Lessons From A Thief
Many believers like things neatly packaged regarding biblical points of view, and such practices can sometimes lead to a rigid dogmatism that can blind one to the unorthodox lessons and opportunities the Holy Spirit sometimes offers.
In seminary, they provide you with eloquent names for comprehensive systematic ideas. It’s where we get words like Paterology - the study of God the Father, Christology - The study of God the Son, and Pneumatology - the study of God the Holy Spirit. Then there’s Bibliology - the study of the Bible; Soteriology - the study of salvation; Ecclesiology - the study of the church; Eschatology - the study of end times. There’s also the subject of Hermeneutics, meant to describe the proper interpretation and application of Scripture.
I’m not saying these terminologies and studies are bad, just that you can be well-versed in these subjects and yet, in your theology, miss some very important points if you become overly dogmatic. Getting hung up on what we think we know, or methods about certain things is possible. That happened to those who spent generations under the Law of Moses. They knew of only one way to be righteous, so when the New Covenant arrived, they struggled with the idea of it. Today we can struggle with how things are done and have no tolerance for things that might be different.
For instance: What if I told you you could learn much from a tried, convicted, and sentenced thief?
Jesus hung between two other men at Calvary, and one was a thief. The thief asked for Jesus to remember him once Jesus went into His kingdom. Jesus told the man that he would be with Him in paradise that day. So let’s take a minute to consider what happened.
If you believe water baptism is essential for salvation, you might find it tricky to handle the thief. The thief was never water baptized. According to some doctrines, he could not be saved.
If you hold to the idea of communion being necessary for salvation, then once again, the thief creates difficulty for a hard, fast, and immovable opinion to that end. The thief never had communion.
If you dogmatically ascribe to the idea that Holy Spirit baptism with the evidence of speaking in tongues is vital to salvation, well, once again, that thief has messed with that idea as well. The thief had no such experience and never spoke in tongues.
What about praying the sinner’s prayer while emotionally falling apart in deep repentance for his wicked ways? Even though the thief was justly punished for wrongdoing, no such demonstration is recorded! It is a simple short exchange between Jesus and the thief.
What does one do with a thief who walked into paradise with Jesus simply by BELIEVING? Jesus said,
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son so that whoever BELIEVES in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
That is the good news! God’s approaches to saving the lost can be multifaceted, with only one constant—preaching the gospel. There’s no salvation without faith in Jesus.
I realize there are explanations for why the thief could not engage in what I mentioned before. I also realize it could be seen as being over-simplistic, but I share it simply to make a point.
Is it possible that many in the church have become so lofty in their thinking that they have drifted away from the simplicity and power that is in the gospel?
You need not be a great theologian to lead someone to Jesus. You just need to know Jesus yourself because you believed the good news about Him and were saved. Don’t get so caught up in lofty systematic studies and traditions or methods in doing things that you forget just how simple it is to be His witness to the lost.
I am not pleading for an oversimplification of things. I am, however, saying that overcomplication can produce frustration and stagnation in one’s call to be His witness. Becoming too fixed on something to the point where dogma interrupts your ability to be Spirit led in simple ways and can be a robber. I encourage you never to lose the simplicity of the gospel of Jesus and His finished work and believe in the power God has put in it to save.
