Expert: Onaga Thomas - 10/11/2007

Question
Since we can not know if the Thief on the cross was baptized by either John or Jesus disciples only that he asked Jesus to remember him when he came into his kingdom why was the Thief saved?  I ask because John's baptism and Jesus baptism at the time was for the remission of sins.  Also why did not the Apostles have to be baptized again if Paul ordered Apollos to be baptized in the name of Jesus to receive the the laying on of hands from him or gifts of the Holy Spirit since Apollos only knew John's baptism?

Answer
Thankyou for your question Phil

 Concerning the thief, the belief is that he was saved simply because Jesus said so.  We must remember that Jesus himself forgave people of their sins (ex.  The woman caught in adultery) while He was here on earth, he had that power to forgive sinx.  So the thief sought mercy from Jesus before He bodily died and was granted mercy in paradise because Jesus had the authority to do so.  Just like he had the authority to cast out demons or raise Lazarus from the dead while on earth.  The apostles are not said in the scriptures to be "followers of John" or to have said to have been baptized by John, only that Jesus picked them out to be his disciples. Apollos was strong and eloquent in the scriptures, but he only new of John's baptism, so Priscilla and Aquila taught him the word of God more perfectly (Acts 19).  Any teaching of Apollos after that would have been exact truth because he had all the truth.