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THE INCREDIBLE CONVERSION OF A MAN ON THE BRINK OF THE GREAT WHITE THRONE — Part 1 Today begins a new series of devotions entitled, ‘The Incredible Conversion of a Man’ recorded in Luke 23:32-33 & 39-43. “There were also two others, criminals, led with Him to be put to death. And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left.” “Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, ‘If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.’ But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, ‘Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.’ Then he said to Jesus, ‘Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise’.” The near-death conversion of this man hanging on the brink of judgment, who is called “the thief on the cross,” is one of the most well-known passages in the New Testament. It is good and appropriate that this passage should be well-known and loved. These verses have comforted many a troubled heart in their dying moments. They have been used to heal many a “sin-sick” souls, who formerly were notorious rebels against God. These words from Jesus have assured many who have genuinely repented and believed, even as they lay on their deathbed. These words will give a precious contrast in light of the previous weeks of devotions on the Great White Throne Judgment. Of course, the disturbing truth about the reality of a “deathbed conversion” is that the person often does not live long enough to give “ongoing evidence” that the conversion was authentic and not phony! However, this testimony of the “astonishing conversion of this condemned criminal” reveals that a “deathbed conversion” is possible for any sinner who will truly repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ! On the other hand, I want you to be aware that this story of the “thief on the cross” is really the only biblical picture of an authentic “deathbed conversion”; it's rare, not the norm. So the natural question is, “How do we know that this conversion was bona fide? How can we be absolutely assured that this wicked insurrectionist truly came to Jesus on His conditions? These are legitimate questions. Friends, we can know that this was genuine, beyond any shadow of a doubt, because of Jesus’s words in verse 43. The Lord Jesus, the Author and the Giver of eternal life, said to this criminal, “Today, you will be with Me, in Paradise.” Through this powerful confirmation from the lips of God the Son, we find that a sinner can be saved, even in their last hours, when before they were scheduled to drop into hell. How can this be? It’s possible if they truly repent of their sins and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ! The reason many struggle with the reality of a “deathbed conversion” is that many wrongly think that salvation is somehow linked to “good works, moral performance, or some level of achieved merit”! But the Word of God clearly informs us that, “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:5). Do you realize that many religious leaders and others were standing around the cross that day? Many had lived extremely religious lives. Most were up to their eyeballs in religious attendance and activity. They were attempting to live their lives by all manner of man-made rituals, rules, and regulations. But they, too, had never come to Jesus in repentance and faith. For that reason, their souls were just as lost as the two career criminals hanging next to the Lord. Those religionists were not one inch closer to eternal life than were these two insurrectionists. Moreover, it was these religious leaders who were the main culprits behind the murder of God the Son! They were attempting to reach Heaven through religiosity and their self-righteous performance. But dear reader, salvation is always given in one way and only one way! Salvation is ‘By HIS FREE GRACE’, which mightily works in a heart, apart from any human works, human righteousness, or any human merit. It is God’s free grace which, by the powerful work of the Spirit, plants the roots of conviction, contrition, and conversion in the heart of a sinner. (Let’s continue to observe this incredible life story in the following devotions.)