The First Person Jesus Promised Paradise to Was a Dying Criminal
Did you know the first person Jesus explicitly promised paradise to was a dying criminal crucified next to Him? Luke 23:39-43. No baptism, no works, no time to make things right. Just faith in the final hour. And Jesus's word: "Today you will be with me in paradise."
The Text — Luke 23:39-43:
Two thieves were crucified with Jesus. One mocked Him along with the crowds. The other did not.
The repentant thief rebuked his fellow criminal (Luke 23:40-41): "Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong."
Then he turned to Jesus (Luke 23:42): "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom."
Jesus's answer (Luke 23:43): "Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise."
The Content of the Thief's Faith:
The dying thief's confession contained everything essential to saving faith:
— Acknowledgment of Christ's innocence ("this man has done nothing wrong")
— Acknowledgment of his own guilt ("we indeed justly")
— Address to Jesus by name (not "hey you" but "Jesus")
— Recognition of Jesus's kingdom ("when you come into your kingdom")
— Appeal to Jesus's mercy ("remember me")
This is faith. Knowledge + assent + trust (notitia, assensus, fiducia) — the classic Reformed anatomy of saving faith.
The Absolute Promise — "Today":
Jesus's response is emphatic in the Greek. Amēn legō soi sēmeron met' emou esē en tō paradeisō — "Truly I say to you, TODAY, with me you will be in paradise."
Today (sēmeron, σήμερον) is emphatic. No probationary period. No purgatory. No sacramental checklist. No time to prove himself. TODAY.
What the Thief Did NOT Have:
— No baptism
— No church attendance
— No works of righteousness
— No sacraments received
— No time to make anything right
— No opportunity for good deeds
— No public confession before a congregation
What the Thief DID Have:
Faith. In Christ. In the final hour. On a cross.
And Jesus said: TODAY, in paradise, with me.
The Reformed Reading — Sola Fide:
The thief on the cross is arguably the clearest single-scene demonstration of salvation by faith alone in the entire Bible.
Sola fide case study. No works, no sacraments, no time to prove himself, no church membership — just faith in Christ, and Christ's word of promise.
Salvation apart from sacraments. Reformed sacramental theology (Westminster Confession 27, Belgic Confession 33) holds that sacraments are signs and seals of grace, not causes of grace. The thief received salvation without baptism — biblical evidence that the sacrament is not what saves. Christ's word does.
Deathbed conversion validated. The thief's story validates late/deathbed conversion. Reformed pastoral practice has always affirmed that salvation is possible at any moment when faith is genuine — up to the very last breath.
Assurance of salvation. "Today you will be with me" is one of the strongest single statements of immediate salvation-assurance in the Gospels. Reformed doctrine of assurance rests on Christ's word, not on the believer's performance.
Contra Rome, contra Trent. Roman Catholic theology (Council of Trent, 1547) requires baptism and works of penance for salvation. The Reformed tradition has always cited the thief on the cross as biblical proof that faith alone, apart from any sacrament or works, saves.
Sources: John Calvin, Institutes 3.11-14 (justification by faith alone); Louis Berkhof, Systematic Theology; R.C. Sproul, Faith Alone: The Evangelical Doctrine of Justification (1995); James White, The God Who Justifies (2001); Michael Horton, The Christian Faith.
The Pastoral Implication:
If you've been taught salvation requires you to earn it, prove it, sustain it, work for it, or complete a sacramental sequence — look at the thief on the cross.
He had none of that. He had faith. He had Christ's word. He was promised paradise. Today.
Salvation is by faith alone, through grace alone, in Christ alone, to the glory of God alone. And no scene in Scripture demonstrates it more purely than a dying criminal on a Roman cross next to Jesus.
📖 Passages: Isaiah 53:12, Matthew 27:38-44, Mark 15:27-32, Luke 23:32-43, John 19:16-18, Romans 3:21-31, 4:1-25, 5:1-11, Ephesians 2:1-10, Galatians 2:15-21, 3:1-14, Philippians 3:1-11, Titus 3:3-7, 1 John 5:9-13