Question And Answer

Q. I have a question about the thief on the cross. Did he really go to be
   with Jesus in Paradise?

A. The question is about the passages in Luke 23:39-43. "And one of the
   malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ,
   save thyself and us. But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost
   not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we
   indeed justly receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath
   done nothing amiss. And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou
   comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto
   thee, Today thou shalt be with me in paradise."

Jesus had the power to forgive sins (Matthew 9:1-7). He exercised that
power while he was still in the flesh, even though upon the cross. The
thief recognized that he was being punished for doing wrong, he admitted
such and asked Jesus to remember him. Jesus promised that he would. I take
it therefore that Jesus kept his promise and that they were together in
Paradise. Paradise (para-deisos) was a Persian word that was incorporated
by the Greeks. It means the garden of God. (See Revelation 2:7) The concept
is of a restored Garden of Eden: a place of perfectness with God.

Once Jesus died on the cross, his blood was shed to establish a New
Covenant (Hebrews 9:14-16). When this happened, the way that sins were
forgiven also changed. Now, a person who has never been a child of God
must not only acknowledge their sins, but repent, ask forgiveness of sins and
then after confessing Jesus as the Christ, they must be baptized for the
remission of their sins (Acts 2:36-38). Those who are children of God and
have committed sin, must repent and pray to God for forgiveness of that sin
(Acts 8:20-24; 1 John 1:9-2:2)

It is no longer possible to be saved as the thief on the cross was saved,
because the conditions of salvation have changed with the death of Jesus on
the cross. Unfortunately the religious world does not take note of this
change, and often people are taught to do as the thief did: pray to Jesus to
take care of them, without considering what God's word says they need to do.