"FIVE VIEWS OF MARK 16:16"
How Some People Just Will Not Accept The Obvious
INTRODUCTION
1. There is a statement of Jesus that is so plain, and yet so controversial...a. That you rarely hear it referred to by denominational preachers, whether it be in their churches or on TV or the radio
b. That when they do, they feel it necessary to give an explanation that goes against the clear statement of Jesus
2. I have reference to the words of Jesus as found in Mark 16:16...
"He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does
not believe will be condemned."
3. To illustrate what I said earlier, let's take a look at four
different views of this verse as taught by men, and then contrast
those views with the one plainly stated by Jesus and supported by His apostles in their teaching and preaching...
[The first view is one held by those who do not profess to be
Christians, but for the purpose of our lesson should be considered.
In essence, they would say...]
I. HE WHO BELIEVES AND IS BAPTIZED "WILL NOT" BE SAVED
A. TWO SEPARATE GROUPS HOLD THIS VIEW...
1. ATHEISTS - who do not believe in God, heaven or hell, or
salvation of any kind
2. JEWS, MUSLIMS, HINDUS, etc.
a. Who believe in God (or gods)
b. But who do not believe that salvation is to be found in Jesus
c. And that to believe and/or be baptized is contrary to the will of God
B. BUT THOSE WHO ACCEPT JESUS AND THE AUTHORITY OF HIS APOSTLES REJECT SUCH A VIEW...
1. There IS a God who offers salvation (contrary to the views of
atheists) - 1 Ti 2:3-4 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
2. Salvation DOES come only through Jesus (contrary to the Jews, Muslims, Hindus, etc.) -
1 Ti 2:5-6; For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time, and in Jn 14:6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
[Though I doubt any present actually hold to this view, there are some who do, and it only begins to illustrate how some are willing to deny the plain statement of Jesus.
Consider a second view...]
II. HE WHO "DOES NOT BELIEVE" AND "IS NOT BAPTIZED" WILL BE SAVED
A. THIS VIEW IS HELD BY "UNIVERSALISTS"...
1. Who believe that God will save everyone eventually
2. To support their view, they will isolate some verses like 1 Ti 2:6 who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time,". If you isolate this verse and not use any other teachings on the subject of salvation you might believe that all will be saved. BUT we have to take the whole counsel of God not just a word here or there. If we just took bits and pieces and a word here and a word there we could the bible say anything we wanted it to...
B. BUT THOSE WHO KNOW THE TEACHINGS OF CHRIST AND PAUL LIKEWISE REJECT SUCH A VIEW... < why>, because
1. Jesus Himself told that there would be few who would be saved- Mt 7:13-14 "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. "Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. and he goes on to say in Mat 7;21-23 ¶ "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.22 "Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' 23 "And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'
2. Paul warned of those who would not be saved, but would face the wrath of God - Ep 5:3-6 ¶ But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints;4 neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks.5 For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.
[Most "Bible-believing, professing Christians" would never treat Mark 16:16 the way the first two views do. But as we consider two more views, we may start hitting closer to "home".
But please understand...that we do so, desiring to "speak the truth in love"; and we pray that your love for the truth is such that you are willing to seriously consider what follows (cf. Ac 17:11). These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. we need to do the same thing.
The third "view" then...]
III. HE WHO "DOES NOT BELIEVE" AND "IS <BAPTIZED"> WILL BE SAVED
A. THIS VIEW IS HELD BY MOST WHO PRACTICE "INFANT BAPTISM"...
1. By "baptizing" (actually sprinkling, not immersing) infants
incapable of faith...
a. They (especially Catholics) indicate that faith is not essential to salvation
b. Some (especially Lutherans) try to get around this by saying that God imparts saving faith to the infant so baptism can still save
2. By sprinkling or pouring instead of immersion, they also indicate Jesus did not mean what He said (the reason
"BAPTIZED" above is in quotes)
B. BUT SPEAKING THE TRUTH IN LOVE, WE MUST POINT OUT...
1. That faith is a necessary prerequisite...
a. For baptism - Ac 8:35-37 Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him.36 Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, "See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?" 37 Then Philip said, "If you believe with all your heart, you may." And he answered and said, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God."
b. and faith is also necessary for For salvation - Ro 10:9-10 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
2. That sprinkling or pouring is NOT Bible baptism...
a. The Greek word used in the Bible is "baptizo", and it mean "to immerse"
b. This is why baptism is described in the Bible as a "burial"
- cf. Ro 6:3-4; Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of
the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
and in Col 2:12 buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God,
who raised Him from the dead.
c. Sprinkling or pouring was substituted in the place of baptism (immersion) hundreds of years after Christ and His apostles
d. By keeping the "tradition of men" by sprinkling or pouring,
we fail to keep the "command of God" concerning baptism -
lets take a look at. Jesus' condemnation of displacing God's commands by traditions of men, Mt 15:3-9 He answered and said to them, "Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition?4 "For God commanded, saying, 'Honor your father and your mother'; and, 'He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.'5 "But you say, 'Whoever says to his father or mother, "Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God" --6 'then he need not honor his father or mother.' Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition.7 "Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying:8 'These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me.9 And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'"
3. That baptizing infants is without scriptural precedent
a. There are no commands or examples of infant baptism
b. Since the prerequisites are # one < faith >(Mk 16:16;
"He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.and Ac 8:37) Then Philip said, "If you believe with all your heart, you may." And he answered and said, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God."
# 2 repentance (Ac 2:38; Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ
for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit... and in Acts 17:30) "Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, truly these prerequisites are beyond the infant's capability, they are not suitable candidates for baptism
[I am confident that those who hold to the view of sprinkling infants are honest and sincere. But despite their honest sincerity, they are just as guilty of twisting the words of Jesus as are the atheists, unbelieving Jews (and Muslims, Hindus, etc.) and the universalists.
But there is another view sincerely held by many, and that is...]
IV. HE WHO BELIEVES AND <"IS NOT BAPTIZED"> WILL BE SAVED
A. THIS VIEW IS HELD BY THOSE WHO BELIEVE IN SALVATION BY FAITH "ONLY"...
1. That one is saved ,BEFORE baptism
2. That baptism is not essential to salvation
-- This view is held for all practical purposes by most members of various denominations
B. BUT JESUS AND HIS APOSTLES CLEARLY TAUGHT DIFFERENTLY...
1. That faith "alone" cannot save
a. As declared by Jesus - cf. Mt 7:21; 1 ¶ "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven,
but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.
and in Lk 6:46 "But why do you call Me 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do the things which I say?
b. As taught by His apostles - cf. Ro 6:17-18; But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered.18 And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.
He 5:9; And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him,and in
Ja 2:14,17,20,24,26; ¶ What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? 17. Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. 20 But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? 24 You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only 26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. and in
1 Pe 1:22; Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart,1 Jn 2:3-5 ¶ Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments.4 He who says, "I know Him," and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.5 But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him.
2. BUT Jesus taught That baptism IS essential to salvation
a. According to Jesus - Jn 3:5; Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
Mk 16:16; "He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.
Mt 28:18-20 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.
"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,"teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.
b. According to His apostles - Ac 2:38; Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of
Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Acts 22:16; 'And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.'
Ga 3:26-27; For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ..
Col 2:12-13; buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.13 ¶ And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses,
Ti 3:5; not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing
of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit,
1 Pe 3:21 ¶ There is also an antitype which now saves us--baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer
of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,
[Again, I believe that those who hold this view (including personal relatives) are sincere, and are not knowingly twisting the words of Jesus. Yet, I cannot help but think of such people as Paul thought of his brethren in the flesh (cf. Ro 10:1-3). ¶ Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved.2 For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.3 For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God.
This leads us to the fifth and final view, one that I believe we are
compelled to accept...]
V. HE WHO BELIEVES AND IS BAPTIZED WILL BE SAVED ---- This is what Jesus said in Mk 16;16
A. THIS VIEW TAKES THE WORDS OF JESUS AT FACE VALUE...
1. No explanations are necessary [just look at what at what it says]
2. Jesus says what He means, and means what He says I have heard the excuse that it says that but, that ain't what it means..
Friends, This is literal language here. IT means exactly what it says.
Can you believe people telling Jesus that He didn't really mean what he said.
That He must be mistaken.. WOULD YOU tell Him that? - B C-
B. WE HAVE ALREADY SEEN PREVIOUSLY THAT THE BIBLE TEACHES...
1. That one must "believe" - cf. Ac 8:36-37 Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said,
"See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?"37 Then Philip said, "If you believe with all your heart, you may." And he answered and said, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God."
2. That one must be "baptized" to enjoy the forgiveness of sins
- cf. Ac 2:38; Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the
remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
22:16 'And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.'
CONCLUSION
1. Which of the five views of Mark 16:16 do you hold to?
a. He who believes and is baptized "will not" be saved?
b. He who "does not believe" and "is not baptized" will be saved?
c. He who "does not believe" and "is baptized" will be saved?
d. He who believes and "is not baptized" will be saved?
e. < The literal> He who believes and is baptized will be saved?
-- It should be clear that there is only one view which is in harmony with Jesus' words, as there is only one which does not involve "tampering" with the clear statement of Jesus! --He who believes and is baptized will be saved--
2. But perhaps more importantly, with which of these views is your life consistent?
a. One may hold intellectually to the FIFTH view...
1) But act as though they believed the SECOND view
2) How? By never confessing faith in Christ and being baptized!
b. One may hold intellectually to the FIFTH view...
1) But act as though they believed the THIRD view
2) How? For though they may have been "baptized", they are not living the life of faith required of one in Jesus!
c. One may hold intellectually to the FIFTH view...
1) But act as though they believed the FOURTH view
2) How? For while believing in Jesus, they have never submitted
to being baptized!
Only those who have come to Jesus in faith and ACTED in harmony with His teachings can have the assurance of salvation. The words of the Bible are clear...
"Then Peter said to them, 'Repent, and let every one of you be
baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of
sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.'"
"And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash
away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord."
from Acts 2;38, 22;16
INVITATION
Do you believe? if you do and have paid any attention to this lesson you will know that it takes more than believing to
become a child of God... It takes repentance, Confessing that Jesus is the Son of God before men,
and being baptized for the remission of sins.
- Ac 2:38; 22:16
Mark A. Copeland, 2002
9 March 02