The thief on the cross had not been baptized. The thief had not learned what the words sanctification, justification, and glorification meant. He would have had no time on earth to demonstrate a “changed” life or store up good works to outweigh his bad works. Yet, Jesus offered eternal salvation to the thief in the final hours of his life!
We must take care to see all God’s creation as God’s creation. Not all of those in the Bible were appealing individuals, but the Lord sought them out! In fact, Paul himself was guilty of horrific crimes against the church before he encountered Jesus on the road to Damascus. No matter their background or beliefs…everyone needs Christ.
We must stay clear on who God is. In our study of Acts 13-14 we have seen that God is sovereign, love, longsuffering, merciful, all-powerful, and all-knowing. No matter what your circumstances seem to tell you, you know from God’s own word that He is these things. You know that sometimes your circumstances do not tell you the whole story about God, but that you must choose to trust God!
Notice how Paul addressed his audience with their background in mind. So, instead of beginning with Jesus as the Messiah, which would have the Jews in a defensive position at the start, he provides a review of their history. Since they are not defensive, they are listening to understand what he says.
