Since you've disputerd the meaning of Mark 16:16, let's go through the verse piece by piece and look for the true meaning.
Mark 16:16a ASV
He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved
By removing the dependent clause in this sentence we arrive at this verse in its simplest form: "He shall be saved."
So our question now is who shall be saved. Is it he that believeth alone? No. Is it he that is baptized? No. The person in this sentence who shall be saved is "he who believeth
and is baptized.
The word "and" in this sentence serves as a coordinating conjuntion, or a word that join together words or word groups. Joined together means just that, they have become linked and are inseperable.
This sentence as a whole is a complex sentence, and is classified logically as a conjunction (not to be confused with the grammatical function). A conjunction is a complex sentence that is true if and only if each of its components are true. The end result of this sentence is that one is saved. This can be true
if and only if each of the components of the sentence are true. What are the components? Belief and baptism.
In case you like math better than language (some people do
) this sentence has set up the following equation:
Belief + Baptism = saved
Mark 16:16b ASV
; but he that disbelieveth shall be condemned.
The two halves of this verse are separated by a semicolon. A semicolon is a punctuation mark that serves as a coordinating function. This means simply that it joins the two halves of the verse together forming a much larger logical statement. There has been established three boolean conditions with two possible outcomes, being saved or being condemned, and remember, the first two are conjoined and must both be true in order to be saved. When we consider John 3:36 (it's the most popular example) we can understand belief and obedience as being inseperable:
John 3:36 ASV
He that believeth on the Son hath eternal life; but he that obeyeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him.
We therefore have the following:
belief (includes obedience) + baptism = salvation
disbelief = disobedience
belief /= (does not equal) belief + baptism
belief alone /= salvation
belief alone = disobedience (baptism is a command) = condemned
baptism alone /= belief + baptism
baptism alone /= salvation
baptism alone = disobedience = condemnation
baptism + disbelief /= belief + baptism
baptism + disbelief = disobedience = condemnation
From this verse, the only way that one is capable of being saved is by believing
and being baptized. This has been concluded by going through the verse, word by word, phrase by phrase. And this does harmonize with the rest of the Scriptures (Acts 2:38, Acts 22:16, Matthew 28:19, Colossians 2:12, Galatians 3:26, Romans 6, James 2:24, 1 Peter 3:21, 1 Corinthians 6:11, just to name a few)
I will handle the second half of your post in just a moment in another reply, as I want this one to be separate to emphasize the the information provided.