Mark 16:12-20

¹² After that, He appeared in another form to two of them as they walked and went into the country.

¹³ And they went and told it to the rest, but they did not believe them either.

¹⁴ Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen.

¹⁵ And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.

¹⁶ He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.

¹⁷ And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues;

¹⁸ they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

¹⁹ So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God.

²⁰ And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen.

Also found in Matthew 28:19, Luke 24:13-14, and Acts 1:9.

after that (v.12) — on Sunday, the day Christ rose from the grave.

in another form (v.12) = in a different outward expression or appearance. Mary thought Jesus was a gardener (John 20:15). The two disciples thought He was a stranger (Luke 24:18).

two of them (v.12) — Cleopas (Luke 24:13-35)

Instances of these signs (vs.17-18), except for drinking poison, appear in Acts: Acts 2:4; 8:7; 28:3-8.

Most of my commentaries struggle with verse 16, which clearly states that belief and baptism are necessary for salvation. That doesn’t line up with what they want to believe about baptism. To get around it, they point out that baptism isn’t included in the negative statement at the end of the verse. So, they claim, baptism is just a sign of genuine faith and is so closely associated with it that it’s mentioned as part of it, but it isn’t required. But this verse doesn’t stand alone. Peter, in Acts 2:38, clearly stated that baptism was necessary for salvation — “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins.”

So, is baptism necessary for salvation? No. But it was under the Kingdom Gospel, which was the gospel for the Jews that Jesus (during His earthly ministry), Mark, and Peter all preached. But Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles, who preached the Gospel of grace, said simple “Believe” (Acts 16:31). He also wrote that we aren’t saved by any work, including baptism (Romans 4:5; Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5). And as for baptism as a sign or a ritual of obedience, he wrote, “For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel …” (1 Corinthians 1:17).

As is the case with so many supposed issues in Scripture, a simple understanding of dispensational distinctions — Law vs. Grace; Kingdom vs. Church; the Twelve vs. Paul — clears everything up.

at the right hand of God (v.19) — Psalm 110:1