Thief Theology

On my way to church I was listening to J Vernon Mcgee on the radio and he used this illustration below to stress his point. Now, it may not be exactly worded the way he put it but I am sure it is close enough to drive home the point.

There was a pastor who approached one of his members about possibly serving in the Sunday school class.  There was a need and he thought this gentlemen was capable and able to handle that position.

Pastor:  Hey how are you?

Member: Fine thanks

Pastor: I have something to ask of you.

Member: Sure, ask away.

Pastor:  I've been thinking about you the last couple of weeks. I wanted to see if you were willing to help us out in our Sunday school class. There is a vacancy and I am confident you are capable of handling that. Just think and pray about it.

Member:  Oh, I don't need to pray about that pastor. I don't think I need to do any such thing as that.

Pastor: Ok, I understand. But, can I ask why not

Member:  Well pastor as I see it the thief on the cross never taught a Sunday school class, so neither am I. I'm gonna just rest in what Christ has done for me.

The next week at church: 

Pastor:  Hello again. I know we talked last week about you serving in our sunday school but I wanted to ask if you could help out with our greeter/usher ministry. I've noticed that your personality seems to be really suited for this.

Member:   Pastor, I really appreciate your wanting to get me involved here but I don't think I will. You see the thief on the cross was never an usher either and everything turned out well for him. So I don't think I will be an usher either. As I told you before I'm gonna just rest in what Jesus has done for me.

Pastor: Well how about giving financially to our outreach ministries?

Member: Well, I see no need in giving. You see the thief never gave a penny before he went home with the lord.

Pastor:  Well, I see.  I would like to leave you with these words. I pray you ponder these thoughts. It appears that the difference between the thief on the cross and yourself is that he is a dead thief and you my friend are a living thief.

James 2:14-26

(NASB)

¹⁴ What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? ¹⁵ If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, ¹⁶ and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? ¹⁷ Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.

¹⁸ But someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” ¹⁹ You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. ²⁰ But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless? ²¹ Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? ²² You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected; ²³ and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness,” and he was called the friend of God. ²⁴ You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. ²⁵ In the same way, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? ²⁶ For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.