Was The First Thief Already Condemned And The Second Thief Already Saved?

Common Sense Commentary: While Jesus hung on the cross he said seven last things. This blog will deal with the first two of the seven.

In those last days before His crucifixion, Jesus was betrayed by Judas, who led the mob to take Him prisoner in Gethsemane. From there they led Him before Caiaphas, the Jewish High Priest, and the Jewish Sanhedrin Court, which had not the authority to execute Him, under Roman Law. So they dispatched Jesus to the Roman Governor, Pontius Pilate for Roman judgement and execution. Pilate didn't want to stir the political or religious waters so he sent Jesus to the half-breed, Jewish, King Herod, the Roman appointed King of the Jews ... under the Roman Caesar. King Herod, though a cruel and treasonous Jew, collaborating with the Romans, didn't want to stir up a rebellion among Jesus' Jewish followers, either, so he sent Jesus back to the Roman Governor, Pontious Pilate. Pilate's wife begged him not to get involved, but the Jewish leaders and their henchmen demanded the Roman Governor put Jesus to death. Though he knew Jesus was innocent, Pilate acquiesced and crucified Jesus on a Roman cross between two convicted, condemned thieves, to make Jesus appear to be equally guilty of something. Luke 23:33. Here begins the first of the seven last sayings of Jesus ...

Luke 23:34 "Then said Jesus ...
Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do."
Jeremiah prophesied, "...They know not the way of the LORD...." Jer.5:4
Apostle Paul declared, "Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart." Eph.4:18.

But that is the point. They were lost sinners, "alienated from God, spiritually ignorant and blind" and Jesus had come to open their eyes and hearts, forgive them and save them from the darkness in them. He loved them and was dying to save them; so He asked His Father to "forgive them for they know not what they do."

Five verses later, having heard that prayer, of Jesus, one of the thieves, in his own sin darkened heart, reviled Jesus and said, "IF you are the Christ (Messiah) save yourself and us." v.39.  But the second thief's faith is revealed by his response to the first thief...  "But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom." Lk.23:40-42. This second thief already feared God, admitted he was guilty and deserved his punishment, but also knew that Jesus was guiltless, addressed Jesus as his "Lord", and knew that Jesus would resurrect and establish a kingdom. In FAITH, he said to Jesus, "Lord remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom." I repeat ... he confessed his guilt to the first thief, feared God already, knew that Jesus was innocent, and addressed Jesus as his Lord. He did not ask Jesus to "forgive" him or to "save" him,  but simply said, "Remember me".  If that man was not already saved, his was the shortest prayer of faith, for salvation, I have ever heard. "Lord, remember me...." Jesus responded to that man's simple prayer of faith with this short promise .... I can only conclude that this man had probably been recently saved... already.

"...To day shalt thou be with me in paradise." Lk.23:43.  How simple it is ... and how difficult we make it. I can only conclude that this man had probably... already been saved. Jesus  had just prayed for the forgiveness of His crucifiers and mockers, not for these two thieves. Did He know their fates were already sealed?

Jesus had not tried to convince or convert these two thieves. Why? Did He already know the one would not accept Him anyway, and be saved, and the other was already saved?

The unbelieving thief did not fear God, did not pray, did not confess his guilt, but "reviled" Jesus and doubted His Messiahship (Christ) and His power to deliver them either physically and spiritually. Jesus knew  that thief's heart and whether he would believe and repent or not.

The believing thief sounds like he was already a believer in Jesus. He already "feared" God, he confessed his own guilt to the other thief, not to Jesus or to God, at that particular time. He already knew Jesus was innocent. He addressed Jesus as his "Lord", and knew about His kingdom, and simply asked Jesus to  ...."Remember me".

Christ's response to the believing thief was, "Today shalt thou be with me in paradise." "Today", of course, meant that very day, not when the trumpet sounds at the resurrection, and not "At Jesus' second coming", but "Today". Since their three bodies still hung on those crosses after they died, and then were buried, Jesus had to mean that His, and the believing thief's spirits would be together in Paradise immediately after their physical deaths, when their spirits departed their bodies... and it was so. Now, if this believing thief was, in fact, already saved, was he saved before his theft or after his theft? It doesn't say. He may have been saved while in prison. But if you take the position that "if he had already been saved before the theft, he wouldn't have stolen something", then you believe in sinless perfection as a requirement for salvation and then for keeping your salvation.
So the question becomes, are we saved and kept saved by our good works or lack of bad works or, as Paul reminded the Ephesians ..."For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." Eph.2:8-9. 

If you are confused ...."Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." 
2 Tim.2:15. RB