Question
Please explain to me well (Mark 16:14-20), but particularly vs 15, 16 about baptism.
Answer
Verse 14
The Great Commission was primarily given to the eleven faithful apostles of Christ. The context in Matthew, Mark, and Acts indicates the apostles were the recipients of the directions (Matthew 28:16; Mark 16:14; Acts 1:1-3). In fact, the apostles are called “apostles” (“one sent as a messenger or agent, the bearer of a commission, messenger,” Mounce. 1094) precisely because Christ specifically sent them.
But Matthew plainly indicates that the Lord broadened the application of the commission to all disciples of Christ when he commanded, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations …., teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you” (Matthew 8:19-20). Every disciple must obey all things Christ commanded the apostles. Certainly “all” is limited by its context, but the commands in the context are “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” (Matthew 28:19). The Great Commission secondarily applies to every disciple of Christ in every generation.
Verse 15
The Lord directed His apostles and disciples to go into all the inhabited earth and to actually preach to every human without exception. Look at the pertinent passages. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations” (Matthew 28:19). “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15). “Repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations” (Luke 24:47). “You shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8).
The Lord “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:3-4). The means to accomplish His will is to preach the gospel (Romans 1:16-17; 10:17).
Verse 16
In Mark 16:16 the Lord put baptism before salvation and linked it to “believe” with the coordinate conjunction “and,” which joins words, phrases and clauses of equal and like rank. He placed “be baptized” as coordinate to, equal to, “believe” as a condition of salvation.
Does the fact He didn’t say, “He who is not baptized shall be condemned,” eliminate the necessity of water baptism for salvation? Why not believe and obey what the Lord did say, instead of constructing an argument on what He didn’t say? I certainly don’t want to stake my hope of heaven on what Jesus didn’t say.
Suppose a health teacher informed her class, “He who eats and digests his food will live; but he who does not eat will die.” Would that mean digestion is not a condition of living? No, the teacher would simply be dividing the people into two categories: those who eat and those who don’t eat. One can’t digest food if he doesn’t eat food.
In Mark 16:16 Jesus divided people into two categories, not three. It’s not believers, baptized believers, and unbelievers. It’s baptized believers and unbelievers. One who doesn’t have enough faith in Jesus to be baptized is classified as an unbeliever by the Lord. There is no such thing as a sincere, penitent believer who will not be baptized (Mark 16:16).
If a car dealer promised, “He who believes and is baptized shall receive a new car, but he who does not believe shall not,” how many folks would refuse baptism? If we can see it for a car, why not for eternal life? The saved believer is the baptized believer. Baptism is the response of faith that results in salvation.
Verses 17 – 20
The Lord promised that miraculous signs would accompany those that believed (Mark 16:17-18). The purpose of these signs was to confirm the spoken word (Mark 16:20), and they did indeed do so (Mark 16:20; Hebrews 2:2-4). We have this confirmed word written down in the Scriptures and have no need for the accompanying signs, so they have ceased (1 Corinthians 13:8-13).
God is not with us through miraculous, spiritual gifts today, but He is with us (Philippians 2:12-13) through His powerful word (Romans 1:16-17; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; James 1:21), His divine providence (2 Peter 3:12), and His answers to our prayers (Ibid). Philip proved his message by working miracles (Acts 8:5-8); I prove my message by Scripture references (1 Peter 4:11). They had the Word of God in inspired men (2 Corinthians 4:6-7); we have the word of God in an inspired book (2 Timothy 3:16-17). With God working in us, we can “do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think” (Ephesians 3:20).
