How was the Thief on the Cross Saved?

- With Fr. Peter Heers. ☦️

#orthodoxy #orthodoxchurch #christianity #youthministry #savedbygrace

[rscotthudson]

Father, bless you for these short messages. They help me to start my day focused on growing as an Orthodox Christian.

[Yasen.Dobrev]

This was a very good explanation and I agree with it. It must be added that according to St.Cyprian of Carthage, letter 72.22, the thief on the cross – St.Dismas, was baptized in blood:, , But the same Lord declares in the Gospel, that those who are baptized in their own blood, and sanctified by suffering, are perfected, and obtain the grace of the divine promise, when He speaks to the thief believing and confessing in His very passion, and promises that he should be with Himself in paradise.“

[catherinecarter]

Thank you Father Peter, this is very deep, profound, and helpful.
☦️🙏🤍🙏☦️

[Ricky-esvg]

Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom! Amen.

[ioneladaniela]

Wonderful said Father ! Thank you very much !

[agiasf]

Thank you, Father, for everything. May your reward be the Lord Himself. Please pray for us, poor, sinful strugglers. Pray, Father, please, that He would be our reward as well.

[buntbar]

I love the story of the Thief on the cross.
I am 43 and in motion for becoming orthodox. Spirituality I was (almost) dead. And I was dead to the world already. Not in a holy way, I guess. But by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, I am rising. I am weak, and my sin is wearing me down. But I can feel the flame of life getting stronger every day. The mercy and grace of our Lord is overwhelming.❤
The thief on the cross gives me hope and strength. After hearing your explanation, I feel even more familiar to him. Is it orthodox to venerate him?
I should be (physically) dead, but God saved me 3 times from leaving this world in darkness in the last few years. Now, after confessing christ and beginning the way, I am convinced that the Lord didn't want me to perish and gave me a chance to redeem myself first. Halleluja!
Please pray for me to succeed and become a little "thief on the cross." I feel like I am just as close to damnation as he was. And just as Lucky as him. Now, I need the zeal to endure to the end.
Jesus Christus Pantokrator, have mercy on me a sinner. ♥️🙏🏼♥️

[micahcartwright]

Thank you Father, I needed this so badly today.

[Ιησου̑ςΧριστςΝικά]

God Bless you all my Siblings In Christ ☦️

[lancerx]

We are saved by Grace through faith. It is a gift, not by works……. Ephesians

[booktolight]

The lord is teaching me something about first fruit and God word hes the first fruit and we must endure till we receive his word then us being second fruit and then receiving that word and then we dont have to stand the lord stand on his word in us i cant explain this very well but it spiritually powerful.

[shaunmulligan]

Let us remember that the tongue not only reveals the health of a body but also the health of a soul. Of all the members of the body, the tongue will be the cause of the greatest torment in the everlasting fires of hell. “The tongue is an unrighteous world among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the cycle of nature, and set on fire by hell.” (James 3:6).

[nikki-whcn]

Like the good thief on his right, at the crucifixion, who understood his awfulness and deserved punishment knew who Christ was and only asked Christ “ will you remember me in paradise “ and Christ said “ you will be with me” ..even at the last moment Christ will save you .. but unlike the thief on the left who said “ why don’t you get us down “… if you can’t take your own accountability then guilt, shame, arrogance etc.. will destroy you.
Free will is a gift from God.. we should all strive to be like the good thief.

Gods mercy and love is so much bigger than your shame
✝️❤️❤️✝️

[wendypoginy]

Something I never knew thank you now I can explain it to others.

[deanaburnham]

Father, I love how you showed the process of the "good thief" and that it didn't "just magically happen." I can imagine too the pain at the moment of repentance when fully coming to terms with himself. That confession to the other thief, We deserve.. but this man is innocent... "The fruit of a life...open to the light..."
Ive heard you talk about "good uneasiness." I really like that way of referring to repentance and growth.

[icysamurai]

The Jesus anime short "My Last Day" portrays this beautifully (the guilt of the thief on the cross beforehand).

[dg_f_Christs]

I've never thought of it that way 🤔 John the Baptist, 'prepared the hearts for the Lord' makes more sense than seeing a half dead human claim he was God. Was it a mistake to tell the my 3 dying now deceased relatives of thief on the cross in context with turning (repenting) to Him in hope? Have I done them injustice?
Easy-belivism is full deception 😢

[lostapple]

Doesn't the Church sing that "he gained paradise in a single moment" ... isn't a moment a bit different than a lifetime of struggling with conscience?

[thenarrowdoor]

Yes and his heart was willing to know god and tge other thief wasnt, and also he wasnt baptised but he baptized with his own tears, almost all of us sin after our baptism but by repenting and going back to christ we cry when we repent and thats the second baptism ☦️

[lostapple]

Which Fathers wrote this? I had read he cried out merely out of fear of death - but that was still enough for him to be saved.