The Thief on the Cross and the Two Tongues: Speaking Life into Your Death
Introduction: The Two Crosses, The Two Tongues
Let us, in the hallowed chambers of our imagination, be transported back in time. Let us stand together on a barren hill outside Jerusalem, a place grimly named Golgotha, "the place of a skull." The air is thick, not only with the dust of the Judean earth, but with the suffocating weight of sorrow, mockery, and cosmic agony. The sun, though it is the sixth hour, seems to recoil from the scene, shrouded in a strange darkness. We hear the jeers of the crowd, the callous laughter of Roman soldiers, the weeping of a few faithful women, and the rhythmic clang of a hammer that has just ceased its dreadful work.
Before us stand three crosses, stark silhouettes against a bruised and mournful sky. On the center cross hangs the Lamb of God, the Saviour of the world. But it is to the other two crosses that our attention is drawn this day. On either side of Jesus hangs a malefactor, a criminal condemned by the laws of men.1 They are archetypes of all humanity, placed in the most pivotal position in human history: beside a dying Saviour. Both men are in agony. Both are facing the finality of death. Both are within earshot of the King of Glory. Yet, their eternal destinies will diverge in this final hour. One will die in his sin, his last breath a bitter curse. The other will die to his sin, his last breath a life-altering confession. What made the difference? It was not their circumstance, for their condemnation was the same. It was not their past, for their deeds were both worthy of death. The difference, beloved, was in their words. On that dark hill, two tongues were at work: one wielded the power of death, the other, the power of life.
This scene is a living parable of a divine principle, a spiritual law as immutable as gravity, laid down in the book of Proverbs, chapter 18, verse 21. The Word of God declares, in the majestic language of the King James Version:
Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof".3 Understand what this means. This is not a proverb about the benefits of positive thinking or a call for mere optimism.
This is a revelation of the spiritual physics of God's created order. Your words are not empty vibrations dissipating into the air. They are spiritual containers. They are vessels that you, as a being made in the image of a speaking God, fill with either the poison of death or the seed of life. And the scripture is clear: you will "eat the fruit thereof." You will inhabit the world that your words have built. You will reap the harvest that your tongue has sown.
Therefore, our journey together this day will be a solemn exploration of this profound truth. We shall first examine the tongue of death, as it was wielded by the first thief, and as it is echoed in the secret curses we speak over our own lives. We will see how words of doubt and inadequacy nail us to crosses of our own making.
Then, we will turn our gaze to the second cross and perform a deep and thorough examination of the tongue of life. We will dissect, piece by piece, the four world-changing, paradise-unlocking affirmations spoken by the penitent thief. And finally, we will learn how to take up this holy weapon ourselves, to cease speaking the language of our past failures and to begin speaking the language of our future in God, transforming our reality by the power of a sanctified tongue.
Part I: The Tongue of Death - The Curses We Speak Over Ourselves
The Voice from the First Cross
Let us listen closely to the voice from the first cross. The Gospel of Luke, chapter 23, verse 39, records his final words: "
And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us".1 The scripture uses the word "railed," a term dripping with contempt and abuse. Other translations use the word "blasphemed".7 This was not a desperate plea for help; it was a bitter, mocking, and scornful challenge. His words were a poisoned dart aimed at the heart of the suffering Saviour.
Let us analyze the anatomy of this death-filled speech. It begins with the language of doubt: "If thou be Christ..." This is the voice of a heart hardened by unbelief, a heart that sees only the circumstance and is blind to the spiritual reality. It is a voice that places conditions on God.
Then, it moves to the demand of self-centeredness: "...save thyself and us." His focus is entirely on his temporal suffering. He does not seek forgiveness for his soul, but only relief for his body. He sees Jesus not as a Lord to be worshipped, but as a tool to be used for his own comfort.9 He is a man so consumed by his own pain that he cannot recognize the presence of his only hope. His tongue, in its final moments, produced only the fruit of bitterness, unbelief, and accusation. It was the very essence of a tongue of death.
The Echo in Our Own Hearts
Before we judge this man too harshly, let us be still and listen to the echoes of his voice in the chambers of our own hearts. For we too often wield a tongue of death, not against Christ on a cross, but against the work of Christ within us. We speak internal curses over ourselves that keep us spiritually crucified, bound by guilt, shame, and a sense of disqualification.
Consider the great patriarch Moses. When God Almighty appeared to him in a burning bush, commissioning him to be the deliverer of Israel, what was Moses' response? Did he speak life, agreeing with God's call? No, his tongue spoke the curse of inadequacy. In Exodus, chapter 4, verse 10, he argued with his Creator: "O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue".10 From a purely human perspective, his self-assessment may have been accurate; perhaps he did have a speech impediment.12 But God had just declared, "
Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say" (Exodus 4:12).10 Moses' declaration was not an act of humility; it was an act of contradiction. He was placing his perception of his own weakness above God's promise of His presence and power.
He was speaking death over a life-giving call. His "I am not" was a direct rebuttal to God's "I will be with you."
Consider also the story of Gideon. We find him in Judges chapter 6, hiding from the Midianites, threshing wheat in a winepress—a symbol of his fear. The Angel of the LORD appears to him with a world-changing declaration: "The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valour" (Judges 6:12). How did Gideon respond to this divine affirmation? His tongue, like that of Moses, spoke death. He spoke the curse of insignificance. In verse 15, he replied, "Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father′s house".14 God called him mighty; he called himself least. God saw a deliverer; he saw the runt of a poor clan.16 He defined himself by his earthly circumstances—his family's poverty, his tribe's weakness, his low social standing—rather than by God's heavenly declaration. He, too, was contradicting the reality that God had spoken over him.
The common thread that binds the railing thief, the reluctant Moses, and the fearful Gideon is this: their tongue of death was not merely about speaking negatively. It was about the far more grievous sin of contradicting God's declared reality.
The thief's "If thou be Christ" was a contradiction of Jesus' very identity. Moses' "I am not eloquent" was a contradiction of God's empowering promise. Gideon's "I am the least" was a contradiction of the angel's divine anointing. This elevates the matter from the realm of psychology to the heights of theology. Negative self-talk is not just a bad habit; it is a form of rebellion. It is an act of unbelief that gives our personal feelings, our past failures, and the world's opinions more authority than the unchanging Word of the living God.
The Sin of Comparison: The Ultimate Self-Curse
Perhaps the most common and insidious way we speak this language of death is through the sin of comparison. We look at the life, the ministry, the gifts, or the blessings of another, and we use them as a standard against which we measure our own insufficiency. The Apostle Paul addresses this directly in his letter to the Romans, chapter 12, verse 6:
Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us...
".18 Paul's theology of the Body of Christ, further expounded in 1 Corinthians 12, is that God has intentionally designed us with diversity. He has given to one the eye, to another the hand, to another the foot.20 Each gift is different, each is necessary, and each is a direct dispensation of His grace.
Therefore, to look at the hand and say, "Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body," is not humility; it is an insult to the wisdom of the God who formed you. Comparison is a spiritual crime. It is to find fault with the divine design.
When you look at another's gift and speak the curse over yourself—"I am not as gifted as they are," "I am not as anointed," "I am not as blessed"—you are speaking death over the unique and specific measure of grace that God has sovereignly placed upon your life. You are behaving like the railing thief, focusing on what you perceive you lack, blind to the King who is present with you and the unique purpose He has for you.
This tongue of death, rooted in contradiction and comparison, will always keep you nailed to a cross of frustration and barrenness, unable to receive the life that is freely offered.
Part II: The Tongue of Life - The Four Affirmations that Unlock Paradise
Now, let us turn our gaze from the cross of death to the cross of life. Let us behold the second thief, a man whose final moments on earth became his greatest. He, too, was a sinner. He, too, was in agony. But in the crucible of his final suffering, his tongue was sanctified, and he spoke words that have echoed through eternity. The contrast between these two men, and the power of their words, is so stark and instructive that it can be summarized for our understanding.
This man's transformation was not accomplished through a long process of discipleship, nor through baptism, nor through partaking in communion. His salvation was secured in his dying moments through a series of powerful, life-speaking affirmations. Let us dissect these four declarations from Luke chapter 23, verses 40 through 42, for in them we find a divine blueprint for our own deliverance.1
1. The Affirmation of God's Authority: "Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation?"
These are the first words of life spoken on that hill. With this question, the penitent thief fundamentally reframes reality for himself and for his companion. He rebukes the other criminal not merely for being rude, but for a far greater transgression: for failing to fear God.8
In this statement, he declares that even while they are hanging on Roman crosses, condemned by Roman law, they are ultimately standing under a higher jurisdiction. Their final court of appeal is not Caesar, but God Almighty. He is acknowledging a reality that transcends their immediate pain and suffering. This is the foundational step for anyone who would speak life. You must first affirm the sovereignty of God over your situation. You must declare, "Though I am in this trial, though I am facing this giant, though I am in this pain, there is a God in heaven who reigns supreme. I fear Him more than I fear my circumstances." This is the beginning of wisdom, and it is the first word that begins to break the chains of death.
2. The Affirmation of Personal Truth: "And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds..."
This next affirmation is a radical act of honesty and repentance. He speaks the unvarnished truth about himself: "I am guilty. I deserve this punishment." He makes no excuses. He does not blame his upbringing, his society, or his circumstances. He takes full responsibility for his actions.2
This is not the voice of self-hatred; it is the voice of liberating truth. So many of us are held captive because we refuse to speak this truth. We justify our sins, we minimize our faults, we shift the blame. But life cannot flow where truth is absent. By agreeing with God about the justice of his condemnation, this thief opened the door for grace to enter.
When you can look at your own past, your own mistakes, your own sin, and say, "I did that, and I was wrong," you disarm the accuser and position yourself to receive the mercy of God. This affirmation allows you to forgive yourself, not because your sin was small, but because you accept that the penalty is just, and you are now ready to look for a Saviour to pay it for you.
3. The Affirmation of Christ's Righteousness: "...but this man hath done nothing amiss."
Here is the pivotal moment, the great transfer of focus. Having affirmed God's authority and his own guilt, he now uses his tongue to affirm the perfection of Christ. Consider the power of this statement. At this moment, Jesus looked like the greatest failure in human history. He was condemned as a criminal, abandoned by his followers, mocked by the religious leaders, and dying a shameful death.
The evidence of the eyes screamed "failure." But the tongue of the penitent thief, empowered by faith, contradicted the evidence of his senses and declared the truth of the Spirit: "This man is innocent. He is righteous.".2 This is the very heart of the Gospel. It is the act of taking our eyes off our own sin and fixing them, and our confession, upon His righteousness. We speak life not by trying to convince God of our own goodness, but by declaring His. The life-giving confession is this: "I am a sinner, but He is the sinless Saviour. I am broken, but He is whole. I am guilty, but He is righteous."
4. The Affirmation of Future Hope: "Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom."
This is the final, triumphant affirmation of life. Every word is saturated with faith. He sees a man dying, yet he calls Him "Lord." He sees a scene of utter defeat, yet he speaks of a coming "kingdom." And notice the certainty in his voice: he says "when thou comest," not "if thou comest".23 In the very face of death, his tongue became a prophetic instrument, calling those things which be not as though they were. He was speaking a future reality into his present darkness. He was using the power of his tongue to declare a hope that defied all earthly logic.
And what was the immediate result of this life-filled, faith-powered declaration? The King, hearing a citizen of His kingdom speak the language of faith, responded by pulling that future reality into the present moment. Jesus said unto him, "
Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise
".1 The tongue that spoke of a future kingdom was granted immediate entrance into it.
This sequence of affirmations is more than just a touching story; it illustrates a profound spiritual transaction. The thief's words, in order, accomplished a legal and spiritual work. First, by affirming the "fear of God," he moved his case from the court of Rome to the court of Heaven, establishing the proper jurisdiction.
Second, by affirming "we indeed justly," he entered a legal plea of guilty, ending all self-defense and satisfying the divine requirement for confession. Third, by affirming "this man hath done nothing amiss," he identified the principle of substitution, pointing to the innocent one who was taking the penalty in his place. Finally, his cry, "Lord, remember me," was a direct appeal to the King, based on the legal and spiritual groundwork he had just laid. Jesus' response, therefore, was not merely a word of comfort but a divine verdict. The requirements of justice and faith, activated by the power of the tongue, had been met, and the King issued the immediate decree of pardon and citizenship in paradise.
Proof of Redemption: No Past is Too Dark
Lest any of you think that your past disqualifies you from this same grace, let the scriptures provide two more witnesses to the power of a life-speaking tongue to overcome any history. Consider Rahab, the harlot of Jericho. Her life was defined by paganism and shame.24 Yet, when the spies of Israel came to her, her tongue did not speak the language of her culture; it spoke the language of faith. She declared to them, "...for the LORD your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth
beneath" (Joshua 2:11).26 That single confession of faith, followed by the work of protecting the spies, not only saved her and her family from destruction but grafted this Gentile prostitute into the holy lineage of King David and of Jesus Christ Himself.27
Consider Saul of Tarsus. His past was written in the blood of the saints. The scripture says he was "breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord" (Acts 9:1).29 He was the chief enemy of the church. But on the road to Damascus, when the glory of the Lord struck him to the ground, his tongue spoke a new language.
His first words were, "Who art thou, Lord?" and his next were, "
Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?" (Acts 9:5-6).29 In that moment, the tongue that had cursed the name of Jesus now confessed Him as Lord. That change in confession, that turning of the tongue from death to life, transformed the greatest persecutor of the church into its greatest apostle.32 Your past does not have the final say. Your tongue does.
Part III: Wielding the Tongue of Life - Speaking as God Speaks
The Mandate for Godly Self-Love
How then do we begin to practice this holy discipline? How do we transition from speaking the curses of Moses and Gideon to speaking the affirmations of the penitent thief? The journey begins with understanding a foundational command of our Lord Jesus Christ. When asked what was the great commandment in the law, He replied first with the command to love God, and then He said in Matthew chapter 22, verse 39, "And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself".33
For centuries, we have focused on the first part of that command, "love thy neighbour," and rightly so. But we have often ignored the standard by which that love is to be measured: "as thyself." This is not a suggestion; it is a divine mandate. God commands a healthy, holy, and proper self-love. How can you pour a cup of water for your neighbor from an empty well? How can you speak words of life and encouragement to others when your own inner world is filled with the clamor of self-cursing and condemnation? You cannot. The command implies that a right relationship with oneself is the necessary foundation for a right relationship with others.35 This reframes the idea of self-affirmation. It is not a worldly concept rooted in pride, but a biblical necessity rooted in God's command to establish a proper baseline of love from which all other love can flow.
The Content of Godly Self-Love
What does this godly self-love look like? How do we practice it? We love ourselves rightly when we choose to agree with God's assessment of us. We love ourselves when we speak about ourselves what God speaks about us.
The model for this is found in the life of King David. Here was a man who was overlooked by his own father when the prophet Samuel came to anoint a king. He was the forgotten one, left out in the field with the sheep. He had every reason to speak the curse of insignificance over himself, just as Gideon did. But he chose a different path. He chose to wield a tongue of life.
In Psalm 139, verse 14, David makes this powerful declaration of godly self-love: "
I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well
".37
Notice the structure of his affirmation. He does not say, "I will praise myself, for I am wonderful." He says, "I will praise Thee." His self-acceptance is an act of worship. He praises God for the way he was made. He recognizes that he is a marvelous work of the Creator. This is the essence of biblical self-affirmation. It is not boasting in ourselves; it is boasting in our Maker. It is to look in the mirror and, instead of seeing flaws and failures, to declare, "This is the handiwork of Almighty God, and it is marvelous in my eyes."
Practical Application: Your Daily Declarations
Therefore, the time has come to put this into practice. The time has come to silence the inner voices of the railing thief, of Moses, and of Gideon. The time has come to starve the tongue of death and to begin a daily feast with the tongue of life. You must become intentional. You must choose, as an act of will and an act of worship, to speak God's living Word over your own life, until your soul, like David's, "knoweth right well" the truth of who you are in Christ.
Let us arm you now with the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. Here are declarations of life, rooted in the King James scripture, that you are to begin speaking aloud over yourself every single day. Let this be your new language, your new inner monologue:
Instead of saying "I am not loved," declare, "I am loved by God, for the Bible says, 'We love him, because he first loved us.'" (1 John 4:19)
Instead of saying "I am weak," declare, "I am strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might." (Ephesians 6:10)
Instead of saying "I am ordinary" or "I am disqualified," declare, "I am a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people." (1 Peter 2:9)
Instead of being defined by your past sin, declare, "I am forgiven and redeemed by the blood of Christ, for in Him 'we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.'" (Ephesians 1:7)
Instead of feeling stuck in old habits, declare, "I am a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." (2 Corinthians 5:17)
Instead of criticizing your appearance or your personality, declare with David, "I am fearfully and wonderfully made." (Psalm 139:14)
Speak these truths until they are more real to you than your feelings. Speak them until they drown out the lies of the enemy. Speak them until you begin to bear the fruit thereof: the fruit of life, peace, and divine purpose.
Conclusion: A Prayer of Blessing and a Charge to the Congregation
Let us now, as a congregation, put this into practice. I want to lead you in a prayer, but this will not be a prayer of asking, but a prayer of declaring. I invite you to speak these words aloud with me, to speak a blessing over yourself and your household, to wield the tongue of life right now in this holy place. Let us pray together:
The LORD bless me, and keep me. The LORD make his face shine upon me, and be gracious unto me. The LORD lift up his countenance upon me, and give me peace. By the authority of His Word, I declare that I am blessed in the city and blessed in the field. I am blessed when I come in and blessed when I go out. I am the head and not the tail, above only and not beneath. I am a child of the Most High God, filled with His Spirit, and destined for His glory. Amen.
Now, hear the charge of the Lord to His people. You are to leave this sanctuary today as agents of life.
To you, as an individual, the charge is this: Be a vigilant watchman on the wall of your own mouth. Stand guard over your thoughts and your words. Refuse to give voice to the tongue of death. Starve your doubts, your fears, and your insecurities by denying them the nourishment of your words. Instead, feast your soul daily on the life-giving declarations of the Word of God.
And to you, as a community of faith, the charge is this: Become a people who speak life to one another. Let this house be a place where the tongue of death—gossip, criticism, slander, complaint—finds no home. Let it wither and die from lack of use. In its place, cultivate a culture where the tongue of life flourishes. Encourage one another, prophesy over one another, speak blessings to one another. When you see a brother or sister walking in the spirit of Gideon, call them a "mighty man or woman of valour." When you see someone struggling with the spirit of Moses, remind them that God is with their mouth. Hold one another accountable to this high and holy calling.
If you are here today and you recognize that you have been living under the dominion of the tongue of death, nailed to a cross of your own negative confessions, the altar is open. Today can be your "To day." Come now and repent for having agreed with the lies of the enemy more than the truth of God. Come and receive prayer to break the power of old word-curses and to be released into a new season of speaking life. Come and, like the thief on the cross, make the affirmations that unlock paradise.
And now, unto all of you, may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost. Amen. (Romans 15:13)
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