Very good posts! Excellent!

I had this very issue come up in our High School class a few weeks ago. The answer for me regarding the Thief has always been Luke 5:20-26. Here we learn that Jesus does indeed have the authority to forgive sins. In fact, if you read that passage closely, you will also see that Jesus makes his claim to be divine as well!

From Luke 23:43 we can know for certain that the Thief had his sins forgive because he was told By Jesus that he would be with him in Paradise. Paradise is the part of the Hadean realm where those who die in a "right relationship" with God go (See Luke chapter 19). Jesus assures the Thief that he will go to paradise and thus, we see Jesus doing what he had done in Luke 5:20-26- forgiving sins.

Brotherly,
Don

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Don Gelles,
Preacher, Church of Christ in Hyde Park
Austin, Texas
www.hydeparkcoc.org