Shall we argue, “Look, the thief was saved before the completed Gospel of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. Therefore no one needs that Gospel today”? Such reasoning, whether applied to Gospel facts or to Gospel responses, rips the thief from his historical context. It imposes his case, without qualification, upon all future people, as if God had nothing more to enact or to reveal.
The thief was before the New Covenant, which came into effect at Christ’s death (Matthew 26:28; Hebrews 9:15-17). The thief was before the Great Commission and its new baptism. The thief was before Peter’s inspired command for “every one of you” to be baptized for the forgiveness of sins and receipt of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38-39). The thief was before Paul’s inspired combination of baptism with faith (Colossians 2:12; Galatians 3:26-27). The thief was before Paul’s inspired link between baptism and renewal (Acts 22:16; Romans 6:4; Ephesians 5:26; Titus 3:5-6).
Like many at that time, the thief was saved when much remained to be revealed (John 16:12-15). The thief did enough stealing while on earth. We should not make him a thief again by using him, at his early point in revelation, to rob the Great Commission of its clear requirements for us now. New Covenant disciples are not made by a request alone. They are made in the way revealed by the Great Commission:
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age (Matthew 28:19-20).
No, man does not live by prayer alone. Mark’s part of the Great Commission does not say, “believe and pray” or “believe and invite Jesus into your heart.” That is modern preacher-talk that, like Gnostic-talk, makes the only response internal. Mark 16:15-16 records the actual words of our Lord.
And [Jesus] said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:15-16).
Yes, God expects your call, your faith response, to include fundamental obedience. Today’s message reverses that, saying, “Believe and be saved, then be baptized.” The question comes down to belief itself: Do you believe Jesus and the way He says it? Or do you believe human theologians who insist on their own way? Do you trust the Scriptures—including Matthew 28, Mark 16 and Acts 2—or do you trust your feelings of salvation? Do you follow the one instructor, the Christ, or do you follow your friends who have never been immersed into Christ, yet seem so devout, so Spirit-filled and so saved?
(For another discussion about prayer alone, see Study Note Two).