The Thief on the Cross – No Church, No Rituals, Just Jesus. So, What About All of the Rules of My Church?

In one of the most powerful moments in all of Scripture, a condemned man, hanging on a cross next to Jesus, reached out in simple faith—and was promised eternity.

“And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.”
— Luke 23:43, KJV

This wasn’t a religious scholar. He wasn’t baptized. He didn’t pay tithing. He didn’t belong to a denomination or go through temple rituals. He simply believed. Have you really ever considered this fact? Is it really this easy?

Most of us who attend church see the benefit that it brings to us in getting closer to God. It feels good also to associate with others who have the same belief that we do. There is peace there. There is comfort in being surrounded by the goodness of God. It is also a time to refresh us spiritually, and even take the sacrament.

But some days, don’t you look at all of the boxes that your church requires you to check, and ask… Is all of this really necessary to go to heaven? Why do churches have so many different requirements, policies, commandments, etc.?

I certainly can see the benefits in attending church, but when it comes right down to it, what is required from God to assure that we will make it into heaven after we die?

Let’s go to the bible to see what it has to say. It’s obviously foolish to ask your church leader this question, as you will only get the churches doctrine as an answer. That’s not what were looking for…What does God tell us?

This scripture stands out as a first-hand experience with Jesus and another man. There are little facts about the man on the cross with Jesus, but we can make some obvious assumptions.

We know that “the thief on the cross” was being executed for his crimes. What crime? It’s uncertain, but in doing some research, I was able to find crimes that would result in crucifixion at the time of Jesus.

Crimes Punishable by Crucifixion in Jesus’ Time

1. Rebellion / Sedition against Rome
   • This was the most common crucifixion offense. Anyone who tried to stir up political unrest, lead revolts, or claim kingship (as Jesus was accused) could be crucified.
   • Barabbas, the criminal released instead of Jesus, was likely a rebel or insurgent (Mark 15:7).
2. Treason
   • If someone betrayed the Roman Empire or supported its enemies, crucifixion was used to make a public example of them.
3. Piracy and Banditry
   • Robbers, highway thieves, or those who threatened Roman-controlled trade routes were often crucified.
   • The “thieves” crucified next to Jesus (Luke 23:32-33) may have been more than just petty criminals—they could have been violent bandits or insurrectionists.
4. Slave Rebellion / Escaped Slaves
   • Crucifixion was commonly used to punish disobedient or rebellious slaves. It served as a public deterrent to others.
5. Murder (in some cases)
   • While murder wasn’t always punished by crucifixion, if it threatened public order or Roman authority, it could result in that sentence.
6. Blasphemy (for Jews under Roman oversight)
   • Though not a Roman crime per se, the Jewish religious leaders considered Jesus guilty of blasphemy. They handed Him over to Rome, framing it as sedition so the Romans would crucify Him (John 19:7,12).

Jesus may or may not have known why the man was being crucified, but its safe to assume that He would have been aware that he had committed some type of crime resulting in him being there on the cross next to him.

I think that it is also fair to say that Jesus would have known the spirit of the man through His divine gifts that He had while upon the earth.

So, the thief turned to Jesus and uttered the words…

“Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.”
— Luke 23:42, KJV

That one humble request was a confession of faith. He acknowledged who Jesus was—the true King—and trusted Him. This is one of the most important facts of this story. He knew the Savior.

And the reply from Jesus:

“And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.”

Luke 23:43 (KJV)

And in this response, Jesus gave the purest, simplest promise of salvation—no rituals, no religious system, no delay, no tithing requirements, no human SYSTEMS. Just grace.

Something else that is important to bring up here is the fact that He mentioned Paradise.

Many churches have different opinions and teachings where people go right after death. Some, as my church, gives two different locations for people when they die:

Spirit Prison – Where they can be taught the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Paradise – For those who know the gospel of Jesus Christ.

In using this information, Jesus didn’t say to the man, today I will see you in Spirit Prison…He said Paradise. Don’t you find that interesting?

From the evidence that we have in the scriptures, we see that this man knew that Jesus was the Savior, and that knowledge was what he needed to be with Jesus in Paradise when he died.

This to me is VERY Telling! In today’s world, many religious institutions add layers of man-made requirements to salvation:

• “You must be baptized our way.”
• “You must pay tithing to us.”
• “You must go through our temple.”
• “You must obey our prophet or priesthood.”

But none of that saved the thief. Jesus did. And Jesus alone still saves all of us today.

Ephesians 2:8-9 (KJV)
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

I think that it is important for all of us to realize that many of the teachings from our churches are for the benefit of the organization, and not requirements to get into heaven as they are portrayed to be.

This scripture is also telling by stating that we can not earn our way into heaven…”not of works, least any man should boast.” And, isn’t that a great deal of teachings of a church, way to get into heaven through our works? He just told us that this was not necessary. Our salvation is a gift from God, it not from anything that we do or don’t do.

This brings validity to the story of the thief on the cross. His actions in life were not Steller, yet he knew the Savior. And knowing the Savior is the ticket to get into paradise…and has nothing to do with our works as the churches teach.

Now in defense of our churches, I must say… There are policies and direction that a church must have in order to lead its members. There are financial obligations which are included in the needs of a church. Commandments (rules) are also a pretty good way to help all of us stay on track to live a happy, peaceful life. But we need to remember, they are simply that – Church rules, and not mandatory for us to do in order to receive the same invite that this thief received from Christ, to make it into Paradise.

There is hope for everyone—even in your final moments, even if you feel unworthy, even if religion has failed you. If you will look to Jesus and call Him Lord, He will remember you.

Romans 10:13 (KJV)
“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Jesus Is Enough

The thief on the cross proves that you don’t need a perfect life, a fancy building, or approval from any man-made institution to enter paradise. All you need is Jesus. Your mortal live can be enhanced by attending a church, and the more that you know about the Savior the easier life seems to be, so church attendance is a very positive thing in our lives.

I invite you to focus your belief upon the Savior, and not solely through a church. Churches have their own mortal agendas. They are also interested in building “their” kingdom, which usually gets them in trouble.

I also can’t help but think, in heaven there is no church. Our relationship and worship is ENTIRELY with Jesus Christ. Thinking that you will see your church in heaven is absolutely false. If your entire testimony is with a church, and not Jesus Christ, you will have some catching up to do in the next life. Let that be your focus right here and now…Your belief and testimony solid towards Jesus Christ. Study His words in the bible, for there are things that He wants you to know, so that He can guide you through these last days.

I hope that this information is refreshing. It is my hope and prayer that it somehow helps you get rid of a guilt fueled life that is taught to us by a religion, and not by God Himself. Let’s us continue to be Christlike, but let us rejoice in realizing that the gift of Salvation is not based upon our works, but rather an unselfish sacrifice and gift given to us by Christ. There is so much peace in knowing this.

As with all of my writings, I invite you to pray about the things that I have written. Get your own testimony of the truthfulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He will tell you, as He has told me, that His teachings are true.

May God’s spirit be with you until we meet again tomorrow to discuss more End-Times writings.

Please join me here, www.riverwilde.blog each day, as we study the writings of the End-Times.