Jesus was accompanied in His greatest moment of trial by two thieves, common criminals, hanging on either side of Him. One taunted Him, "You're supposed to be God. Well, then, save us. Get us out of here." That's the prayer we all pray. Even atheists cry out to be saved when facing a frightening experience. But why should He save us?
The second thief understood what the first thief didn't. "He's innocent. We're getting what we deserve." Then, "Jesus, remember me."
To which Jesus responded, "Today you will be with Me in paradise" (Luke 23:43).
I ask inmates to put themselves in the place of the good thief and to pray just as he prayed, "Jesus, You're innocent. You're holy. I'm guilty. Remember me." The good thief's understanding of his own sin, his repentance, and his desire to be with Jesus made it possible for him to be saved--for Jesus to remember his prayer. Repentance and the desire to be in Jesus' company are the crucial elements of any sincere conversion.
Thousands of times around the world I have seen the power of God at work in the most remarkable ways through such simple prayers, whole groups of inmates and the poor praying out loud, individuals weeping, many responding with open confessions of faith. I have seen some of the hardest, toughest, meanest looking convicts dissolve in a flood of tears. In some prisons, I have literally been mobbed afterward by weeping convicts. They get it.
...These men came to understand the central truth of the Gospel message, that the Son of God actually hung on a cross and died the most agonizing death in order to take upon Himself the sins of mankind--all of us, rich and powerful and poor and helpless. You and me.
This is why the heart of every orthodox confession of faith is the atoning death of Christ, which is the supreme outpouring of God's love for us.
This is the wellspring of grace, God's unmerited favor. His salvation.
-- From The Faith, by Chuck Colson
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