"And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And ye are witnesses of these things. And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high. And he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them. And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven. And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy: And were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God. Amen."
In today's lesson, Jesus first opened the minds of the apostles so they would understand all that He had taught them. He then imparted to them His final instructions, the things He required His disciples to do after He had returned to heaven.
NOTE: The serious bible student should closely compare the instructions Jesus herein gave to His disciples, according to Luke, to the accounts of the same events given by Matthew, Mark and John, (The book of John gives no actual account of Jesus' final instructions other than to tell His disciples, through Peter, to "feed my sheep").
All four gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John differ in their accounts of the final instructions given to the apostles by Jesus, in person. Those instructions, by many, are referred to as "The Great Commission".
It is very important to note that no variation of the word "baptize" appears in either Luke's or John's account of those events. I don't make note of the failure to apply the a variation of the word "baptize" in order to minimize the meaning of the word as it is applied in Matthew and Mark. But rather, My intention is to draw attention to the actual meaning of those variations as they are applied in both Matthew and Mark.
In Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus said, "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen."
In Mark 16:15-16 in part, Jesus said, "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."
In the account related by Matthew 28:19-20, the word "baptizing" implies that those to whom the disciples were to teach the gospel, were to be immersed into, or sanctified by, the power of God The Father, God the Son and God the Holy Ghost.
In Mark's account, Mark 16:16, Jesus said, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved". Mark's account meshes perfectly with that of Matthew when properly understood. If indeed a lost soul believes in the divine sacrifice made by the only begotten Son of God, that one will be saved. That lost soul will, at he point of believing, also be "baptized" in the sanctity of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost.
There is NO indication in Mark 16:16 that a person is required to be immersed into water in order to achieve eternal salvation. Salvation only requires that a lost soul should first believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, through absolute faith, be "baptized" into the sanctity of the God in all three of His Holy entities.~
NOTE: If there are any questions concerning this lesson, please let me know. I will do my very best to explain this lesson if much more detail.
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