“Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen” (I Timothy 6:16).
In the Greek New Testament, there are two words translated “immortality.” One is athanasia (“without death”) which is used in our text to describe God in His eternal essence. The other is aphtharsia (“without corruption”), used in II Timothy 1:10: “[Christ] hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,” and translated “incorruption.” in I Corinthians 15:42: “So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption.”
The doctrine of the “immortality of the soul” is a doctrine of both ancient paganism and modern “New Ageism.” Such people all believe in some form of evolution, and reject the doctrine of resurrection, which uniquely accompanies creationist religions. These false religions believe that, at death, the body decays but the soul continues to exist, either in an eternally disembodied state or reincarnated in some other body. Atheists, of course, believe that both body and soul cease to exist at death.
But Christ, who “hath immortality” and who has died for the whole world and triumphed over death, promises a bodily resurrection to all who believe on Him, assuring both incorruption and immortality forever. “For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality” (I Corinthians 15:53). The law of entropy (involving decay, corruption, pain, sorrow, and disintegration) will be repealed when God’s curse (Genesis 3:17) on the whole creation because of sin is removed (Romans 8:20–23; Revelation 22:3) and death will be abolished from His new creation forever. HMM
