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What If We've Been Looking at Salvation Backward? · Crusade with Me

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Imagine you're standing before God. Your life
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is over. Every mistake you've ever made. Every
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lie you've ever told. Every person you've ever
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hurt. Every opportunity to do the right thing
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that you ignored. Nothing is hidden. And someone
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asks you a question. Why should you be allowed
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into heaven? What would you say? Would you talk
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about being a good person? Would you mention
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that you went to church, that you were baptized,
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that you tried to follow the commandments? Maybe
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you talk about how you helped others, how you
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loved your family, or how you tried to do good
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more so than bad. But what if those things were
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the answer? What if the answer was so simple
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that a dying criminal understood it while hanging
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on a cross? And what if that answer changes the
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way we understand everything else about Christianity?
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Today I want to talk about salvation. Not a theological
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argument. Not a competition between churches.
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But as the greatest gift humanity has ever received.
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And I want to begin with a man who had absolutely
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nothing left to offer. I want to go back 2 ,000
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years. To a hill outside Jerusalem, three men
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are being crucified. The Romans have perfected
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this form of execution. It is brutal, humiliating,
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and deliberately public. Crucifixion wasn't simply
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about killing someone. It was about making an
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example of them. And there, between two criminals,
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hangs Jesus of Nazareth, the same Jesus who healed
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the sick, who gave sight to the blind. who welcomed
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children, who ate with tax collectors and sinners,
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who told people to love their neighbors, excuse
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me, love their enemies and their neighbors. And
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now he's dying between two men who have been
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condemned to death. I want you to picture that
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scene. Not the polished paintings that you see
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hanging in churches, not the beautiful crucifixes
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we wear around our necks. The actual scene, blood,
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pain, mockery, fear, soldiers gambling for clothing,
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religious leaders mocking Jesus, and two criminals
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hanging on either side of them. Luke tells us
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that one of the criminals begins insulting Jesus.
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He essentially says, aren't you the Christ? Save
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yourself and us. But the other criminal responds
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differently. He rebukes the first man. He acknowledges
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that they are receiving the punishment their
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actions deserve. And then he says something extraordinary.
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He turns towards Jesus and asks him to remember
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him when he comes into his kingdom. Think about
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that for a moment. This man is dying. He has
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no opportunity to prepare the damage he has done.
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He cannot climb down from his cross and begin
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a new life. He cannot go back and apologize to
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everyone he has hurt. He cannot spend the next
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20 years proving that he's changed. He cannot
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make a donation to charity and he cannot perform
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a single good deed that will somehow balance
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the scales. His life is ending. and he turns
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toward another dying man and asks him to be remembered.
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Now listen to Jesus' answer. 23 verse 43 it is
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written, truly I say to you, today you will be
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with me in paradise. That's it. No list of requirements.
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No probationary period. No demand that he somehow
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prove himself worthy. Jesus gives him a promise.
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That promise is enough. And I'm telling you this
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because last episode, I must confess, I told
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you a story by a preacher by the name of Aleister
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Begg that stuck with me and I've been thinking
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about that. You know, Begg imagines his criminal
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arriving in heaven. and being questioned about
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why he should be admitted. The man doesn't understand
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the theological questions being asked. He can't
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explain the doctrine of salvation. He doesn't
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have lifelong religious service to present to
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the attendant. And finally, in Begg's memorable
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retelling, a man gives his answer. The man on
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the middle cross said, I could come. And I absolutely
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love that because after all these years of studying
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scripture, discussing theology and trying to
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understand the mysteries of God, I wonder whether
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I sometimes make Christianity more complicated
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than Jesus intended. Now don't misunderstand
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me. Theology matters. Doctrine matters. What
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we believe matters. But none of those things
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can replace the one who saves us. That criminal
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didn't have a theological explanation for his
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salvation. He had Jesus. And Jesus had made his
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promise. But that brings us to a question, a
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question that I think deserves an honest answer.
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If that criminal could be saved by trusting the
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promise of Jesus, what does that mean for the
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rest of us? What about baptism? What about Holy
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Communion? What about confessing our sins? What
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about going to church, praying, studying scripture?
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or trying to live a Christian life? Are those
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things unnecessary? Have we been making people
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jump through religious hoops when all they needed
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was Jesus? Well, I don't think that's the right
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conclusion, and I want to explain why. So first,
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let's talk about baptism. Jesus commanded his
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disciples to make disciples of all nations, baptizing
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them in the name of the Father, Son, and the
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Holy Spirit. That's Matthew 28 19. Peter on the
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day of Pentecost tells the people to repent and
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be baptized for the forgiveness of their sins
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in Acts chapter 2 verse 38. And Paul writing
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to the Romans connects baptism with our participation
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in Christ's death and resurrection in Romans
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6 3 & 4. Those aren't insignificant passages.
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Baptism matters, but here's the question. Is
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baptism something I do to earn God's favor, or
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is it a gift through which God gives me His grace?
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Because those are two very different ways of
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understanding it. If I think of baptism as something
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I must accomplish to convince God to save me,
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then I've made it about my performance. But what
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if baptism... is fundamentally about what God
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is doing. What if it is Christ coming to us with
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his promise of forgiveness, new life, and belonging
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to him? Then baptism isn't competing with the
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promise Jesus made to the thief. It is another
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way the saving promises of Christ reaches us,
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and that changes everything. Now, Christians
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have different understandings of precisely how
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baptism works. I recognize that. But for this
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conversation, I want us to concentrate on something
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we should all be able to recognize. Jesus commanded
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baptism, and the Scriptures connect it with His
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saving work. So we should neither dismiss it
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nor turn it into something that earns us salvation.
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And here's something important. We don't know
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everything about the criminal's life before he
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was crucified. We don't know whether he had ever
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encountered the ministry of John the Baptist.
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We don't know whether he had previously heard
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Jesus teach. Scripture doesn't tell us, so I'm
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not going to claim things about him that Scripture
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doesn't say. But we do know this. As he hung
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there dying, he had no opportunity to begin a
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new life of religious observances. and Jesus
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promised Him paradise. That tells me something
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extraordinary about the authority and mercy of
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Christ. Jesus is not powerless to save someone
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because their circumstances prevent them from
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receiving a sacrament. But neither should we
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use that extraordinary encounter to dismiss the
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gifts Jesus has given His church. The thieves
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Circumstances were extraordinary. Christ's mercy
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was not. Now let's talk about Holy Communion.
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On the night before His crucifixion, Jesus gathered
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His disciples. He took bread, He gave thanks,
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He gave it to them. Then He took the cup. And
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in Matthew 26, 28, Jesus connects His blood with
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the forgiveness of sins. Think about that. Jesus
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knew what was coming. He knew about Judas. He
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knew Peter would deny Him. He knew the disciples
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would scatter. He still gave them this meal.
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He didn't wait until they had proven themselves
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faithful. He didn't wait until they had demonstrated
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perfect understanding. He gave them His promise.
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He gave them a gift. He told them to remember
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Him. Christians have different theological understanding
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of Christ's presence and communion. And I'm not
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going to settle those differences today. But
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I want to emphasize what we must never lose sight
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of. At the center of the Lord's Supper is Jesus
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Christ giving Himself for us. It's not a celebration
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of how good we have become. It's a remembrance
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and a proclamation of how good He has been to
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us. We come because we need Him. We receive what
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He has promised. What about confession? And I
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think about this one a lot. Because if you listen
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to our last episode, I must confess, you know
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I've spent a considerable amount of time thinking
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about the importance of admitting who we really
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are. For years, I thought being a good Christian
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meant looking like a good Christian. You know
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what I mean. Going to church, knowing the right
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things to say, trying not to let anyone see the
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ugly parts of your life. But here's what I'm…
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Come to understand, confession isn't about informing
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God of something He doesn't already know. He
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already knows it. Every thought, every word,
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every failure. Confession is about coming before
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God without pretending and hearing the promises
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of forgiveness through Jesus Christ. 1 John 1
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.9 tells us that if we confess our sins, God
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is faithful and righteous to forgive us and cleanse
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us from unrighteousness. Notice who does the
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forgiving. God does. We confess. He forgives.
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And that forgiveness rests upon what Christ has
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done. So whether we're talking about baptism,
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communion, or confession, I want you to notice
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the common thread. God is giving, and we are
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receiving. That's not the whole of Christian
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discipleship, of course. Faith expresses itself
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in love, obedience, repentance, and service.
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But those things flow from God's grace. They
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don't purchase it. So I want to tell you something
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about myself. I've spent a lot of my life trying
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to get things right. And I suspect many of you
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have too. I want to be a good spouse, good parent,
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good grandparent. Good employee, good neighbor,
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and yes, a good Christian. There's nothing wrong
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with wanting to live a good life, but somewhere
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along the way, it's possible to begin believing
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that our relationship with God works the same
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way as everything else. Work hard enough. Perform
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well enough. Meet the requirements. Earn the
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reward. That's how much of the world operates.
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You work 40 hours, you earn your paycheck. You
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practice, you improve. You study, you pass the
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test. You perform, you get promoted. And because
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that way of thinking is so deeply ingrained in
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us, we can carry it into our relationship with
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God. We begin imagining that salvation is the
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ultimate performance review. And God is sitting
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there with his clipboard. checking the boxes.
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Did you go to church? Did you pray enough? Did
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you give enough? Did you avoid enough sin? Did
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you do more good than bad? And if your score
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is high enough, perhaps He'll let you in. But
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listen to Paul in Ephesians chapter two, verses
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eight and nine. He tells us that salvation is
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by grace through faith, not something originated
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from ourselves, but the gift of God. That's the
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result of works, so that no one can boast. Now,
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I want to be careful here. Paul isn't saying
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how we live doesn't matter. In the very next
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verse, Ephesians 2, 10, he says, we are created
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in Christ Jesus for good works. Good works matter.
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But notice the order. We aren't saved because
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we have done good works. We are saved. by God's
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grace and then called to live in the good works
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He has prepared for us. Grace comes first. And
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I wonder how many Christians spend their lives
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getting that order backward, trying to become
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worthy enough for Jesus to love them, trying
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to clean themselves up before approaching God,
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trying to hide their failure because they think
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admitting they might disqualify themselves. But
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what did Jesus say in Mark chapter 2 verse 17?
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He said, He did not come to call the righteous,
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but sinners. Think about that. Jesus didn't come
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looking for people who had already figured everything
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out. He came for people who needed saving. And
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that includes me. And that includes you. I don't
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care how many years you've attended church. I
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don't care how many Bible verses you've memorized.
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I don't care how respected you are in your community.
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None of us stands before God on the strength
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of our own righteousness. We stand on the mercy
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of Jesus Christ. Now, I know what some of you
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might be thinking. So you're saying it doesn't
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matter what I do. No, that's not what I'm saying.
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Paul anticipated the very question in Romans
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chapter six. Should we continue in sin so that
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grace may increase? His answer is emphatic. Absolutely
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not. Grace is not permission to remain unchanged.
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Grace is the gift that makes a new life possible.
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But the new life doesn't begin with us proving
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ourselves worthy. It begins with Christ. And
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that's why I think we've sometimes been looking
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at salvation backward. We keep asking what we
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must do to reach God when the gospel announces
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what God has done to reach us. There's a story
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Jesus tells in Luke 15, and I want to revisit
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it. It's a story we usually call the prodigal
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son. A young son demands his inheritance, leaves
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home. He wastes everything. and eventually finds
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himself in a terrible situation. He's hungry,
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he's desperate, and he begins thinking about
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his father's house. He decides to go home. But
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he doesn't expect to be welcomed as a son. He
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plans to ask his father to treat him like a hired
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worker. Think about that. Even after everything
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has gone wrong, he's still thinking in terms
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of earning his place. He has failed as a son.
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Perhaps he can work his way back. as a servant.
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So he begins the journey home. And here's the
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part of the story that I love. In Luke 15 chapter
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20 tells us that while the son was still a long
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way off, his father saw him. His father felt
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compassion. His father ran to him. He embraced
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him. He kissed him. The son begins his confession.
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He admits that he has sinned. He says he is no
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longer worthy to be called the father's son.
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And what does the father do? He calls for the
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best robe. He calls for a ring. And he calls
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for sandals. And he orders a celebration because
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his son was dead and has come to life again.
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He was lost and has been found. Now don't miss
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something. The son really had sinned. His actions
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had consequences. His confession mattered. But
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his father didn't make him earn his way back
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into the family. He welcomed him home. And that
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story tells us something about the heart of God.
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God isn't reluctant to forgive. He isn't standing
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at the door waiting for us to impress Him. He
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is merciful. He is gracious. And in Jesus Christ,
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he has acted to reconcile us to himself. Paul
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writes in Romans chapter five verse says that
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God demonstrates his love toward us and that
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while we were still sinners, Christ died for
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us. While we were still sinners, not after we
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cleaned ourselves up. Not after we got our theology
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perfectly straight. Not after we had accumulated
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enough good works while we were still sinners.
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Christ died for us. Because there's something
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about that dying criminal that we haven't talked
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enough about. The thief didn't simply believe
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that Jesus was a nice man. He didn't merely admire
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Jesus's teachings. He... turned to Jesus as a
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king who could remember him beyond death. Imagine
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the faith involved in that moment. Jesus is bleeding.
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He's suffering. He's being mocked. To everyone
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watching, he appears defeated. And yet this criminal
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sees something. He recognizes the man dying beside
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him as a kingdom. and he entrusts himself to
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that king. The thief's faith wasn't a good work
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that purchased his salvation. Faith received
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the promise of Christ, and Christ made that promise
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because he is merciful. The thief could do nothing
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to save himself, but the man on the middle cross
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could. Bring this conversation back to where
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we started. A dying criminal, a crucified savior.
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Today you will be with me in paradise. I wonder
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how many of us have spent our lives trying to
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add something to that promise. As though Jesus
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did most of the work, and now it's up to us to
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finish the job. As though His sacrifice wasn't
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quite enough. As though salvation is a partnership
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with Christ provides the opportunity, but we
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must somehow make ourselves deserving of it.
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And perhaps that's why so many Christians live
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with a quiet fear. Have I done enough? Have I
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believed strongly enough? Have I repented sincerely
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enough? Have I been good enough Christian? I
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want to ask you something. If salvation ultimately
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depended upon the quality of our performance,
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how could any of us ever be certain? How good
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is good enough? How much repentance is enough?
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How many prayers? How many acts of kindness?
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How many years of faithful service? Where's the
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finish line? But here's the good news. The finish
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line isn't something we have to reach through
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our own strength. Christ has accomplished what
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we could not. He lived the life of perfect obedience
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we have failed to live. He gave himself for our
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sins. He died. He rose again Death did not have
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the final word sin did not have the final word
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the grave did not have the final word Jesus Christ
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is risen and because he lives We have hope not
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wishful thinking Not optimism that everything
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will somehow work out Hope grounded in the death
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and resurrection of Jesus Christ now Does that
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mean baptism doesn't matter? Absolutely not.
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Does it mean communion doesn't matter? Of course
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not. Does it mean confession, repentance, prayer,
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Christian living don't matter? No. They matter
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deeply, but not because they are competing ways
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of earning God's love. Baptism matter because
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Christ gave it to His church, joining His promise
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to water and His Word. Communion matters because
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Christ gives us His body and blood according
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to His promise for the forgiveness of sins. Confession
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matters because we are sinners who need forgiveness
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and Christ has promised mercy to those who turn
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to Him. Prayer matters because we have a Father
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who hears us. Love matters because Christ first
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loved us. Forgiveness matters because we have
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been Forgiven. Serving others mattered because
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Christ came not to be served, but to serve. Do
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you see? Everything points back to Him. Everything.
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And I think that's what moved me so deeply about
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Alistair Begg's illustration. It stripped away
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all the religious complications that brought
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me face to face with the only one who can save
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me. Jesus Christ. The man in the middle. You
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know, I spent a lot of time in my life asking
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questions. Questions about God. Questions about
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faith. Questions about where, why are we here.
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Questions about what happens to us when we die.
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And I don't intend to stop asking those questions.
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I mean, that's part of what Crusade with me is
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all about. And the truth is worth seeking. But
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Jesus says something extraordinary in John 14
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verse 6. He says, I am the way, the truth, and
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the life. Not simply that he knows the truth.
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Not simply that he can teach us the way. He says
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he is the way. He is the truth. He is the life.
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And perhaps that's where all our searching is
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meant to lead. Not merely to better understanding
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of religion, but to Jesus Christ himself. So
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if you've been listening today and wondering
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whether you've done enough to earn God's love,
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I want you to hear something. You cannot earn
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what God has freely given. If you have been carrying
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guilt for something in your past, for something
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that you cannot undo, I want you to remember.
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that criminal on the cross. He couldn't undo
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his past either, but he could turn to Jesus,
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and Jesus received him. That doesn't mean sin
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is insignificant. It doesn't mean repentance
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is unnecessary. It means the mercy of Christ
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is greater than our ability to repair ourselves.
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And if you spent years attending church, receiving
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communion, Confessing your sins and trying to
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live faithfully, I want you to see those things
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differently. Not as a collection of religious
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accomplishments to present before God, but as
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gifts, promises, and opportunity to live in the
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grace Christ has given you. You don't have to
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spend your life trying to convince God that you're
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worth saving. Look at the cross. That's how seriously
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God takes your sin, and that's how deeply He
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has loved you. I want to finish with one final
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thought. The criminal on the cross had no time
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to build a religious resume, no time to prove
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his worth, no opportunity to become the kind
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of person the world would admire. He had only
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Jesus, and Jesus was enough. But that doesn't
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mean everything else in Christianity is meaningless.
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Quite the opposite. Everything else matters because
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of the man on the middle cross. That, my friends,
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is the good news. And we spent some time today
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talking about salvation, and I hope I've given
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you something worth thinking about. But more
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than that, I hope I've reminded you of something
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worth trusting. Jesus Christ. His death. His
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resurrection. His promise. Because at the end
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of the day, Christianity isn't about how impressive
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we can make ourselves before God. It's about
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the astonishing mercy of God who came to save
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sinners. And I'm one of them. Thank you for walking
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with me today. Remember the truth is worth seeking
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and as always, let's keep walking.