The following is a listener-supported ministry from the Grace Evangelical Society. We have arrived at Mark 16. This is Grace in Focus. We are glad you are here today. As we conclude our study in the book of Mark we come upon the question, “Is water baptism necessary for eternal salvation?” And by the way, at the end of Mark’s Gospel, has some of it gone missing? This is the radio broadcast and podcast ministry of the Grace Evangelical Society. Please get to know us better by going to our website, faithalone.org. There you can find our resources and information about our conferences, as well as many other things that’s faithalone.org. You can also find our videos produced two to three times per week at our channel, YouTube, Grace Evangelical Society. Now with today’s discussion, here are Bob Gleken and Ken Yeats. This is going to be a sad episode of Grace in Focus because Bob I’m bumming, I’m going to be honest with you. We’ve done a series of the Gospel of Mark here. And we’re at the end. And we’re at the very end. Chapter 16. This is the last one. We’re going to talk about some other things after this. So you’re all hanging in there. So maybe I won’t be depressed. It’s like it’s my baby who’s grown up and gone off to college. Here’s Mark and now it’s about, we’re going to go on to other things. You have a great grasp of Mark’s Gospel and I’ve learned a lot. And we’re going to talk about something bizarro here. Have we lost part of Mark’s Gospel? What in the world is this question about? Well, as probably a lot of the listeners know, there’s a big, I don’t know if you call it controversy. Bible scholars, I think majority of them would say, “Oh, listeners know controversy at all. We know the answer.” Is the last 11 verses of Mark, Mark chapter 16 verses 9 through 20, is that part of the original Gospel or was that added later by someone else? And what is the majority answer to that question? What would most seminary professors, most seminaries, most pastors, most theologians, what would most say? Most would say that yes, that those last 11 verses were added later that they were not written by Mark. And that they’re not scripture. They’re not scripture. They’re not inspired. Right. And there’s different views on it. You know, that some will say that Mark did have more written, but it was lost. And someone later came along and it was last as, “Oh, I’ve got to finish this up.” You know. And so there’s a couple questions. Did Mark end it at verse 8? Was that it? And almost nobody believes that, right? Right. Because if I remember right, I’m pulling it up here now. I believe verse 8 ends with a preposition. It is. It is. But it’s not a fish. Right. It’s just four. In English, it’s just four. That’s the last word. And so everybody says, “Well, well, there’s a lot of people who say, ‘Well, Mark wrote more, but it got lost.’ And then someone came along and filled in the blanks later.” And the overwhelming view of scholars is that that’s the case. In fact, in your seminary class, didn’t you were telling me earlier that that’s what you were telling? Mark of course on the Gospel of Mark in Greek and the professor, we translated through Mark as we went. And after we had translated Mark 69 to 20 and came to class, he said, “Well, couldn’t you all see that the Greek was radically different? And clearly this was written by somebody else, and this isn’t the same.” And the students were like, “Yeah, yeah, we can see it.” And I’m sitting there going, “I don’t know. Call me dense.” It seemed like part of the text to me, it seemed natural to me, it seemed like it fit to me. I didn’t notice that it was radically different. And of course, a little bit after then became a majority text guy, meaning that I believe that Luke 16, 9 to 20 is the correct reading because there’s hundreds of manuscripts that include this, and there’s only a handful that don’t. And I just want to say, for those who choose to get the commentary, if the Lord indeed allows us to publish it, I take that view as well, that verses 9 to 20 are inspired and that they’re part of the Gospel. So we didn’t lose the ending of Mark’s Gospel. This is, and by the way, the great commission is found in these verses. If you don’t have this, then we have a great commission in Matthew, Luke, John, and Acts, but not Mark. And there’s a lot of problems if verse 8 is the end. For example, Jesus says in the Gospels, “I’ll appear before you and Galilee. I’ll come back.” Well, if it ends at verse 8, that never happens. It’s not reported. Right. Yeah. In Mark. Why would Mark not report? Right. And no one sees the risen Lord in Mark. If it ends at verse 8, it’s like, okay. So they have to argue the ending was lost. Right. It’s probably why they do. It’s something about God and the authority of Scripture because didn’t God superintendent the transmission process, so we’re not losing Scripture. Yeah. I guess they would have to. I’ve never heard them say, but I guess they’d have to say, well, Mark was inspired through 16, 8, but then he, whatever he wrote, God wasn’t pleased with it. Or something like that. I mean, I don’t know if they, if some would take that view, but now they’re all… They’d have to say God allowed it to go away. Right. Now, I do, to be fair to them, I have heard the view that Mark did not write verses 9 through 20, but it’s still inspired. It’s like the last chapter of Deuteronomy. Moses didn’t write the last chapter of Deuteronomy, but somebody came along after Mark. Probably Joshua. Well, not number 8. In Mark’s case, somebody came along and added it and they were inspired as well. Well, that’s pretty rare because you read the NIV or the New American Standard or the Net Bible and they have notes right there. In fact, they’ll put double lines before and after this and say, you know, this isn’t actually Scripture. Right. They do the same thing with the woman caught in adultery in John 753 to 811. Right. And so what we’re telling the folks who are listening is there’s lots of reasons to accept these verses as part of the Scriptures, part of the Gospel of John and don’t be– Mark. Yeah, Mark. Don’t be overwhelmed by the fact, well, the most scholars, you know, 99% of scholars say that it’s not a part. You know, don’t think that just because you hear that, oh, well, then these verses aren’t part. They must be right. Yeah. Did you know that the Gracie Evangelical Society offers an MDiv degree through our online seminary and tuition is free to those who maintain a 3.0 grade average. It is a three year degree program and you could submit your application now to gain acceptance. Then stay apprised of our registration periods for upcoming semester terms. Program and application details can be found at ges seminary.org. Have a look at our MDiv degree. Become an approved workman. Find out how ges seminary.org Okay, well, we need to hit verse 16 because we spoke, I think, in the last episode about how like the churches of Christ go to Mark 16, 16 and say, this verse teaches you must be baptized in order to be saved, in order to be born again. So how about reading verse 16? Let’s talk about it. He who believes in his baptize will be saved, but he who does not believe will be condemned. Yes, you’re right. A lot of people take, well, some people take this to be church of Christ and I’m sure other denominations as well that this is talking about saved in the sense of saved from the Lake of Fire. And they say that you have to be baptized and therefore that is talking about water baptism. But of course, but there are other views. Right. There are two other views at least that free grace people have profored. And that, in fact, you and Zane had, I forgot what you called it, difficult text. Right. This is one that you addressed. I don’t want to put words in your mouth. So you go ahead. This is following verse 15 where you get the great commission, go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. Now the question is what good news is he talking about there? And it’s possible that he’s talking about the good news that all who believe in Jesus have everlasting life. And if you take that view, verse 16 would say something like the one who is believed in his baptized shall be saved. Now Hodges argued and I agree with him that salvation here is more than being born again. But it’s the what Hodges would call full orb salvation that includes not only having ever lasting life, but receiving the spirit, receiving the forgiveness of sins like in the X238, these new believers already had been, they’d receive Christ. They had been born again. They had eternal life. They had eternal life and they were sealed by the Holy Spirit, but they were not yet indwelt by the Holy Spirit nor would they yet baptize into the body of Christ. So Hodges argues that Mark 16, 16 A, he believes in his baptized shall be saved, refers to having all the benefits of salvation. That is not just everlasting life and sealing, but also the indwelling work of the Spirit, the baptizing work of the Spirit, putting them in the body of Christ and the forgiveness of sins. If you take that view, well even if you don’t take that view, what’s interesting is notice the second half of Mark 16, 16, Zane pointed this out and I think it’s very helpful. It doesn’t say he believes in his baptized will be saved, but he who does not believe and is not baptized will be condemned. Or he who believes in his not baptized. Right. But instead it just says he who does not believe will be condemned. So the basis of condemnation being sent to the lake of fire is lack of belief, not lack of belief and lack of baptism. Correct me if I’m wrong. I think most a Dallas seminary for example, or even even Southern Baptist, they would take the view that baptism here means spirit baptism, the right. Zane takes it as baptism in water. Christian water is 238. So he who believes in his baptized in water, but I think most people who believe in one saved always say, would say, well this is talking about spirit baptism. I think you’re right. A lot of people take that view and I used to take that. Right. And I recall being taught that in seminary and I don’t remember who I had in class necessarily who did it or it may even been in a Bible church that I went to and before I went to seminary. But that’s what I was always told. Well part of the reason that works is because baptism here is passive. In other words, you don’t baptize yourself. Someone baptizes you. So whether it is some preacher that’s baptizing you or the Holy Spirit that’s baptizing you into the body of Christ, he who believes in his baptized would work for either one. The thing about Hodges and Bob’s in his book, Difficult Text, what they’re basically saying here is that these verses deal with what goes on in the book of Acts. This full orbred salvation thing and this is not saying you got to be baptized in order to go to heaven. To be saved from the lake of fire. And by the way, we know that because of gospel. Absolutely. John 316 mentions nothing about baptism. Nor does anywhere else in John’s gospel, although some people try to force it in their born of water in the Spirit and they say that’s baptism and the Spirit, but that’s not a correct understanding of that verse. Well as we close out this series on Mark, let me just say that in the commentary these issues are discussed, it takes the view that these are a part of the Scriptures and we just hope that all 16 of these episodes have caused you to say, “Wow, I wouldn’t know more about the gospel of Mark.” Amen. And in the meantime, keep grace in focus. Be sure to check out our daily blogs at faithalong.org. They are short and full of great teaching just like what you’ve heard today. Find them at faithalong.org/resources/blog. We would love to hear from you. Maybe you’ve got a question, comment or some feedback. If you do, please don’t hesitate to send us a message. Here’s our email address. It’s radio@faithalong.org. That’s radio@faithalong.org. And when you do, very important, please let us know your radio station call-inners and the city of your location. On our next episode, an interview with an attendee of our National Conference 2024. Hope you’ll join us. Until then, let’s keep grace in focus. The proceeding has been a listener-supported ministry from the Grace Evangelical Society.
