No, FK, death is a state.
At what point does a mortal soul become immortal?
When it is restored by grace.
I think it is the Orthodox view that the vast majority of the saved do not reach theosis during physical life. If that is true, and the immortal soul is determined by accepting grace, then when does this happen?
Grace is given. We are made alive and immortal through God's grace and nothing we do merits it.
Can a person' mortal soul be transformed into an immortal soul, only to revert back again to a mortal soul?
We can always fall form grace by rejecting God. Adam and Eve did. We are their offspring, their nature.
No, FK, death is a state.
OK, but what does that MEAN? What is the difference between death as a "state" and what you have heard Harley and me describe as an immortal soul? The Bible is absolutely clear that a soul may be "dead" to God, BUT it is certainly "alive" to actual experience in hell. If all the Bible verses discussing this, and there are many, are ALL WRONG, then Orthodoxy is hoarding to itself some of the greatest secrets of Christianity. You even leave your Latin brethren completely in the dark. Where is the correct text of the Bible in English? The percentage of Orthodox who use English as a first language can't be THAT negligible. :)
Plus, isn't it the duty of your clergy to carry the message to all nations, including those that speak English? According to the arguments I've heard, plus Kolo's article, English speakers don't have a chance.
FK: "At what point does a mortal soul become immortal?"
When it is restored by grace.
Well I KNOW that. :) When does that happen within time?
Grace is given. We are made alive and immortal through God's grace and nothing we do merits it.
I believe you added that the grace must be accepted. I'm asking when that happens. For example, there is a watershed moment in our theology when the believer receives/accepts God's grace and then asks Jesus into his heart. Now, I realize that Apostolics are much more into a process system, however there has to be a moment within time at which the soul turns from mortal to immortal. IOW, does it just follow the same ebb and flow of one's permeable salvation status? My guess would be "yes". My guess would be that it is completely within Orthodox theology for a person's soul to be mortal one minute, then immortal the next, then mortal again the following minute. If true, doesn't that throw out the actual meaning of the word?