Tough Texts: Did Jesus Teach Salvation by Works? by Zane C Hodges & Robert N Wilkin

Author:Zane C Hodges & Robert N Wilkin [Hodges, Zane C]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: Grace Evangelical Society
Published: 2017-04-29T16:00:00+00:00

chapter 11

Believe And Be Baptized (Mark 16:16)

9

Bob Wilkin (BW): Jesus says in Mark 16:16 that “He who believes and is baptized will be saved, but he who does not believe will be condemned.” The first issue related to this verse is whether or not it should be included in the NT at all. Many scholars hold the opinion that the ending of Mark’s gospel—Mark 16:9-20, in which 16:16 appears—was not in the original. Many believe that this passage was added at a later date, and the true ending of Mark’s gospel was lost.

Zane Hodges (ZH): That is what some may believe, but there is no real reason to question the authenticity of the ending of Mark, despite the fact that general scholarly opinion rejects it. Their basic reason is that the number of manuscripts which actually omit it is relatively small compared to the huge number—in the area of 900 manuscripts, probably—that include Mark 16:9-20. Furthermore, it is highly improbable that a later addition to the Gospel of Mark could have gained the wide currency that this particular ending has gained.

Questioning the ending of Mark raises issues about the preservation of Scripture. No one can seriously hold to the idea that the original Gospel of Mark ended at 16:8. To end at 16:8 without any explicit reference to the resurrection stretches my credulity to the breaking point. And some very good defenses are available that support the authenticity of Mark 16:9-20. So, I don’t think there are any grounds for rejecting it, or even doubting it.

BW: So, assuming it is original, and should be included in our Bibles, let’s dive into the verse itself. Mark 16:16 says, “He who believes and is baptized will be saved.” This is the Greek verb so„zo„. The related noun is so„te„ria and is often translated as “salvation” in Scripture. In order to understand this passage these two terms need to be understood.

ZH: This is essential to really understanding this verse. The Greek verb so„zo„ is a highly flexible word in the Greek language. It is used in as wide a way as we use the term save or deliver in the English language. That has to be kept in mind, because within religious context today the idea of being saved has ossified into a theological idea that is fairly fixed and does not allow for the flexibility that the word actually has. I did a little superficial exploratory work on the verb so„zo„ and I won’t vouch for the complete accuracy of these figures, but they’re close. It’s worth noticing that in the Gospel of John there are only six uses of the verb so„zo„ (3:17; 5:34; 10:9; 11:12; 12:27; 12:47). Of the six uses, two clearly do not refer to receiving everlasting life (11:12; 12:27). The other four do refer to eternal salvation.

That’s a little surprising if we consider that the Gospel of John is the one book in the NT written to convert people. It’s very clear that the central idea in the Gospel of John is to get eternal life.

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