• Here the action is done to Paul, not by him, as illustrated above.

• Here the emphasis is on the authority that was given to Paul, not taken by him.

• Here the asking is active, but the receiving is passive.

by George Sidney Hurd

It is my conviction that those who advocate for Conditional Immortality, as well as many Traditionalists, have greatly misunderstood the proper application of the term “immortality” (athanasía) by attributing the term to spirits – something we never see in Scripture. As I argue here, spirits by their very nature are not subject to death (Luke 20:36). While here I do not go into all the grammatical and contextual arguments for my understanding that the one who alone possesses immortality in 1Timothy 6:16 is Christ in His resurrected glorified immortal body and therefore the only one who presently possesses immortality, rather than it having reference to God the Father as the sole possessor of immortality, I believe that this is the understanding which best harmonizes with the overall teaching of Scripture on the subject. I welcome any further input concerning the proper interpretation of this rather difficult passage.

The following is an excerpt from the book, Extermination or Restoration?

“He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power. Amen.” (1Tim 6:15,16)

Contrary to the claims to deity made by monarchs and emperors of old, I understand Paul to be declaring here that our God in the person of the resurrected and glorified Son is the only Sovereign ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who presently is the sole possessor of immortality (Rev 19:16; Rom 6:9; 1Cor 15:20). With all their military might and divine titles they were all destined to die as mortals. Annihilationists conclude from this verse that immortality is not inherent to our human nature. They either say that we were not created immortal, or else that we lost our immortality at the fall.

Immortality has reference to our Physical Body

Since conditional immortality is one of the Annihilationist’s main arguments, they often prefer to be known as Conditionalists. However, since I partially agree with them on the subject of conditional physical immortality, I prefer to refer to them as Annihilationists. They argue based upon their interpretation of first Timothy 6:16 that presently only God possesses immortality. The Greek word translated “immortality” (athanasía) is used in only one other instance, in 1Corinthians 15:53,54:

“For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality (athanasía). 54 So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality (athanasía), then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory.” (1Cor 15:53-54)

Here we see that immortality is something we do not presently possess but are waiting to receive in the future. It is in the resurrection that we will receive the immortality that at present only God the Son possesses in His glorified resurrection body. However, the point of contention has to do with what is being referred to when speaking of incorruption or immortality. In the context it is obvious that Paul is referring only to our physical bodies. The question presented earlier by Paul was:

“But someone will say, ‘How are the dead raised up? And with what BODY do they come?’ 36 Foolish one, what you sow is not made alive unless it dies.” (1Cor 15:35-37)

For Paul, incorruptibility and immortality clearly have reference to our physical bodies and not our soul or our spirit. Paul refers to the body 9 times in these 9 verses, but not once does he mention the soul of man. Annihilationists would argue that man’s nature is an inseparable whole, and that all conscious existence ends or is suspended when we die. However, the New Testament maintains a clear distinction between the conscious individual person and his fleshly body or “tent” (2Peter 1:13-14; Matt 10:28). Neither our soul nor our spirit are called mortal in the Scriptures. Reference is made to our “mortal bodies” (Rom 6:12; 8:11) and our “mortal flesh” (2Cor 4:11), but never to a mortal spirit or soul. Angels are not mortals with physical bodies: they are spirits, and for that reason, immortality does not apply to them, even though they never die but live forever (Luke 20:36).

Immortality was offered to Adam and Eve in the garden. If they had eaten of the tree of life, their bodies would have never returned to dust. After partaking of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they were kept from eating of the tree of life lest the unthinkable should occur---lest they become immortalized in their sinful flesh:

“Then the Lord God said, ‘Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever —‘  23 therefore the Lord God sent him out of the garden of Eden…” (Gen 3:22,23)

God, contemplating the unthinkable outcome if Adam and Eve were to partake of the tree of life, becoming immortalized in his sinful state, didn’t even complete the sentence. If He were to have finished His statement it would have probably been something like: “lest he live forever and become immortalized in his sinful, unredeemed state, hopelessly independent from us, we must keep him and his descendants from the tree of life.”

Rightly understood, keeping man from the tree of life was an act of mercy. If we were to partake of the tree of life in our fallen unredeemed state, we would have been perpetualized in that sinful condition, much like the legendary vampires. At creation, God’s eternal plan to prepare for Himself an eternal bride, made in His own image in a dependent, loving relationship, was set in motion. In order to accomplish this end, He allowed man to fall and suffer the penalty of mortality and death, but only in order to redeem him and create him anew in Christ, receiving eternal life and immortality as a gift of God’s grace. Our fall and His redemption enable us to know and experience dimensions of God’s love, such as His grace, mercy and compassion – virtues which were incomprehensible to Adam and Eve in their innocent state before experiencing the fall and being redeemed and restored by God through Christ.

The only body which presently possesses immortality is Christ’s resurrected body – the firstfruits from the dead (1Cor 15:20; Rom 6:9). Moses and Elijah appeared in visible form on the mount of transfiguration, but they were not immortal since they still await the resurrection. Enoch walked with God and was not because God took him. By saying that God took him, it clearly means that Enoch was taken into God’s presence and consciously communes with Him, but he has not yet received immortality. Jesus is the first-fruits of the resurrection: Afterwards we also, as a kind of firstfruits, will be glorified with Him at His Second Coming (James 1:18). But that is not the end. The end does not come until all the residue of men have bowed the knee, becoming subject to Christ, at which time Christ will also subject Himself to the Father and God will then be all in all (1Cor 15:28).

Although Adam and Eve were expelled from the garden and deprived of the tree of life, and presently only God in the person of the Son has possession of immortality, life and immortality are now freely given to all who come to God through Jesus. And the good news is that all will finally be drawn to Him and will be made alive or immortalized, although not all at the same time that we, the firstfruits, are made alive:

“But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. 23 But each one in his own order…” (1Cor 15:20-23).

This passage clearly declares that in the end all will have been made alive. All who die in Adam (which includes all mankind) will be made alive in Christ, but each in his own order. Some would argue that only those who are “in Christ” before He comes will be made alive. However, Paul doesn’t say “all in Christ” but “in Christ all.”  It is the same “all” who die in Adam that will be made alive in Christ. This becomes even clearer in Romans 5 where he says “all men,” instead of “in Christ all”:

“Therefore, as through one man's offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man's righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life.” (Rom 5:18)

Just as Adam’s one sin places all men under judgment, even so Christ’s one righteous act brought the free gift of justification of life to all men. Here the “all” cannot possibly be limited to those who are presently in Christ. The “all” with the comparative “even so” requires that the last all be equal to the first all. If the “all” of the second group is not the same “all” as the first group, then it wouldn’t make sense to use the parallel comparison “as…even so…” For the sake of illustration, let us imagine that someone was to rob $100,000 from you and it was all you had to your name. Then upon catching the thief you were to say to him: “As you took all I had, even so I want you to give it all back.” What would you be demanding of him? A tithe? No. The expression “even so” following “as” means the last must be equal to the first.

When Paul says that in Christ all will be “made alive,” it is clear from the surrounding context that he is referring to the resurrection of our mortal bodies unto immortality. Also, we can see that “made alive” speaks of immortality due to the meaning of the word “made alive.” The Greek word used here is zoopoiéo. The word “to make alive” in 1Corinthians 15:22 is zoopoiéo. Two other Greek words express resurrection: egeiro and anastasis. These are often used for a temporal resurrection, as when Lazarus was raised to life, only to die again. In contrast, when zoopoiéo describes a bodily resurrection, it means receiving permanent life in an immortal body that all will receive, but each in his own order.  Jesus said: “Behold, I make all things new.” (Rev 21:5) [1] When all have been resurrected to an immortal body, then the new creation which will include all, and began with the resurrection of Christ, will be complete.

The Spirit of the Believer already has Eternal Life

“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life.” (John 6:47)

"Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life. (John 5:24).

“These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life….” (1John 5:13)

The believer does not have to wait until the resurrection in order to know whether or not he has eternal life. He already is a new creation in Christ. Obviously, our physical body is not yet immortalized but there is a part of us that has already been born again. That which has been born of God, however, is not our body but our spirit.

Jesus said to Nicodemus: “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus had the same confusion as do the Annihilationists – he didn’t know to distinguish between our physical body and our spirit. He said in reply: “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?” We can sympathize with Nicodemus since the Old Testament only contained vague hints of any distinction between the material part of man and the immaterial part. Jesus, however, made very clear the distinction between our body and our spirit. He explained to Nicodemus:

“Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.  6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” (John 3:5-6)

Jesus here explains that there are two births: first our physical birth by means of the amniotic water from our mother’s womb, and then the spiritual birth in which our spirit is regenerated by the Holy Spirit. From this moment on, even though our outer man decays, we already possess eternal life in our regenerated spirit. Our bodies, however, are not born again. When you are born again you may look different in the mirror, but it is only because your new inner man is shining through.

Many are confused when they read 2Corinthians 5:17 as commonly translated because it doesn’t seem to line up with their reality: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” The truth is that our body will not be new until the resurrection, and our soul is obviously not new, although it is in the process of being restored. The confusion results because the translators added “things” and “all things” to the text. The reality is that although the new creation has begun with our regenerated spirit, we are still in need of being renewed in our soul, and we will continue physically dying until our body returns to the dust from which it came. The correct reading clears up this confusion:

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” (2Co 5:17 ESV)

Our bodies die and return to dust, but our spirit is already new and alive with the eternal life of the resurrected Christ who is now our life (Col 3:3-4). That is why Jesus could say: “whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die” (John 11:26). This is what Paul was talking about when he said:

“But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. 11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.” (Rom 8:10-11 NIV) [2]

Even though our body is sentenced to die, our spirit is already alive because of righteousness. The righteousness in view in the context is the righteousness of God in Christ, which is received – not achieved (cf. Rom 3:21-24). Our born-again Spirit is now one spirit with the Lord (1Cor 6:17). We have already been made perfect forever (Heb 10:14). We are now the Church of the firstborn ones whose spirits have been made perfect (Heb 12:22-23). We are now seated with Christ in heavenly places (Eph 2:6). Obviously, this does not refer to our physical body, but rather to our perfect spirit which is already one spirit with the Lord.

Also, the rebirth of our spirits - being made alive with God’s eternal life, guarantees the future resurrection of our bodies. Upon receiving eternal life through the rebirth of our spirit, we also received an irrevocable, incorruptible inheritance – the final salvation, or glorification of our bodies:

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” (1 Peter 1:3-5)

The promise of bodily glorification for those who have already been begotten again with eternal life is irrevocable because we are kept by the power of God. That is why Paul could say that those who have been called are already glorified, even though our actual glorification awaits the end of the age (Rom 8:30). Jesus also said: “And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.  29 My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand” (John 10:28-29). Once we have received eternal life, we will never perish – no one is able to take that away from us because He who gave us His life is greater than all (c.f. Rom 8:37-39). So we have eternal life in our spirit, and we are also assured of receiving immortality in our bodies in the future.

All of these glorious realities are hidden to the Annihilationists, since they believe that man is indivisible, rather than a soul inhabiting a body or “tent,” with a spirit, by which we commune with God. Their error, as I see it, is that they base their anthropology upon the lesser light of the Old Testament and try to confine the greater revelation of the New Testament within the wineskin of the Old Testament. Revelation in the Scriptures is a progressive unveiling. What was obscure in the Old Testament is brought to greater light in the New Testament. The trinity is implied in the Old Testament but not clearly revealed until the New Testament. In the Old Testament era there were only a couple of obscure allusions to God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Isa 63:7-16; Pro 30:4). The same is true with the revelation concerning the makeup of man, as well as death and resurrection. The Hebrew word Sheol – variously mistranslated as “hell” “the pit” or “the grave” by traditional translators, meant little more than the mysterious and unknown place where all the dead went, whether good or bad. Although life after death is implied throughout the Old Testament, they didn’t even have any specific revelation concerning a resurrection until it was revealed through the prophet Daniel, less than 600 years before Christ (Dan 12:2).

Many mysteries, hidden to previous generations, are revealed in the New Testament. One of those mysteries, which is relevant to the subject at hand, is the revelation in Christ concerning the gift of eternal life and immortality:

“Who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, 10 but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought LIFE and IMMORTALITY to light through the gospel.” (2 Tim 1:9-10)

What is it that was hidden to previous generations, but now has been revealed or brought to light? - That through His death and resurrection Christ would abolish death, bringing to light life and immortality. If the rulers of this age had foreseen this, they wouldn’t have crucified the Lord of glory (1Cor 2:8). If we want to acquire an understanding of life and immortality, we must look to the revelation contained within the New Testament.

From the Old Testament we would never be able to fully discover the eternal plan of God in Christ to begin a new creation in Him, making all new (Rev 21:5 lit.). In the New Testament we can see what Nicodemus could not yet clearly see. Now we know that we receive the life of God through the new birth of our spirit and that in Christ our mortal bodies will be glorified, being clothed in immortality when He comes for us. The souls of those who have died in Christ will come with Him and will be reunited with a glorified body, and those of us who are still living in our old mortal bodies will be immortalized – our bodies will be glorified in the twinkling of an eye (1Thess 4:13-17; 1Cor 15:51-52).

Biblical Immortality is not Plato’s Doctrine

Many Annihilationists try to make a connection between Plato’s belief in the immortality of the soul and the traditional Christian belief that the soul exists forever - whether in the body or out of it. Fudge, in “The Fire that Consumes,” labored extensively to make that connection. However, there are more dissimilarities than similarities between Plato’s belief and the declarations of the New Testament.

In the first place, although the soul can exist independently from the body and continues beyond death (as I hope to demonstrate), it is not the soul which is referred to as being immortal in Scripture, as Plato affirmed. Rather, it is the resurrected and glorified body which is said to put on immortality at the Second Coming of Christ.

In the second place, Plato taught that the soul was inherently eternal, just like God, whereas the Scriptures teach that our existence and essential nature originated in God at creation and are dependent upon Him. Also, Plato taught that the soul reincarnated, whereas Scripture presents only one physical mortal life and death, followed by a resurrection in a permanent, immortal body, rather than an immortal soul reincarnating in a series of temporal mortal bodies.

Plato, and other great minds like him, have made many amazing discoveries based solely upon reason and observation. Plato was the first to postulate that eternity is a reality which exists independently of time. Only recently has science been able to confirm his hypothesis.

Plato also would have heard of, or personally experienced, near-death or out-of-body experiences similar to that described by Paul (2Cor 12:2-3). Many centuries before Plato, we see that the living consulted the dead - something they would not have attempted unless they believed that the soul had an existence apart from the body. God forbade consulting the dead without denying the possibility of doing so. Without doubt, Plato formulated his beliefs concerning the soul, based upon universally held beliefs and some form of observation, using his reason.

However, any parallels which may exist between his conclusions and biblical revelation are coincidental and neither prove or disprove Christian doctrine, any more than Aristotle’s denial of the existence of the soul apart from the body proves or disproves Conditionalism. Annihilationists frequently complain about being categorized with schismatic cults, such as the Jehovah’s Witnesses and others who similarly hold to the doctrine of Annihilationism. They rightly point out that, as misguided as the cults may be, some of their doctrines are nevertheless in agreement with the Scriptures and for that reason it is unfair for opponents to appeal to the argument of guilt by association. Nevertheless, they use the same tactics, often dedicating large portions of their books to showing a supposed association of the traditional belief in the immortality of the soul with Platonic philosophy. While not ignoring such parallels, ultimately our beliefs should be embraced or rejected based solely upon the Scriptures, understanding the Old Testament through the greater light of the New.

[1] Our English word “things” does not have an equivalent in Greek. Neither does the neuter form in Greek always indicate objects as in English. When the translators insert “things” in contexts that are evidently referring primarily to persons and not inanimate objects I often take the liberty to cross it out in order to keep the focus where it belongs.

[2] Sometimes translators do not correctly make the distinction between our spirit and the Holy Spirit. I cite the NIV since it captures better what Paul was expressing.