We’re thankful for every soul saved throughout redemptive history. And the case of the thief on the cross displays the tremendous grace and mercy of God in that it involved a notable criminal, at the end of his life, calling out for salvation at a time when Christ was enduring unimaginable suffering for the sins of the world. It’s comforting to know that God, at all times, is merciful to all persons.
The famous thief on the cross is usually cited as providing sufficient basis for someone believing in Christ to be able to legitimately claim salvation today. In actuality, the only thing someone may personally claim from the example is that, had he been there at that time instead of, or along with, the thief, he could likewise, expect salvation. That’s because God is merciful at all times to all persons, respecting none. But the fact is that we’re not there, but here. In a similar way, if we were with the faithful people of God at the time of the Exodus, we could have been emancipated from Egypt just as those we read about were. But the fact is, we are not there, but here. In addition, had we been following Joshua, we could have gone into the Promised Land, too. But, again, we were not there, but here. We could go on citing many other situations throughout redemptive history. But the point remains, we were not there, but here. We are in the Church age.
The point of bringing up these examples is to show that redemptive history was an ongoing process, ever leading to, and culminating in, the Christian era. The thief on the cross was the last recorded soul to be saved prior to that era, which began on the Day of Pentecost. We are living in the New Covenant and can only be saved by its terms. No other means is necessary, or is offered to us. People often erroneously think that they can choose an example of salvation from anywhere in the New Testament and apply it to themselves. That simply is not so. Regard must be paid to the specific dispensation in which we live. (A dispensation is a definite period of time in redemptive history in which God “dispenses” a specific means for souls to be saved.). In the Church age, that means is Acts 2:38. For this reason, the thief on the cross is not an example of Christian salvation.