Mark 16:16 - Salvation or Condemnation

Mark 16:16
He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.

Message: Salvation or Condemnation

Time: Mark's personal connection with Peter gave him the source material for this book. This book was composed probably between AD 57 and AD 59. It's a book that is on the move, leading to the cross. 39 times is the word 'immediately' used. Mark reveals Jesus as God's servant, reaching into the lives of people and effecting physical and circumstantial change.

What the Lord is Saying:

Preface - Jesus was crucified on Friday, was buried that same evening, before the Sabbath, then rose on Sunday as Mary Magdalene, Mary, and Silome were going to dress His body for burial. After seeing Him, Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene. She tells others but they don't believe. He appears to 2 men, possibly disciples, and they tell others, like the disciples, but they don't believe. Jesus then comes onto the scene and sees the disciples (the eleven, though there are just 10 as Thomas is not present) and speaks a reproach toward them for hardening their hearts and not accepting the evidence of others. But then Jesus also commissions them to preach the gospel.

Jesus is on the scene now, and the Words that he is expressing to His disciples now are mostly about His mission. They make think that He is here to stay and things will return to the way they were before He died. But, Jesus knows this isn't the way it is. He is communicating to them the message of salvation now. Prior to this he has condemned their behavior of believing only by seeing instead of believing what has been said. Throughout their ministry they have struggled doing the things that Jesus has said, instead waiting for Him to do it. But Jesus has let them know that they are to be people of faith.

These men are His disciples and Jesus has a job for them and their qualifications for doing that job are not what is key. What is key is the message and Jesus ability to enable the to carry that message. Jesus has said in the previous verse Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation and now he continues that message by saying He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned. Jesus is now unpacking what is meant by this gospel message. He has previously not been explicit and detailed about the gospel message. Mark shows that when Jesus came on the scene His message was repent and believe and then he went forth and taught the disciples that the traditional way they had believed - trusting only in the Law was not accurate and following God is more of a matter of the heart.

Thus, Jesus expands on that in these verses - He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved. I find this interesting. I think it could be said that in some ways Jesus speaks with some mystery in His words. He  has said Go preach the gospel but not expanded clear on what Gospel means. And now he comes to the idea of believing but isn't clear on belief, but states rather what is the result of someone that believes and someone that doesn't believe. Obviously there is a connection in this gospel and believing. Even just recently believing has been believing the Jesus has risen from the dead (Mark 16:12-13). And then earlier believing was about having faith in God that He would do what He said (Mark 11:20-24). In Mark 9:14-19 Jesus talked to the disciples about doing the things he has done and there problem was that they didn't believe. So this belief is central to His message.

He connects principle with the result of being baptized and contrasts it with being condemned. The person who believes will be baptized, while the person who does not believe will be condemned. Clearly, there is a consequence to not believing. But, there is also a responsibility to believing. Baptism is not an option, but it is what Jesus asks us to do upon being saved.

Thus, what is key right now in these verses is to see that believing is believing that Jesus has risen from the dead. This is central to His message. He died and He rose again and this is clearly a message he expects this believing generation to get. It is trusting in God that what he has said He will do and we will do as His ambassadors. For the disciples (and I think for us) it is to carry forth the act of delivering people from the bondage that they are in, namely the sin in their life. It is to help deliver them from this. We are his bond-servants and we are given the ability to do this. Once saved, we are to walk in faith.

Summary - Jesus is beginning to unpack his message of the gospel. He states that believing is central to this and I would infer that believing in the fact that Jesus has risen from the dead is central to this belief. The person who believes is to be baptized while the person in unbelief is condemned.

Promise: We must believe and be baptized. Baptism is not an option. Baptism shows that we believe in Him. But not believing results in the automatic result of condemnation.

Prayer: Lord, thank for the truth of Your word and helping me to see the meaning of it more and more. You help me see that baptism is not an option but a necessity for our faith. Help me to encourage my oldest son in this, to follow up His belief with baptism. Thank you that you choose to use people to baptize, that it isn't something that can be done alone. It reminds me Lord that our walk with Christ is not a lonely road. It is a walk that we engage in together. We need each other every step of the way and I believe God wants us to know that immediately, in this very first act following our faith in Him, he wants to say to us that we need each other. Thank you Lord for the message of the Gospel and for saving us.