Luke 23:43

The man received more from Jesus than he expected, as is always true in salvation. Jesus prefaced His solemn promise with a guarantee of its validity. The thief would not have to wait for the kingdom to be with Jesus. He would be with Him in the place of righteous departed spirits that very day when they both died.

Paradise and Abraham’s bosom (Luke 16:22-26) are the same place. The word "paradise" has come into English from Greek but originally from Persian. It describes a beautiful garden or delightful park such as the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:8). Symbolically it represents future bliss (cf. Isaiah 51:3; Revelation 2:7). Essentially the paradise that lies ahead of believers is paradisiacal because God is there (cf. 2 Corinthians 12:4). Jesus presented fellowship with Himself as the best part of salvation, as it is.

". . . Jesus acts as the Messiah who has the kingly right to open the doors of paradise to those who come into fellowship with him." [Note: Marshall, The Gospel . . ., p. 873.]

When Jesus suffered on the cross, He experienced separation from the Father, which is spiritual death. Having died physically His body went into the grave for parts of three days. His spirit went to paradise, namely, into the Father’s presence where the spirits of the righteous dead abide until their reunion with their bodies at their resurrection. When Jesus arose, the Father reunited His spirit with His then immortal body.

The Apostles Creed says that when Jesus died He descended into hell. This idea evidently originated because Jesus said that He would spend three days and three nights in the heart of the earth when He died (Matthew 12:40). The ancients viewed Sheol (the Old Testament term) and Hades (the New Testament term) as in the heart of the earth or at least as under the surface of the earth. The formulators of the Apostles Creed apparently confused the temporary destiny of Jesus’ spirit (i.e., His immaterial part) with the temporary destiny of His body (i.e., His material part). There is no clear biblical statement that Jesus’ spirit went to hell after His death. The passages sometimes cited to support this view, in addition to this verse, include Acts 2:27 (cf. Psalms 16:8-11); Ephesians 4:7-10; and 1 Peter 3:18-20, but I do not believe they do support it. On the contrary, Jesus here affirmed that His spirit would go to paradise (i.e., God’s presence) when He died (cf. 2 Corinthians 12:4).

Note also that Jesus promised the thief that he would go to paradise simply because of his faith in Jesus. This is one of the clearest examples in Scripture that salvation is not a reward for meritorious works but is a gift of God (Ephesians 2:8-9). The thief did not have to do anything more to qualify for heaven. Indeed he could have done nothing more. People who believe that some works are necessary for salvation usually explain this instance of salvation as an exception to the rule. However, it is consistent with the teaching of Scripture elsewhere that salvation comes to a person solely in response to believing faith in Jesus Christ.

"One thief was saved, so that none needs to despair; but only one, so that none may presume." [Note: The New Scofield . . ., p. 1119.]