and was saved that day at the very last of his life!
On the Day of Pentecost, we were given a new way of walking with God with the infilling of the Holy Spirit. The power of God to overcome sin and our own fallen nature was given for the first time to humanity and with it we truly become new beings in Christ. The law could not change our fallen human nature but only exposes it. (Romans 7:11 & Galatians 3:24-27) Perhaps that criminal was one of the last humans to die saved under the law! Only the Lord knows and eternity may tell. But for now, the Lord says to us as He said to Nicodemus in John 3: You must be born again to see (which is translated perceive) the Kingdom of God which happens to include Heaven. Jesus later explained a little more when He said that you have to be born of the water and of the Spirit to enter into the Kingdom of God or in other words, enter into Heaven. Jesus Christ is very clear concerning this so great salvation.
Still others try to find salvation in the Epistles even though they were clearly written to those that were already born again into the church, not to those looking to be saved. Note that most of the Epistles begin with the statement from Paul saying “to the church at Rome, Corinth, Galatia, Thessalonica, etc”. The Apostle Paul was writing instructions of how to live God pleasing lives unto to those already in the church. Many times he was writing to churches that were being persecuted and many times tortured or killed. That is why he admonished them to confess the Lord and be saved. Note that in one of Peter’s writings to the church, he mentioned that baptism is necessary to be saved. (1 Peter 3:21)
Salvation is a gift from God which He paid for in full, but it does mention in the Scriptures that the Lord expects us to do our part as mentioned in James 2:17-19 and Ephesians 4:1. The Epistles teach us what type of people we should be to bring glory to the Lord for the awesome investment in us that He gave us. This so great salvation, which includes the forgiveness of our sins which was paid for in full by Jesus Christ, by His precious blood shed on Golgotha’s hill and the infilling of His Holy nature, truly brings glory to the Lord when we are willing to live according to His precepts and moral laws while reflecting the love and goodness of God to the world around us. Truly our life is our witness as to our faith. If we truly love the Lord, we will obey His commandments and moral laws and live to glorify Him. The example and account of the Old Testament shows us that our salvation will still cost us something just as it cost those of the old covenant the best of their flocks that would be sacrificed to the Lord to push ahead their sins. Today the denying of ourselves, the picking up of our crosses and the following of the the Lord isn’t always the easiest thing to do and it does cost us something, but it is truly worth it. After all, living according to God’s ways, while following His example and doing the right thing in a world that glorifies doing the wrong thing still takes a lot of effort and can definitely be called good works.