Today is the Day of Salvation
April 11, 2011 (Monday)
I am in the midst of three sermons leading up to Easter Sunday. These sermons are about the three crosses of Calvary. Jesus was crucified there, and two criminals, one on either side of the Savior. I have preached two of the sermons: The Cross of Rejection and The Cross of Reception. One of the men crucified with Jesus rejected Him and the other received Him as Savior. Next Sunday we will look at that central cross upon which Jesus gave Himself for our salvation. In this blog today I’m writing about the man who was saved in the last hours of his life: the repentant thief.
Someone gave the advice, “Turn to God one day before you die.” He was answered by, “But how can one know for sure which day he will die?” “You cannot,” came the reply, “so turn to God today!”
The repentant thief had one last chance at eternal life, and he took it. He believed. He was saved, almost with his dying breath. The grace of God is surely marvelous and wonderful.
Jesus talked about eternal life not only as life after death, but as life here and now. He called it an “abundant” life. The Christian life is a life with Christ, a life of love, peace, joy and all the virtues exemplified in Him. Many believers have been heard to say, “Even if there were nothing beyond this life, knowing and loving Jesus here and now would be worth any price I might have to pay.” Jesus said that belief in Him as Savior and Lord places us into an entirely new kind of life from the moment we believe (John 5:24).
Hats off to the man who believed in Jesus at the last minute, but if he had trusted Jesus earlier in his life, he might never have had to hang on that cross. Today is the Day of Salvation; Now is the accepted time. Give your heart to Jesus and you shall be saved today (Acts 16:31).