There are but three passages in Scripture that speak of immortality, 1 Corinthians 15:53,54 and 1 Timothy

6:16. These are the only occurrences of the Greek word athanasia. Where we read "immortality" in

Romans 2:7 and 2 Timothy 1:10 it is aphtharsia, "incorruption", and in 1 Timothy 1:17 it is aphthartos,

The context of 1 Corinthians 15 is resurrection and the resurrection body. It has nothing to do with the

soul, indeed the "soulish" body is contrasted with the "spiritual" body, so that immortality is predicated in

some instances of those who are beyond the soul stage altogether:

"The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening (life-giving)

spirit. Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural (soulish); and afterward

that which is spiritual" (1 Cor. 15:45,46 ).

Our theme is not the resurrection body, however, and we must return from these digressions. All that we

desire at the moment is to show that immortality here is spoken of the resurrection body, and not of the

soul at all.

Immortality and resurrection are brought together in Luke 20:35,36 :

"They which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that age, and the resurrection from the dead ...

NEITHER CAN THEY DIE ANY MORE" (Author's translation).

Orthodoxy, however, says that whether a man obtains that age or not, whether he be raised from the dead

or not, the question as to whether he will die any more does not arise, because man is already an immortal

The third reference to immortality is found in 1 Timothy 6:14-16 :

" ... the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ; which in His own seasons will show that blessed and only

Potentate, King of kings and Lord of lords, the only One having immortality, dwelling in inaccessible

light, which no one of men has seen, nor is able to see, to Whom be honour and might age abiding"

(literal translation).

We quote in explanation of this passage J.L. Barlow in Endless Being:

"Attention has here been called to the negative form of this word, not only because it is a fact, but to

suggest, with some diffidence, that this fact has a bearing on what the writer believes to be an

erroneous, though popular, idea. i.e., that where Paul says: "Who only hath immortality", he means

God the Father ... It is, at least, supposed to be true that God, as Father, was never subject to death,

and never will be. He was never mortal. God the Son became mortal - took on mortality - became

subject to death, and rose again triumphant from the grave ... Now, as immortalit y comes to the

righteous, and to them alone, at the resurrection, what more natural than to infer, and to expect

Scripture to teach, that He Who is the firstfruit of the resurrection, and Who did put on this

immortality - this undyingness - then and there should be alluded to, just as He is in 1 Timothy 6:16.

as the only One Who now has immortality? And then again, Who but He is "King of kings and Lord

of lords"? It is objected that the latter part of the verse cannot apply to Christ, "dwelling in light

which no man can approach unto, Whom no man hath seen, nor can see". It is urged that Christ has

been seen by man, and man yet expects to see Him. Granted; and yet the above language may, and it

is believed does, apply to Christ in His present kingly glory. The word "dwelling" is a present

participle expressing that which is. Has any man approached as yet Christ's present kingly glory, or

can he do it, as he is in the present condition of things?".

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