What does the Bible say about snake handling?

from the old testament

• The Old Testament consistently warns against testing God. When Israel demanded proof of God’s presence and provision, it was treated as sin (Exodus 17:2, 7; Deuteronomy 6:16). Deliberately putting yourself in danger to force God to act mirrors that same attitude.
  
• Proverbs repeatedly teaches that the wise avoid danger rather than run toward it (Proverbs 22:3). Intentionally handling deadly snakes contradicts that principle.

from the new testament

• Mark 16:18 reads, “[believers] will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” On the surface, it seems to support snake handling.
• However, the problem is that none of the verses from Mark 16:9–20 existed in the original manuscripts. That means later authors added them and thus are not considered inspired or accurate. By “inspired,” it means God-breathed, being directly from God and thus profitable for believers to know and obey (2 Timothy 3:16–17).
• While much of what else is taught in Mark 16:9–20 can be supported from the rest of Scripture, this is the primary place where believers in a general sense are commanded or said to handle snakes. Since no other Scripture teaches this practice, it must not be viewed as prescriptive.
• Another passage snake handlers refer to is Acts 28:3–5. In the Acts 28 account, Paul and his companions had been stranded after a shipwreck and were being helped by the natives. In that passage, a viper bit Paul, who shook it off. The natives expected him to die, but he did not. While an interesting account, it must be remembered that it was of a specific event for Paul, whom God was sending to Rome through his imprisonment. God chose to use the snake to gain an inroad into that area. We never read of a similar example occurring again in the New Testament, indicating it was a one-off event rather than something expected of all believers.
• Besides there being no biblical support for the general practice of snake handling, as a practice, it also comes dangerously close to testing God. When Satan took Jesus to the top of the temple and told Him to jump off because God would save Him, Jesus replied, “It is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test’” (Matthew 4:5–7). God sent Jesus to die for sin, so it would have been reasonable for Him to assume that God would save Him from a premature death. However, even though Jesus knew God’s plan, that would still have been presuming on God’s intervention. Likewise, handling poisonous snakes is doing something deadly while assuming God will intervene against the natural laws.
• In contrast to public displays of proving faith such as snake handling, the Bible teaches that true faith is shown in one’s everyday obedience and trust (John 20:29; Hebrews 11:1).

implications for today

To put it bluntly: snake handling dangerously misunderstands Scripture’s teaching. God indeed promises to protect those who are His, but those are spiritual promises that He will never leave or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5) and that He will prevent us from losing the salvation He has given us (Romans 8:38–39). Physically, Scripture speaks much about expected persecution (John 15:20) and death (Revelation 6:9–11) for believers, the opposite of expecting a good and safe life. That is because we live in the time between our salvation and Jesus’ return to make all things right.

Beyond the general implication of not unnecessarily risking our lives, snake handling also raises concerns about how genuine faith is expressed. Snake handling and other forms of visible signs treat faith as defined by one’s success in this life or as experiences proving one's faith.

However, Scripture teaches that faith is revealed in faithfulness, especially in the small things—the way we live and honor God with everything we do. Faith is demonstrated when we praise God despite a tragedy in our lives. Faith is demonstrated when we don’t cheat on our timecard because we know God will hold us accountable for everything we do. Faith is demonstrated by allowing Scripture, and not the world, to guide our lives and relationships. In short, faith is hanging everything we are and do on the promise that Jesus is returning to bring judgment on the wicked and reward for His people. It is not proving we are His by doing something dangerous and surviving.

Until He returns and sets all right, snakes still bite and still kill. Let us be wise in this life and express faith by trusting Him with our lives now and in life that is to come!