AN unscriptural practice which has become habitual with many is to confound Immortality and Eternal Life or to speak of them interchangeably as if identical. The adjective aphthartos (incorruptible) is found in the New Testament seven times. In every instance it is synonymous with imperishable, because incorruption is essential to imperishableness. Twice it refers to God's nature or essence; once, to the quality of the reward of faithful Christians; once, to that of our inheritance; once, to the word of God as seed; once, to human character; and once, to the glorified bodies of saints. Whatever it qualifies, it defines its quality as imperishable. Hence, an incorruptible body is imperishable, because it is incorruptible.

The noun aphtharsia (incorruption) is found in the Old Testament eight times. Twice it is applied to human character; once, it defines an element of future salvation, probably that which relates to the. body of redeemed man; once, it defines the nature of the body which is adapted to and to be vitalized by the life which Jesus Christ has brought to light. In the remaining four instances, without possible doubt, it refers to the glorified bodies of the saints.

We conclude that the Life and Incorruption brought to light through Christ's death and resurrection, and made known through the gospel, are eternal life and immortality or incorruptibility. The adjective "eternal" does not define the duration so much as it does the quality of the life; while "incorruption" defines the quality of the body of the glorified saints.

Is this the teaching of Scripture? I believe it is because

I. Immortality is never, in the New Testament, predicated of Man's Soul or Spirit, but of his Body.

The Greek word thnetos (mortal) is found six times in the New Testament, and in every instance it refers to the human body. The following are all the passages in which it occurs: "Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body" (Rom. 6:12).

"And if the spirit of him who raised up Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised up Christ from the dead will make alive your mortal bodies also" (Rom. 8:11).

"For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. And when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then will come to pass the saying, Death has been swallowed up in victory" (I Cor. 15:53, 54).

"For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh" (2 Cor. 4:11).

"For we who are in the tabernacle groan, being burdened; not that we wish to be unclothed, but to be clothed upon, that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life" (2 Cor. 5:4).

There is certainly not the slightest reference to the soul or spirit in any of these instances in which "mortal" is used; but it is just as certain that they all refer to the human body exclusively.

The Greek word athanasia (immortality) occurs only three times in the New Testament. In two of these instances its indubitable reference is to the glorified bodies of the saints. We have already quoted the passage (I Cor. 15:53, 54) in which these two instances of the use of the word occurs. It is too plain to admit of elucidation, that immortality is here predicated of the risen or re-fashioned incorruptible body of the glorified saint, and of that only.

The only remaining instance of the occurrence of the word in the New Testament is in I Tim. 6:16, which reads thus:"Who only has immortality." Even if "immortality" here can refer to God only, as spirit, our proposition is not invalidated, that it is never predicated of man's soul or spirit. But is it absolutely certain that God is here said to be immortal? The passage does not say, who alone is immortal, but "Who only has immortality." May it not mean that only God can impart immortality? For in Rom. 8:11, it is He who is said to quicken our mortal bodies and in I Cor. 15:53, 54. after saying: "For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality," etc., it is written: "Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." Now note the context of i Tim. 6:16, and I think the probability will amount almost to a certainty, that Paul meant to say that God, and God only, has immortality to impart; that he will impart it through our Lord Jesus Christ at his appearing.

Respecting the words, "Who only has immortality," Bengel says: "having, and therefore, about to give us." On the words, "I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickens all things," Lange's commentary says, this is "an encouraging remembrance of the resurrection."

We believe our position is correct, because

II. The New Testament distinguishes between Immortality and Eternal Life,

Eternal Life is a present possession; Immortality is yet to be imparted. Paul's benediction to the Thessalonians is: "The God of peace himself sanctify you wholly, and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved entire, without blame, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." Then, but not till then, our salvation will be consummated; we will then attain to the perfection of our being; then will the perfect spirits of the justified, who have been with Christ a longer or shorter time, be clothed with suitable incorruptible bodies; and then immortality and eternal life will be coincident and correlated. Hence the day of resurrection is called the day of redemption. "Ye were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is an earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of his glory." "And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, in whom ye were sealed unto the day of redemption."

We have Eternal Life while yet mortal. To confound it with Immortality is as irrational and unscriptural as it is for the materialist to confound spirit and body. We will have Eternal Life while absent from the body; but we will not have Immortality till "what is mortal may be swallowed up by life."

I believe the phrase "Eternal Life" occurs forty-four times in the New Testament. It is there represented as both a present and a future attainment. In ten passages it is certainly represented as a present possession, while most of the rest may have the same reference. Twenty-three out of forty-four passages occur in John's writings. Sixteen of the seventeen found in his gospel (with possibly two exceptions), are the words of Christ. Of the ten instances in which Eternal Life is spoken of as a present possession, all, except one, are from John's writings; six from his gospel and three from his first epistle.

The time and method of our receiving Immortality are repeatedly and conclusively stated in the New Testament. For example: "Now, this I say, brethren, that flesh cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I tell you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed." "For we who are in the tabernacle groan being burdened; not that we wish to be unclothed, but to be clothed upon, that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. . . . We are of good courage, and we are well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord." "Because the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God, and the dead in Christ will first rise. Then we, the living, who remain, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord." "And all these having obtained a good report through their faith, did not receive the promise: God having provided something better concerning us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect." "Beloved, now are we children of God, and it was never yet manifested what we shall be. We know that if He be manifested we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is."

We conclude that the Scriptures teach

1. That Immortality and Eternal Life are not identical, and cannot correctly be used as interchangeable terms.

2. That Immortality is never predicated of the human soul or spirit.

3. That the body is the only part of man of which either mortality or Immortality is predicated.

4. That Eternal Life is possessed separate from Immortality, even as soon as we believe, while yet in our mortal bodies.

5. That Immortality will not be possessed by us until the resurrection or transformation of our bodies.

6. That human redemption will not be complete until our bodies are made immortal, and we have attained to the perfection of our being in spirit and soul and body.

7. That Immortality AND eternal Life are both essential to our consummate redemption.

8. If there can be such a thing as conditional immortality, it pertains to the body exclusively. It was offered to Adam on condition of obedience, but he forfeited it. "For, as in Adam, all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive," refers to the body only. It has been said that Ezek. 18:4, "The soul that sinneth, it shall die," teaches "conditional immortality." But the context shows that it has no such reference. Note the proverb in verse two. Jehovah was charged with punishing the innocent children for the sins of their fathers; but he declares that he will hold each individual responsible for his personal sins.. See verses 19, 20. The Scriptures teach that the soul or spirit of man will have unending, conscious existence. Eccl. 12:7; Mat. 10:28; 25:46; Mark 3 129, R. V.; Luke 16:22-26.