Christ was no thief, but He allowed Himself to be crucified with and for thieves. Why did He allow this? Love compelled Him to bear the sins of many.
What can you learn from those who paid the ultimate price for their faith? How could you use more of the faith that they demonstrated in their deaths?
It has been said that an individual is not truly ready to live for the Lord until he is willing and ready to die for Him. As a believer, one should not fear death.
A martyr is one who is killed for his faith. Only two individuals are specifically named as martyrs in scripture: Stephen and Antipas.
The working of God is quite often misunderstood due to its complexities. God often uses multiple things and allows them to work together to accomplish His will. He does this in the life of one who has been saved but also does this to bring about that person’s salvation. Just like medications offer active ingredients to cure a physical sickness, the Lord has several active ingredients to cure spiritual sickness. Without man’s faith (Romans 10:9) and repentance (Acts 20:21), Christ’s faith (Galatians 2:16), God’s grace (Ephesians 2:5, 8), His mercy (Titus 3:5), His word (1 Peter 1:23), Christ’s blood (Hebrews 9:11-14), and the Lord’s name (Acts 4:12), salvation would be inadequate. Anything presently identified as the gospel that excludes any of the above is a false gospel.
