Mark 16:16 (KJV)

Passage

He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

Nearby Context

Mark 16:14 Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen.

Mark 16:15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

Mark 16:16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

Mark 16:17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;

Mark 16:18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "believeth", "saved", "baptized", "shall", and "damned". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "believeth" and "saved", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 15's "And he said unto them Go ye..." into verse 17's "And these signs shall follow them that...", so "believeth" and "saved" belong inside that flow. In Mark context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "believeth" and "saved" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.