Rene,

             You wrote the following:

“The THIEF hanging next to Jesus on the cross believed in him and Jesus said this day you will be with me in paradise. The one on the other side of him merely cursed. The man (who asked Jesus to remember him) did not have time to join the church, get baptized, live a holy life, join the choir, or take communion, etc., etc.”

 

Praise the LORD, that was so excellent! What a picture of the gospel of grace. Yet, as the Pharisees hated Jesus and his gospel, there are unfortunately entire denominations today, that hate the simple gospel of grace, and like the Pharisees, lay burdens on people, to “do” certain things in order to receive eternal life – even some Pharisees that had gotten saved, turned around and laid the burden of getting circumcised on people for salvation – then after that was refuted at the council of Jerusalem in Acts 15, people then substituted requiring baptism for salvation as they had previously been requiring circumcision – and this “works salvation” burden of baptism continues to this day in some entire denominations – some denominations even teach that the example that you wrote of is simply an exception and to the rule – yet that is what the gospel is about, the exception to the rule – the rule of the law says that the soul that sinneth it shall die – whereas the gospel is the exception, where someone else dies in our place.

                          Gino