When Jesus was crucified, there were two other men crucified alongside. The first criminal hurled insults at Jesus stating, "Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us!" The second criminal rebuked him saying, "Don't you fear God," he said, "since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong." (Luke 23:39-41)
The first criminal did not acknowledge his guilt and remained in his sin. The second criminal recognized his guilt and reached out to Jesus saying, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise." (Luke 23:42-43)
Each man eventually dies and stands before God to give an account of himself. The first man stands alone. The second man stands with Jesus as his substitute.
Just as each of these two men, each of takes our place on either side of Christ. The one that we identify with, the one that represents your view of Christ will indicate where you will spend eternity.
No comments:
Post a Comment