Mark 16:15-16
“He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.“
Mark 16:15-16 NIV
It is astonishing to realize that despite witnessing the many miraculous signs during His post-Resurrection appearances, that some of Christ's eleven chosen apostles still doubted the truth in their heart. And so came the time for His very last instruction and gathering His followers together we are told that He said to them, Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation. Go everywhere and preach the gospel to everyone, was His instruction.
Evangelization was the final instruction that Christ gave to the fledgling church. They were commissioned with a worldwide missionary assignment to preach the gospel to the whole world.
However, the completed gospel had not yet been received by these disciples when Christ ascended into heaven. Further revelation, which had been hidden from past generations was yet to be revealed to Saul of Tarsus, who would become the apostle Paul.
Only hours before His crucifixion, Jesus had let them know that there were many things that He wanted to tell them but they were not able to bear it at that time. Nevertheless, the core of the gospel had been acted out before their very eyes only 40 days earlier, when the Holy Messiah of God had died according to the Scriptures, had been buried, and had risen again, according to the Scriptures.
Christ's death was in payment for the sins of the whole world, for the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Whosoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life and this is God's free gift of grace.
Christ's Resurrection broke the power of sin and death in the lives of all who would place their trust in Him, and Christ's commission remains the same today. Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation.
Whoever believes will be baptized. Baptism is simply an outward and public demonstration of an inner, supernatural work of regeneration by the Holy Spirit, which takes place in the life of a man or woman who trusts in Christ for salvation.
Water baptism is is simply an outward declaration of an inner, Spirit baptism. The baptism of the Spirit happens once in the life of a believer. Spirit baptism takes place when Christ's sacrifice for personal sin becomes a reality in the life of a guilty sinner and from that point on we are to walk in spirit and truth and to be filled day by day by means of the Holy Spirit.
God knows the heart and God knows the very moment that a guilty man, woman or child trusts in Christ for Salvation and baptism is the next inevitable step of obedience in the life of a Christian.
The moment that the knowledge of Christ's sacrificial work on the cross is transferred into an inner, personal faith, is the very moment that salvation takes place and a sinner is born again and made a new creation in Christ.
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. It is indeed a precious truth that we read in Mark. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but the rest of the verse is also a severe warning, but he who does not believe will be condemned.
There are many that believe in the historical Jesus and His moral teachings without believing in His sacrificial death and glorious resurrection for the forgiveness of their sins and life everlasting. Such people are not saved even if they go through a physical water baptism.
That sort of detached belief does not result in a man or woman being saved by grace through faith and baptized into the body of Christ by the Holy Spirit for they have not mixed an inner heart faith with the factual truth.
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. He who believes in Him is not condemned. But he who does not believe has been condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
And Jesus has promised, Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age!!!
Father thank You for this day and that we are part of the Body of Christ by faith in His death, burial, and Resurrection. Lord let Your abundant blessings be my friend and family’s portion today. Lord Your sacrificial work on the cross is sufficient for us. Lord thank You that we have been entrusted with this heavenly mission to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. Lord we pray that in Your strength, we will carry out this evangelistic mission in the place that You have put us, to Your praise and glory. Lord thank You that You are with me to the end of the age. Daddy we love You amen. Be a blessing. Love ya !
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