If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. ESV

If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. NIV

The thief on the cross had only a fraction of a single day to make a decision that would determine where he spent eternity. Because he had broken the law, his life was being cut short. Every second he remained alive meant excruciating pain; he could speak, but little else. As his vital functions shut down, he knew the value of each remaining breath. He was a condemned man running out of time.

We may not be on a literal cross, but we do know what it feels like to be desperate. We know our days are numbered, and without Jesus, our sins condemn us to death. Our lives are messy, fragile, and broken, and every moment highlights our deep need for salvation. 

Recognizing our sin is only the first step, though. We must also place our faith in Jesus and confess He is Lord, just as the thief did. He didn’t have all the answers, and he might not have even known that Jesus would be physically raised from the dead three days later, but he believed Jesus would rise as King. “Remember me as you enter your Kingdom,” He said.

He believed that the marred man dying beside him had the power to save him, and, with one of his last breaths, he confessed Jesus as Lord. 

This is the profound beauty of God’s grace given and received. The thief had no time to unpack his sins, practice spiritual disciplines, or undo his past. He knew he was guilty, but he also knew Jesus was innocent. 

With nothing left to offer but his own broken heart, he surrendered to Christ as Lord. That was enough. Jesus met his final-hour belief with an eternal promise: “Today you will be with me in paradise.”

Like the thief on the cross, who surrendered his heart to the man on the middle cross. Let us trust in His Kingship, and furthermore, confess to the world that our King is alive!

Written by LeeAnn Randall

Listen to a powerful thought on Alistair Begg’s The Man on the Middle Cross HERE