Hey Oliver… you have posted a very controversial claim that has been the topic of historical disputes for nearly 2 millennia.

I have some bad news… and some good news… are you open to learning some essential truths that many Christians today do not apprehend?

Unfortunately Oliver by suggesting Mark 16 is applicable to us today and that therefore baptism is necessary for salvation you are displaying that you are like so many Christians today who do not know how or why we must ‘Rightly divide’ the word of truth. 2Tim2vs15.
It’s an honest mistake to make if you have never been instructed as to the doctrinal differences between Chirst’s kingdom preaching to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, from Paul’s message of Grace and salvation to the Gentiles, complete with a new gospel… not preached by Christ. Comparing Paul’s teaching to Mark 16 Paul speaks of Baptism thus….

“10 Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

11 For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you.

12 Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ.

13 Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?

14 I thank God that I baptized none of you, but Crispus and Gaius;

15 Lest any should say that I had baptized in mine own name.

16 And I baptized also the household of Stephanas: besides, I know not whether I baptized any other.

17 For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.

18 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.” 1 Corinthians 1vs 10-18.

Here we see a major doctrinal difference between what Christ preached earlier about baptism as being essential for salvation (Mark 16) and What Paul later wrote to the Corinthians… “God sent me not to baptise’… but to preach the Cross”…

And this is but one of many many differences between Christs ministry and preaching from Paul’s… because by the time Paul became an Apostle… things had greatly changed.

Instead of Israel repenting and receiving their Messiah, they hardened their hearts and rejected Christ *twice*… Once when he himself preached among them, when they had him crucified,… and again after the Resurrection when Christ sent Peter and the 12 back to re-offer the kingdom declaring Christs death on the cross and resurrection were the fulfillment of prophecy and proof he was their Messiah.

Twice the Jews hardened their hearts and persecuted the Jewish followers of Christ culminating in the stoning of Stephen a third of the way through the book of Acts.

This is when Israel’s fate was sealed.

Instead of receiving the Kingdom of God… they were assigned for judgement.
That is when God revealed a mystery… He saved the very chief of sinners by pure grace…. Saul of Tarsus… the leader of the Jewish rebellion against Christ… made him an Apostle… and sent him with a completely new gospel *to the gentiles*.

The new gospel was the gospel of the grace of God… Free salvation… the gift of God… without works…. simply by believing the message that Christ died for our sins… was buried… yet rose again on the third day in victory over sin and death!

As Paul said in 1 Corinthians… Salvation is purely 100% by the Blood of Christ on the Cross.
Nothing more… no baptism… no good works… no enduring to the end…. no keeping the Law…. etc etc.

Today we are saved by believing the gospel of the cross… and it is a wicked and false gospel now to add baptism as being necessary… or keeping the law. etc. All things which Christ said was necessary for the Jew to make themselves worthy to enter his kingdom.
That is because the Jews were under the Law.
Yet we Gentiles today are under Grace.

We are to take our doctrine from our God=appointed Apostle Paul… and under the gospel of grace baptism is not a component necessary for salvation.

Baptism today is a witness and personal testimony of our inner faith… that’s all.

Look again at Mark 16… Christ not only said that baptism was necessary for salvation, he also said signs and wonders would be evidence… picking up deadly serpents… drinking poisons… yet these believers would not be harmed …. yet sadly when Christians ignorantly claim Mark 16 is doctrine for us today… and they pick up serpents and drink poisons… Sadly many many have died… They made the fatal mistake of not knowing Mark 16 does not apply to us today.

I have written on this subject… link below.
Please read… and think carefully about what I have said to you… because it is God’s truth that you need to understand so that you free yourself from the false doctrine that adds Baptism as necessary for salvation.
This destroys your ministry.
You may have never been instructed in these matters and so in the past … yet now you have been shown. Will you embrace the truth or be like Israel and harden your heart against the truth and continue to preach error and bad doctrine?

I pray you have the ears to hear and the eyes to see…
I am more than happy to discuss these matter with you.

One of my articles below that directly relates to Mark 16.

Failure to understand Dispensational Truth can be Deadly!

Tim Wikiriwhi Christian Libertarian.