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Friday, April 7, 2017

The Baptized Believer will be Saved


 

¶“Fight the good fight of faith. Take hold of eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate, that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ...” (1Timothy 6:12-13).

 

Reading the Translator’s Handbook on the Gospel of Mark (by Robert Bratcher and Eugene Nida) this week revealed something that confirms what true believers already know by honestly reading Mark 16:16, yet something I have never even thought about and have never seen mentioned by anyone:

The one definite article – ho – connecting the two aorist participles: pisteusas, believes and baptistheis, is baptized,) “joins the two verbs together in describing the man who will be saved; i.e. the one believing and being baptized (the clause could be translated ‘the baptized believer‘”) will be saved!!

The passage then adds, “The one not believing will be condemned.” If you don’t believe, there will be no baptism! Hence it would be superfluous to add, “and not being baptized.” Whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. John 3:18b. Moreover, “He who does not believe” in this context means “he who does not believe the gospel preached.” To not believe thus

implies not only not believing in Jesus, but also not believing in baptism, as well as a lot of other gospel truths.

 

John 5:24 uses the same type of construction as Mark 16:16: The one hearing my word, and believing Him

who sent me, has eternal life … C.K. Barrett, commenting on this construction in this verse in his masterful commentary on the Greek text of John, writes: “The absence of a second article shows that the two participles are co-ordinate features of a single, twofold, description.” The Gospel According to St. John, SPCK, London, 1955. p217. That is, both hearing and believing go together in getting eternal life, just as believing and being baptized go together in being saved! So let’s put Mark 16:15-16 together: “Go and preach the gospel to all creation. The baptized believer will be saved.” Not just the believer, but the baptized believer. This of course is how all true Christians, and we in undenominational churches of Christ, in essence have always understood it and taught it. And the Greek supports this translation! See Acts 16:30-34; 18:8; Galatians 3:26-27 and Colossians 2:11-14 for other examples of belief and baptism working hand in hand in our salvation.

 

In Colossians 2:11-12 we have this connection: In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. The circumcision of Christ takes place when we are buried with Him in baptism and raised with him through faith! Again, if you look closely at the Greek, this is the way you have to interpret these verses.

 

I wonder how many of our Baptist (and all faith only) friends – especially those in mission fields -  would have read that Mark thing in that translator’s handbook (hardly a “church of Christ publication”!), and not batted an eyelid!! Their salvation tradition has still held firm: He who believes is saved, and then should be baptized!! But that uncomfortable, worrying question will always remain: Is that what Mark 16:15-16 teaches?

 

It’s pretty obvious, isn’t it? What’s pretty obvious? Throughout the Book of Acts, those being discipled were always baptized as soon as they believed and repented. And, again, it’s pretty obvious why. Why is it pretty obvious?

They were baptized straight away because only baptized believers would be saved! No believer would be left unbaptized any longer than absolutely necessary. When they made their confession of faith, their teacher knew they were eligible for baptism.

 

This is the significance of Romans 10:9-10. My old English Revised Version of 1881 has a cross-reference to Romans 10:10 at 1 Peter 3:21, “baptism now saves you … through “the interrogation of a good conscience.”” It’s the interrogation of a good conscience that brings forth salvation because this questioning by the teacher brings forth “the good confession” of their faith in Christ that leads to the baptism that saves! Can you see why some mss on the conversion of the Ethiopian in Acts 8, have:

 

And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?

37 And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.

38 And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.

39 And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing. Acts 8:36-39

 

Why did the eunuch withhold his rejoicing till after his baptism? I’m sure you know the answer to that question!

 

Just as Jesus confessed to his being King, when questioned by Prefect Pilate, leading to his death in crucifixion, so the disciple confesses his faith in Christ when questioned by his gospel teacher, leading to his death with Christ in baptism. Romans 6:3-11. “Do you believe Jesus is the Son of God, raised from the dead? If so, “what are you waiting for, arise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name.” Acts 22:16

 

Brother Wayne Jackson, in his Christian Courier, has a great essay entitled, The Assault on Mark 16. It doesn’t matter how much they assault Mark 16:15-16, it won’t go away. It will haunt those who don’t accept it till the day of judgement when, as Jesus promised, the words he spoke will judge us at the last day. John 12:48. Many won’t believe us today when we try to teach them this truth on Mark 16, but there’ll be no one not believing Jesus at judgment day!

 

--David Hunter

 

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