Mark
16:16
He
who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe
will be condemned. -Mark 16:16 NKJV
“He
who believes and is baptized will be saved.”
That is absolutely true. Further,
anyone who believes in Jesus, trusts Him as Savior, should be baptized by
immersion.
What
happens if someone believes but cannot be baptized? Many Bible verses tell us what happens
immediately when someone believes (John 3:16; 5:24; 6:40; 20:31; Acts 10:43;
16:31; Romans 10:9-13; and many others).
If you believe in Jesus, you will be saved and have everlasting life,
period.
So,
if you believe in Jesus and do anything else, you will be saved. Mark just puts belief and baptism, the first
commandment to a new Christian, together.
If you believe and join the church, you will be saved. If you believe and mow the church yard, you
will be saved. If you believe and buy a
pickup truck, you will be saved! You are
saved, made right with God, by believing in Jesus.
Notice
Mark 16:16 says if you do not believe you will be condemned. It does not say if you are not baptized you
will be condemned.
All
believers should be baptized, but baptism is not a part of salvation. It is a good work. Baptism is a picture, a symbol of salvation,
but not salvation itself.
He
who believes in the Son has everlasting life. -John 3:36
-David
R. Brumbelow, P.O. Box 300, Lake Jackson, TX 77566. David is a Baptist preacher and author of
“Ancient Wine and the Bible.” See “Acts
2:38” & “Mark 16:16” at gulfcoastpastor.blogspot.com.
*******
The
above is the second article published in the Brazoria County News, West
Columbia, TX. The article was published
in two issues in 2019. It, and the
previous article, “Does Baptism Save? No,” were in reply to numerous articles
published over the years in the same paper from the “Church of Christ”
perspective. I believed readers should
hear the other side of the issue.
A
newspaper ad, of course, must be short, concise. For more in-depth discussion, see other
articles here on “Baptism,” “Mark 16:16” and “Acts 2:38.”
-David
R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, July 7, AD 2020.
PS
– I’ve been busy and in transition the last several months. So you have not heard much of me on the
internet. Lord willing, that will change
in the coming weeks and months.
Thanks
to Raquel for checking in on me at the last article.
To
all, thanks for reading and may God bless you.
Hope these articles are helpful.
-DRB
Articles:
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Articles in lower right margin.
