We have, in Mark 16:14 to 18, a message and program from the heart and lips of the resurrected Christ, that has perhaps caused more unpleasant divisions and ungracious controversy among Christians than any other part of the Bible. We quote what Christ commanded: “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. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In My name shall they cast out demons; 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.” (Mark 16:15 to 18).
Has any Christian the right to revise this command of Christ? and make it read “he that believeth and is saved shall be baptized and no signs shall follow?” Certainly no one has God’s permission to do this, Neither has any Christian the right to abridge the command, leaving verse 16 “he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved,” and forget or ignore verses 17 and 18, “these signs” shall follow.”
Without explanation or apology, the majority of evangelical “grace” preachers both revise and abridge this commission of Christ and teach “he that believed and is saved shall be baptized, as a witness to the world”; and “no signs.”
The Lutherans teach, “he that believeth and is baptized (by sprinkling) shall be saved, but “no signs following.”
The disciples of Alexander Campbell (The Disciples of Christ also called Christians) teach “he that believeth and is baptized, by immersion shall be saved,” but “no signs following.”
The Disciples and Lutherans do not revise the first part of the command. But the Disciples and the Lutherans differ most radically in obeying Mark 16:16.
The Lutherans teach that the infant son or daughter of Lutheran parents should be baptized. They teach that faith, without sprinkling, will not save; that sprinkling, without faith, will not save. The combination is required. But they agree that the infant cannot believe. If the parents believe for the infant why not let the parents be baptized for the infant?” The Disciples contend that sprinkling is not being buried by baptism in obedience to Romans 6:4 and they teach that no person has “obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine delivered you” (6:17) unless that person is born of the water, by being buried under the water. (John 3:5). They stick to the order, “he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved.”
This is called “baptismal regeneration.” If water baptism is a factor in the believer’s salvation, the grace message of Ephesians 2:8 and 9 is not true, for there salvation is not of yourselves. If water baptism helps to save a person, Paul, in I Corinthians 1:14 to 17, thanked God that He helped to save a very few. And yet in the same Epistle (I Corinthians 9:21 to 25) the same Paul became all things to all men that he might save some. Did Paul thank God he had helped only a few to witness by water?
The Pentecostalists are more consistent that the Lutherans and the Disciples.
The Pentecostalists claim that, in their message and program, they proclaim the full gospel, that is, they neither revise nor abridge Mark 16:14 to 18, or I Corinthians 12:8 to 11, where the sign gifts are found. They teach faith, water salvation, Holy Spirit baptism, tongues, healing, poison-drinking, raising-the-dead, casting-out-demons and all the miracles, even greater works than Christ performed. (John 14:12). But when they put faith into practice, they miserably fail, and not because of lack of faith or zeal or sincerity.
If Acts 2:38 and Mark 16:16 is our gospel for Gentiles in this age of grace, of course, Titus 3:5 to 8 is not. Compare them.
Only as we employ the principle of progressive revelation, and study the Four Gospels and Acts in the light of Ephesians 2:8 to 10 and Ephesians 3:1 to 11, can we know God’s salvation message and program.
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How God Saves
Men
Believing
Christ DIED, that’s HISTORY.
Believing
Christ DIED for YOU SINS and Rose again that’s SALVATION.
Read
Romans 1:16, Romans 10:9-10 and 1. Corinthians 15:1-4
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Posted By Cecil and Connie Spivey
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