The Problem of Mark 16:17-18

“And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned” (Mark 16:15-16).

The above scripture is one of the most quoted in churches of Christ. The one true church of the Bible stands up for faith and baptism as prerequisites to salvation because Jesus Himself declared them so. Sadly, most in the denominational world cling to the necessity of faith while eschewing baptism in spite of the coordinating conjunction “and” which equates “believeth” with “is baptized.” This “faith only” crowd finds it difficult to contend with the clear words of Jesus.

You may have heard a few popular arguments against this reasonable interpretation of scripture. Some point to the last phrase of Mark 16:16, “But he that believeth not shall be damned.” They argue that because Jesus did not state, “He that believeth not and is baptized not,” the two phrases are not equal. Therefore, according to their reasoning, faith is essential but baptism is not. This argument is weak. Jesus explicitly stated that those who believe and are baptized will be saved. Too the Bible student understands that faith is prerequisite to baptism by examining the salvation accounts in the book of Acts (the day of Pentecost, the Ethiopian eunuch, Cornelius, etc.) in which each case exhibits faith first.

The Calvinists also press their doctrine in the popular New International Version. This version claims to be unbiased, which is difficult to believe given the way it shrouds Mark 16:9-20 in doubt. The translators claim: “Most reliable early manuscripts omit Mark 16:9-20.” However, even this comment implies that some reliable early manuscripts include it! The truth is that out of the five hundred manuscripts that are the “reliable early manuscripts,” only two are missing Mark 16:9-20 (“An Evaluation of the New International Version” by Foy E. Wallace, Jr.). However, even if those two manuscripts cause you to doubt this portion of scripture, what about the same teaching in Matthew 28:19-20, Acts 2:38, and 1 Peter 3:21?

One argument that may cause some Christians to wonder is the problem of Mark 16:17-18, the two verses following the Great Commission. In these verses Jesus continues, “And these signs shall follow them that believe; in my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.” The argument says that if we are going to say baptism is essential to salvation, then we must also say that we can cast out demons, speak in tongues, handle snakes, drink poison without dying, and heal the sick. While at first glance this may elicit some concern from members of the church, a closer look exposes some very serious problems with this argument.

1. It is a “straw man argument.” A straw man argument is when the issue is changed and then defeated, leaving the original point unaddressed. In this case the original point was that because Jesus said, “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved,” belief and baptism are prerequisites to salvation. Those who argue the problem of Mark 16:17-18 have set up a straw man. They say if you believe verses 15 and 16 then you must also believe verses 17 and 18. Then they’ll claim that we don’t believe verses 17 and 18 because we do not practice such miracles in the churches of Christ. I will address below how we certainly do believe Mark 16:17-18. However, this straw man argument is a fallacy. Would the faith-only believer deny that he believes the Bible, in particular Mark 16:15-18? Is he willing to hold himself to the same standard that he holds members of the New Testament church? The truth is that all four of these verses are inspired of God and therefore true (II Timothy 3:16-17).

2. The New Testament has more to say about miracles than what is stated in the last chapter of Mark. If Mark 16:17-18 was the sum of instruction regarding miracles in the New Testament then we would all have to prove our belief by performing similar miracles. But don’t go in search of a copperhead snake to handle until you’ve read the rest of God’s words about miracles. John tells us the purpose of miracles is “that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name” (John 20:31). Hebrews 2:1-4 teaches that the purpose of miracles was to confirm God’s word to those who heard. Paul argues in 1 Corinthians 13 that the time of miracles would come to an end. The first part of the chapter teaches that the miraculous gifts mentioned in chapter 12 are insufficient without love. Further proving his case that love is greater than miraculous abilities Paul says, “But whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away” (1 Corinthians 13:8-10). This teaches that miracles would cease once that which is perfect had come. Considering that miracles were to confirm that Christ and the apostles were speaking for God, and that proof is no longer needed because we have the complete word of God (2 Peter 1:3; Jude 3), we must conclude that miracles do not take place today. The miracles mentioned in Mark 16 are for the apostles to whom Jesus was speaking directly. We know that the belief and baptism mentioned in the previous verses are for everyone because of numerous accounts in scripture of people other than Christ and the apostles believing and being baptized.

3. I can believe that something written in the Bible is true without believing that I should do that something. When the Bible implicitly gives a command to every man, I must believe it and obey it (James 1:17-22). But the Bible contains more than commands to be followed today, for example, commands to individuals. When God commanded Noah to build an ark, that instruction was not meant for every Christian (Genesis 6:14). Why? Because the flood had already come. There is no need to build an ark today. Likewise, the purpose for miracles has ended: Jesus already proved He is the Son of God; the Bible is complete; and there are no more apostles; therefore, we don’t need miracles and Christians today are not subject to Mark 16:17-18. We must believe, because it is scripture, that the believers were authenticated by miracles in the first century. However I must not believe that these miracles are for me to prove my faith because the word of God and my works prove my faith for me (Romans 10:17, James 2:17-20).

From time to time those who drink poison or handle deadly serpents in the name of faith make the news. The world mocks Christianity when these events end in illness or death, but truly these poor souls have simply succumbed to the confusion that follows poor Bible interpretation. “Let God be true, but every man a liar” (Romans 3:4).