I must decrease, He must increase John 3:30.

Judson

Judson

And I’m not smart – just a servant of the King. To Him alone all credit is due! =)

P.S. How’d you get so smart?

My “there appears to be a contradiction” was a misnomer, merely to strike up the conversation. There are absolutely no contradictions in the Bible.

Paul did handle snakes, or at least was bitten by a poisonous snake and suffered no injuries (Acts 28:3-6) — Remember what the signs said: “it will not hurt them” . And as for the minor premises, you also fall in the same predicament of not knowing every conversion by the Apostles. Likewise the lack of going into detail about their conversions by God does not mean that the same signs did not accompany them. The interesting thing here was that Peters’ witness to the Gentiles was the first by any of the Apostles, it makes sense for the sake of the Apostles that God would tell them signs to know of ones’ conversions. Remember, prior to that the Jewish custom did not allow them to interact with Gentiles, especially in the manner of accepting them as heirs to the Kingdom. How else would have Peter been able to convince the Church (which he had to stand before and give a defence to his Gentile interaction) that God wanted Gentiles to be included?

Just for clarification, I do truly believe we are to be still spreading the Gospel.

For the sake of simplicity the remainder of my response will be a numbered bullet list.

1. There actually is a textual variant in the passage in Mark 16. Some of the earliest manuscripts (which tend to be the most accurate) do not include verses 9-20 and the book ends right after verse 8. However, because it is in our English Bible I will respond to your question with the assumption that verses 9-20 belong in the text.

2. You are correct in saying that the initial intent of this passage is for the apostles because they were the immediate audience. Every passage of scripture has an immediate audience and is most applicable to that audience. But that does not negate our responsibility to follow the same commands/principals/warnings found in the pages of scripture.

3. If you can show me where there is a biblical account of an Apostle or one of their converts handling snakes or drinking poison, then we can talk about the signs that accompany those who believe.

4. I can think of 2 examples where none of these signs accompanied someone who believed. Lydia in Acts 16, and the Philippian Jailer also in Acts 16. What does this mean as far as the signs listed in Mark 16 goes?

The combination of points 3 and 4 undermine your basic argument. The logical flow of your argument is demonstrated by the following syllogism:

Major Premise: The signs listed in Mark 16:17-18 were ONLY present in conversions resulting from direct Apostolic ministry.
Minor Premise: The signs listed in Mark 16:17-18 were ALWAYS present in conversions resulting from direct Apostolic ministry.
Minor Premise: The signs listed in Mark 16:17-18 are not present today.
Conclusion: Jesus words in Matthew 28:18-20 and Mark 16:15-16 apply only to the Apostles.

In order for you conclusion to be correct, the Major Premise and both of the Minor Premises MUST be correct. Your Major Premise may or may not be true – unless you have knowledge of every conversion that has taken place outside of Apostolic ministry there is no way of knowing. It is in the Minor Premises that you argument breaks down. The conversions of Lydia and the Philippian jailer (as described in point #4) clearly demonstrates that there were Apostolic conversions which were not accompanied by the signs listed in Mark 16:17-18. The second Minor Premise also cannot be proven – unless you have knowledge of every conversion in this present day.

Matthew 28:18-20 was initially a command given to the Apostles. But like every passage of scripture it has application in our lives as well. So am I commanded to go into all the world and preach the gospel? Absolutely, there is nothing in scripture that indicates that I am exempt from following that direct command. Therefore, I will follow it until Jesus returns. To say that commands given directly to a first century audience have no application to their contemporary audience, is to say that the entire New Testament (especially the epistles) contain no authoritative teaching for a modern audience.

Let us not be trivial with the Word of God. Let us affirm the truth of Scripture within the context it was written; and let us also affirm the theological truth which it contains for us today. Many people are lead astray because of misrepresentations of the Word of God (such as writing off entire passages/commands simply because they were written to an original audience). God’s Words are mighty when we use them properly.

Testifying to the Gospel of the Grace of God,
Robbie

There seems to be a contradiction in the parallel verses in Mark 16:14-20. Everything reads the same till you get to verse 17 where Jesus said “These signs will accompany those who have believed”. A careful reading does show that this is the same conversation that Matthew is talking about in Chapter 28:18-20, however it adds constraints to this “Great Commission”. Specifically it states the “signs” that will follow. If this is truly “The Great Commission” and we are suppose to be following this today, then where are the “signs” Jesus promised would follow those who have believed? Did you speak in tongues? Cast out demons? Immune to poisons?

What is your position on this?

I’m a believer that this specific command was fulfilled by the Apostles in Acts. First let me give you my proof and then let me comment about the Great Commission and how I believe it applies to us.

The most compelling proof is Cornelius in Acts 10. Look at the signs that Jesus said would accompany those who believed fits with the signs that Peter witnessed with Cornelius: (Acts 10:44-47)

While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were listening to the message.

All the circumcised believers who came with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also.

For they were hearing them speaking with tongues and exalting God. Then Peter answered,

“Surely no one can refuse the water for these to be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we did, can he?”

Now with that all said, I do believe we have a mission to continue preaching the good-news to all the nations, I believe Paul and Peter both clearly demonstrate that we still strive to reach the lost. However, it is NOT the “Great Commission” as quoted in Matthew 28 and the only reason why I get hives when people say that that command is for us is because Sola Scriptura clearly shows that it’s initial intent of that passage was for the Apostles only, so they can recognize those who would truly be saved during those times .

Let us not be trivial with the Word of God. Let us affirm the Truth of Scripture within the context it was written. Many people are lead astray because of misrepresentations of the Word of God. God’s Words are mighty when we use them properly.