Theological Considerations and Conclusion

Theological Considerations

Even though Mark did not write verses 9-20 and there is satisfactory evidence that indicates verse 8 was his desired ending, some scholars such as Metzger have proposed that this section be considered legitimate Scripture.  As mentioned, it is possible that verses 9-20 were written by an additional inspired author.  But the problems of its authorship notwithstanding, this passage also contains somewhat dubious theology, specifically regarding baptism and spiritual gifts. The statement "whoever believes and is baptized will be saved" (Mark 16:16) has been used to support baptism as a requirement for salvation.  This is usually reconciled by showing the lack of baptism in the negative statement "whoever does not believe will be condemned," but the statement of baptism in the positive still remains.  The sign gifts discussed in verses 17-18 (Mark 16:17-18) are also somewhat questionable, and have sometimes used as an excuse for vile practices such as drinking poison to test one's dedication to Christ.  It is true that God protected Paul from a snake bite (Acts 28:6) and this passage does seem fairly consistent with the early church's use of sign gifts to validate the gospel, but the passage seems to indicate all believers will do these things.  There are of course other passages in the Bible that are not easy to reconcile, and we do not simply dismiss them because they are difficult, but considering this section's other problems and its lack of a credible author, it should not be considered part of the New Testament.

Conclusion

The inspired writing of Mark that has been passed down ends with 16:8.  Although it is impossible to know whether Mark intended to write more, we can know that he was not the author of verses 9-20.  Although this information may be initially disturbing, it should not cause believers to question their Bible.  We should certainly be wary of basing our views of any major doctrine on them these 12 verses, but they are still an interesting topic of discussion. And ultimately, the believer can rest in the fact the the books of the Bible, in their original writings, were fully inspired by God.  Mistakes in copying have been introduced over the last 2000 years, but the total number of verses in dispute are very few and add up to about a paragraph of the Bible.