Question: Donny, You answered the salvation question that grace is not enough for salvation. How do you explain Matthew 7:22-23? And an example of this in the Bible is the thief next to Jesus on the cross. How can grace not be enough if Jesus tells him he will see him in paradise? The thief had no opportunity to do works. Will you please explain this for me. God Bless
Response: The verse just before and the one just after the one you quoted, I believe has the answer. It says, "21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. 24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: (Matthew 7:21 - 24)
The key words in this scripture, to me, are "He that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." These he likens unto a wise man who built his house on a rock. He is also saying that everyone who professes him and even those who may do miraculous things and do not his will, he will reject. I don't know how he could be more plain, but isn't it interesting that there are so many different interpretations from the same passages.
There is another important passage that sheds additional light about the state of the spirit after death and why it is reasonable to believe that the thief had a chance to become a true follower of Jesus. "For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water." (1 Peter 3:18 - 20)
The thief and millions of others have lived on this earth in times and circumstances in which they had no chance of knowing about or following Christ. So, "Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead. For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit." (1 Peter 4:5 - 6)
I believe that Christ's restored gospel is the only teaching on this earth that provides an understanding of the way "That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; (Philippians 2:10)
To me it is quite simple. The gospel is taught to the spirits of those who are dead (including the thief as well as those who lived in Noah's day and all others who missed out in their mortal probation) and every last person will have a choice to follow the Savior or not. Then the spirits of all men will be reunited to their resurrected bodies and then judged for the way they lived their lives, if they would believe on Jesus enough to follow him and keep his commandments.
"For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive." ( 1 Corinthians 15:22)
"Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord." (1 Corinthians 15:58)
