Luke 23:42-43 “Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.””
The thief on the cross was going to die for his sins and could do nothing. His hands and feet were nailed to the cross. He was powerless to save himself. He could do not a single good work! All was lost….until he looked to Jesus.
Jesus was dying on the cross with him and saved him!
The thief on the cross represents all of us who believe in Jesus. What did God do to us through Jesus Christ?
Ephesians 2 “4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.”
We were dead, but then Jesus died with us for our sins! Jesus never sinned and therefore He rose from the dead. We were RAISED with Him into His righteousness! It is by grace that we were saved by faith in Christ. We did nothing and have nothing to boast. We boast in Jesus Christ – His blood alone took away our sins.
His death and resurrection saved us and we accepted it in faith. We did nothing at all. All glory to Jesus! Nothing but the blood of Jesus!
Matthew 26:27-28,39
“Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins…. Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”
Jesus drank the cup of wrath so that we can drink the cup of His blood to be forgiven of all sin! He gave up His will to give us the desire of our heart!
Matthew 27:41-42 “In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself!”
Jesus did not save Himself so that He saved us from our sins. He died on the cross for our sins so that we can live forever in heaven. We are saved by grace through faith in Christ.
Matthew 1:21 “She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
Hebrews 2:9-10 “so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what he suffered.”
1st Corinthians 15 “Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. 3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,”
We all have sinned.
But Jesus Christ never sinned.
He died on the cross for our sins.
We died with Him and were buried with Him.
We were raised from the dead with Him.
We were made Righteous with Him.
We were made Holy with Him.
We were made Perfect with Him.
What exactly did we do? NOTHING!
What did Jesus do? EVERYTHING!
Can we have perfect works? No.
Can we have perfect holiness? No.
Can we have perfect faith? No.
Did we die on the cross? No.
Did we raise ourselves from the dead? No.
Jesus died on the cross, He had the perfect obedience and perfect faith. He rose from the Dead. He did everything because we cannot do anything!
Everyone who believes in Jesus has been made the Righteousness of God, Holy, Perfect, blameless and granted the promise of Immortality in heaven by His finished work and not our works!
This is Christ’s GRACE!!
This is Daddy God’s LOVE!!
Mathew Simon 