Luke 23:43
Bible Verses. Also called Luke 23:43, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise, The thief on the cross, The penitent thief, Second Word from the Cross, Second of the Seven Last Words.
And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.
Scripture quotation from the King James Version (KJV). Read this chapter
Luke 23:43 records the promise Jesus made on the cross to the repentant thief: "To day shalt thou be with me in paradise." The verse is frequently cited in discussions of where believers are immediately after death (the intermediate state) and of whether salvation is possible apart from works or baptism. It is also the subject of a translation debate over the placement of a comma.
About this articleAI draft from a Korean source. Notes on Korean Protestant practice. No sources listed. Not yet reviewed by a person.
- Origin
Drafted by AI from the Korean church.wiki article, then translated and adapted for English readers on 5 November 2026.
- Perspective
Includes notes on Korean Protestant practice; other traditions are noted where they differ.
- Sources
None listed yet. The article draws on the biblical text and general reference works. Add a source
- Review
Not yet reviewed by a person. Last edited by a person: never. Translation updated 5 November 2026. Edit history
Context
Of the two criminals crucified with Jesus, one reviled him, while the other rebuked him and asked, "Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom" (v. 42). Verse 43 is Jesus' answer to that request. The criminal asked to be remembered in a kingdom yet to come, but Jesus answered with the word "to day." The scene appears only in the Gospel of Luke.
Interpretation
- An example of immediate salvation: The criminal had no opportunity to be baptized or to do good works, yet he received the promise of salvation through faith and confession alone. For this reason the scene is often cited as an illustration of the Protestant teaching that justification is by faith rather than by works.
- Basis for the intermediate state: The major Protestant denominations, as well as the Catholic and Orthodox churches, cite this verse as evidence that the soul of a believer is with Christ immediately after death. The word "paradise" (paradeisos) originally meant "garden," and Paul also used the term (2 Corinthians 12:4). The verse is read together with Philippians 1:23, "to depart, and to be with Christ."
- Although the Catholic Church holds the doctrine of purgatory, it explains the case of this thief as an example of one who entered paradise immediately through perfect repentance and grace.
Controversies and Debates
The original Greek manuscripts contain very little punctuation. As a result, it is grammatically possible to divide the sentence either as "Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise" or as "Verily I say unto thee to day, thou shalt be with me in paradise." Jehovah's Witnesses and the Seventh-day Adventist Church, which hold that the dead await the resurrection in an unconscious state, follow the latter division. Most denominations and translations follow the former, on the grounds that elsewhere Jesus always used the expression "Verily I say unto thee" on its own, without adding "to day," and that "to day" carries emphasis as an answer to the thief's "someday."
Perspective: Korean Protestant practiceHow this idea is used in Korean churches, kept from the original Korean article.
In Korean Protestant churches, the verse is frequently cited at deathbed services, in sermons at funeral services, and in evangelistic sermons stressing that "even repentance at the last moment is not too late."
Related Passages
See also 6
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