Oh, My God! What grace!

I've grown up in church. I've heard the following passage of scripture countless times. But every once in a while the cobwebs and dust get shaken off the thought and it becomes shiny and new in my mind and heart all over again. Today has been one such day.

In Luke 23, we read of the crucifixion of Christ. There He was, the king and savior of the world, beaten, bloody and bruised beyond recognition, hanging on a rough wooden cross with a thief on either side of Him. One thief says "If you're the Messiah, save yourself, and save us while you're at it." It wasn't a genuine request for physical salvation; it was more mockery and disbelief.

In verse 40 we see the start of something amazing; something precious; something beautiful. The other thief tells the mocker "Shut up! You and I deserve to be up here because of the things we've done. We're guilty, but this man is innocent." He then looks at Jesus and says "Remember me when you come into your kingdom."

There are several implications in the words of the humble thief that paint a beautiful portrait of salvation as well as subtly imply the great truth that God looks on our hearts and not necessarily our words. The thief never directly said "I'm a sinner, and I ask you to forgive me. I believe that you're the son of God and that you will die and rise again." However, his heart found a way to express the model of salvation in an implying manner through his words.

When the thief told the mocker that Jesus was innocent but they were not, he was implying step one of salvation; admitting to being a sinner. When he looked at Jesus and said "Remember me when you come into your kingdom." he was saying two things. First, he was acknowledging that Jesus was truly the son of God. If he did not believe Jesus was who he said he was, why would he have asked Jesus to remember him. Second, he was asking for mercy and forgiveness. "Remember me when you come into your kingdom." He was saying "Please don't leave me out of heaven."

Here is a man hanging on a cross next to the savior of the world and openly demonstrating sorrow, remorse, and humility. Although he was receiving the punishment that justice demanded, Jesus brought to him the mercy that he couldn't earn and didn't deserve. I believe Jesus lost track of his own pain and suffering for just a moment, and with tears of compassion in His loving eyes He said "Today, this day, you will be with me in heaven."

Oh, my God! What grace! What mercy! Words cannot possibly convey the flood of emotion that bursts out when this beautiful painting of salvation becomes reality. We are all so completely undeserving of life everlasting, much less life in general. Yet when in our hearts we recognize how sinful we really are, acknowledge that Jesus, through His death, replaced justice with ultimate mercy, and ask Him to forgive us, he gives us healing, provision, and life everlasting.

There is no ceremony to perform. No holy writ to be recited. More than any physical action or verbal sounds, it's all in the heart. If you confess with your mouth and believe in your heart that Jesus is the son of God who died for your sins, that's it. Jesus has done the rest.

Oh, my God! What grace! What love! What mercy!