There is much controversy as to whether that passage of Mark is actually part of the original text. It actually appears that it's not, however there are still some questions that arise from that.
Mark 16:14-18 14 Afterward he appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at table, and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen. 15 And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
A few observations about that passage. First off, in verse 16 in particular, it says whoever believes and is baptized is saved but whoever does not believe is condemned. It doesn't say whoever isn't baptized is condemned, only those who don't believe. That implies that it is the believing that is the critical action, not the baptism.
The other is that on both the Catholic and non-Catholic sides of the debate, both sides tend to ignore the rest of the verse in that same passage.
For Pentecostals in particular, they like to quote verse 17-18 and kind of ignore verse 16 about being baptized. They believe in salvation by faith alone, so they ignore the first part. But they sure focus on the gifts and healing and showy parts.
Catholics on the other hand, who teach that baptism is required for salvation but gives no assurance of said salvation, love to quote verse 16 and ignore the two following it, to the point of mocking and deriding those who DO take it as true.
Now, for both sides, it is hypocritical to cherry pick Scripture. Either all three verses are true, must be true, or they're not. It is the height of inconsistency in Scripture interpretation to change the method of interpretation in the middle of a discourse.
My main problems with the passage, is that for one, Jesus doesn't deal with His disciples in that manner ANYWHERE else in Scripture.
Upbraiding or rebuking them for hardness of heart and unbelief? After gently restoring Peter who denied Him three times? And appearing to Thomas who was doubting and offering to let him put his hands into Jesus' wounds to prove to Thomas that He was real and it was Him? This passage just doesn't fit.
And since it's contested as to its validity, do you really want to try to build a doctrine on something of that questionable authenticity? That seems kind of unwise to me.
| 13But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. |
| 15And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. 16He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. |
| 4Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. |
| 25Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification. |
1213 Holy Baptism is the basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to life in the Spirit (vitae spiritualis ianua), and the door which gives access to the other sacraments. Through Baptism we are freed from sin and reborn as sons of God; we become members of Christ, are incorporated into the Church and made sharers in her mission: "Baptism is the sacrament of regeneration through water in the word."
to baptize (Greek baptizein) means to "plunge" or "immerse"; the "plunge" into the water symbolizes the catechumen's burial into Christ's death, from which he rises up by resurrection with him, as "a new creature."
1215 This sacrament is also called "the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit," for it signifies and actually brings about the birth of water and the Spirit without which no one "can enter the kingdom of God."
Titus 3:5
| 5Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; |
| 5Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. |
1216"This bath is called enlightenment, because those who receive this [catechetical] instruction are enlightened in their understanding . . . ." Having received in Baptism the Word, "the true light that enlightens every man," the person baptized has been "enlightened," he becomes a "son of light," indeed, he becomes "light" himself:
Jn 1:9
| 9That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. |
| 5Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. |
| 32But call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions; |
| 8For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: |
| 38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. |
| 16 And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name. |
| 1 What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2 By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? 3 Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. |
| 11 And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God |
| 13 For we were all baptized by[a] one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. |
| 26 So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, 27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ |
| to make her holy, cleansing[a] her by the washing with water through the word, |
| 11 In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh[a] was put off when you were circumcised by[b] Christ, 12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead. |
| 5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, |
One cannot even say this was a symbol -- look at all of the examples above, look at the language, consistently same the same in each, that in baptism we are saved and buried with Christ, washed of our sins by this and born again
Remember, the words of Jesus Christ Himself in Matthew 28:19
| 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, |
Really? does your post hence say that the Bible is not inerrant? wow...
Catholics, Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Assyrians. Oh and Luthrans hold that baptism is a sacrament too -- a "means of grace" as the washing of regeneration. From Luther'sSmaller Catechism, that baptism "works forgiveness of sins, delivers from death and the devil, and gives eternal salvation to all who believe this, as the words and promises of God declare."
oh, and we don’t say miracles or talking in tongues cannot occur in real life — those are your Calvinist friends... however, on some parts they have a point where folks like Benny etc. babble and pretend to talk in tongues...
“He that believeth and IS BAPTIZED shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.”
I agree 100%. Please note that their are two requirements: believing and baptism. If one truly believes, then their actions will be to follow the commands. Words without actions are but empty vessels. If we say we believe and do not follow His commands, then we are liars. Thus, meeting one of the two criteria does not result in being saved.