When Jesus the Christ (Messiah) was being crucified on the cross of Calvary for your sins and mine, two thieves were also dying on crosses, one on either side of the Lord. At first they, like the Pharisees and religious rulers, reviled Him. But somehow, due to God’s grace, one of the thieves finally realized that Jesus was indeed the Christ, the Son of God. What a fortunate realization for him!

That thief is in heaven today. We know because Jesus promised him heaven that day by saying, “Today thou shalt be with Me in paradise” (Luke 23:43).What could a thief possibly do to deserve heaven? Absolutely nothing. Neither could you nor I. Heaven is never deserved, never earned, never purchased. It is a free gift of God to all who believe in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. That thief did the one and only thing that will get anyone into heaven: He believed on the Lord Jesus. He called on the name of the Lord in saying, “Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom” (Luke 23:42).Romans 10:13 assures us, “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Now, that thief did not deserve to be saved and go to heaven. Neither do you nor I. He could not even be baptized. He could not work or witness for the Lord. But he believed on and called on Jesus. And that was sufficient. It still is, as we try so hard to persuade people. But Satan has the world, even our own society, completely deceived into disbelief. Romans 10:19 assures us, “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” That’s what the Holy Bible tells us. It does not say, “If you are baptized and work for the Lord, you will be saved.” No. Some sects actually preach that you must be good and do all kinds of works to be saved. That is heresy. The Bible makes it clear that no one is good on the earth.

Ephesians 2:8-9 tells us, “For by grace are ye saved by faith, and not of yourselves; it is the gift of God. Not of works, lest anyone should boast.” Salvation is God’s gift to all believers who simply trust their souls to Christ. And that, as I preach very often, is the single most important thing one ever does on this earth. And, once life on earth is over, so is the opportunity to be saved. Hebrews 9:27 warns, “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.” 

That simply means, my friends,  that death ends all opportunity to be saved. It must be done while one’s heart is beating. And let us all remember that life is short. No one knows when his life and opportunity to be saved will end. 

My motto is, “Do it now.”