A STUDY BY
GARY RAY BRANSCOME
Lesson 10
Christ's death on the cross is one of the
best-attested events in the history of mankind. The Bible not only tells us
that He died, but also tells us that Pontius Pilate would not release His body
until the centurion who was in charge of His crucifixion had certified that He
was dead (Mark 15:44,45). That certification required an examination of the
body by men who were professional executioners, men who knew the difference
between someone who was dead and someone who was not. And, those executioners
thrust a spear into Jesus' side in order to make certain that He was dead (John
In fact, after carefully examining the evidence that
Christ died and rose again, Dr. Simon Greenleaf — professor of law at
Harvard University and expert on legal evidence — was convinced by the
evidence that Christ died on the cross and rose again as the Gospel writers
testified. He then published his findings under the title, “An
Examination of the Testimony of the Four Evangelists by the Rules of Evidence
Administered In The Courts of Justice”. [Note: His book is not only back
in print, but the book, “Evidence That Demands A Verdict” by Josh
McDowell, provides a very readable look at the same evidence.]
Crucifixion is one of the cruelest and most painful
ways of execution ever devised by man. The weight of one's body pulling
downward against iron spikes that tear continually at the flesh hour after hour, was pure agony. In fact, the pain was so great that
its horror is incomprehensible to people accustomed to all the comforts and
conveniences that we take for granted. Furthermore, the trauma of crucifixion
caused many complications that only served to amplify the pain. Therefore, if
any man ever had an excuse to be hateful or bitter it would have been Christ.
Yet, even on the cross He spoke only words of kindness and consideration for
others (John
Although the world sees Christ’s crucifixion
between two thieves as a mark of dishonor, because Christ was innocent it is
the world (not Christ) that bears the reproach. Not only was Christ’s
willingness to die in our stead the ultimate expression of love, but God used
the placement of the two thieves (one on His left and the other on His right)
to illustrate both the final judgment, and the fact that salvation is by grace
alone.
Just as both thieves were sinners, all men are
sinners. Just as neither thief deserved salvation, no one deserves salvation.
Just as the thieves were separated, one on Christ’s left, the other on
His right, on the day of judgment all shall be
separated, some on Christ’s left others on His right. Just as the
unrepentant thief mocked Christ and died in His sins, in the final judgment
Christ shall say to all who are unrepentant, “depart from Me ye cursed, into everlasting fire” (Matthew 25:31).
And, just as the repentant thief was told that he would be with Christ in
paradise, in the final judgement all who are repentant will be told. “Come ye blessed of My
Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the
world” (Matthew 25:34, Psalm
Now let us look carefully at why the repentant thief was
spared. It is perfectly clear that both thieves were sinners. Both had
transgressed the Law of God. Both even joined in mocking Christ (Mark
When Christ told the repentant thief, “Today shalt thou be with Me in
paradise” he was telling him that they would be together in heaven
(heaven is “paradise”, 2Corinthians 12:2-4). However, because God
is a Spirit not a physical being, heaven is a spiritual dimension not a
physical place. All physical places (no matter how large) are mere specks
compared with infinity, and God is infinite. When Moses and Elijah appeared to
Christ on the Mount of Transfiguration we know that they did not leave heaven,
for there is a great gulf fixed so that no one in heaven can ever pass out of
it (Luke 16:26). Furthermore, because heaven is a spiritual place, those who
die forgiven are in it, while all who die without forgiveness are in hell.
There is no middle ground. Either one is forgiven or not forgiven, in
fellowship with God or rejected by Him.
There is no such thing as being partially forgiven
(1John 1:9). The blood of Christ either covers our sins, or it does not (1John
1:7). All whose sins are covered experience the light and joy of heaven, while
those who die without faith in Christ experience the darkness and torment of
hell (Mark
Because Christ took our sins upon Himself
and died bearing our guilt, without God’s pardon He would have gone to
hell. However, because He had no sins of His own, divine justice required that
He be forgiven. And because He had no sins of His own, when He received forgiveness,
He received forgiveness for our sins. His words, “It is finished”
tell us that His work of atonement was complete before He yielded up His
spirit. And, His words, “into thy hands I commend my spirit” tell
us that His soul went to heaven, not hell. Therefore, if He later entered hell,
He entered hell as Satan’s master, not his subject, for Satan’s
kingdom is now His kingdom (Romans
[Note: The unnatural darkening of the sky at the time of Christ’s
death was noticed as far away as
The fact that Christ died is history, but the good
news is that He died for our sins, and that through His death, we have
forgiveness and eternal life.
1. What is one of the
best-attested events in the history of mankind?
2. What did the certification of Christ’s death require?
3. Did Christ show any evidence of being hateful or bitter while on the cross?
4. How does Scripture define the word “paradise?”
5. What is the key factor in determining whether a soul goes to heaven or hell?
6. Did Christ enter hell as one Satan had defeated?
7. What do Christ’s words “it is finished” tell us?
8. Why does the world bear the reproach of Christ’s crucifixion?
9. How does Christ’s death between two thieves give us a picture of the
final judgment?
10. How was the repentant thief saved?