“What about the thief on the cross?”

“What about the thief on the cross?”

These and many other passages tell us that for one to be saved—to have his sins remitted, washed away—he must be baptized. Many have no problem with submitting to God's will in baptism. They know and believe God when He says in His word that Christ is “the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him” (Hebrews 5:9). They realize that such obedience, far from being an act of “earning salvation” is a true act of love, for Christ said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15). But there are those who object. Among the arguments they offer to try and minimize the commands of God concerning baptism, they appeal to the thief on the cross to whom Jesus said, “Today shalt thou be with me in paradise” (Luke 24:43). The argument of those who appeal to this as proving baptism as non-essential to salvation can be summarized as follows:

The thief on the cross was not baptized.
The thief was saved.
Therefore, baptism is not essential to salvation.

 I thank God that he repented and turned to the Lord in the way in which he was able and thus was saved. But a more important question is “What about ME?” You and I live under the New Testament. In this New Testament we find clearly that salvation was given to those who humbly submitted to God's will. Note a few things God tells us in that New Testament about salvation:

 It is not by faith only (James 2:24, 26).
 It is by obedience to Christ (Hebrews 5:8-9; 1 John 5:3).
 It is by having faith (Hebrews 11:6).
 It is by repenting of our sins (Acts 2:38).
 It is by confessing Christ (Acts 8:36-38).
 It is by obeying Christ in baptism (1 Peter 3:21; Acts 2:38).

You cannot try and take the easy way in no matter what the Oprah's and false teachers tell you, Jesus is the only way into heaven and the above rules and there's the problem for some people using this old argument and yes follow the 10 commandments also.

GOD BLESS US ALL