In Scripture, mortal and immortality refer only to the condition of the body. It is the body that is mortal, never the soul, or spirit.
"This mortal will put on immortality" is speaking of the resurrection of our body, not our spirit. A spirit cannot die. The term resurrection only applies to the body.
Therefore 1 Timothy 6:16, referring to Christ, means the God/man alone has immortality as his nature, and being the firstfruit raised in the resurrection.
Cordially,
bttt
Hello and thanks for your reply. In scripture, "soul" and "spirit" are not synonymous. A "soul", again based on scripture, is any living, breathing creature that has life whether it be animal or human.
For example:
Gen 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
This is the King James. But it's not the first instance of this word that's translated "soul" here. That actually occurs earlier...
Gen 1:20 And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.
Gen 1:21 And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
The words highlighted above are the same word translated soul earlier...the Hebrew "nepesh". It means basically a living breathing creature. There is no immortality to it unless one believes that whales and other living creatures also have immortal souls.
And a biblical "soul" can die:
Eze 18:4 Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.
The souls is basically another term for life. And the opposite of life is death.
Another proof that a soul is not immortal is found here:
Mat 10:28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
In this case Christ is saying as Christians, we are promised a resurrection. People can destroy our bodies, but life ultimately belongs to God. And God can destroy our souls, our life. So "soul" is not immortal. It's simply another term for physical life.
"This mortal will put on immortality" is speaking of the resurrection of our body, not our spirit. A spirit cannot die. The term resurrection only applies to the body.
That's not what Paul says. He makes it very clear.
1Co 15:42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption.
1Co 15:43 It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power.
1Co 15:44 It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.
1Co 15:45 And so it is written, "THE FIRST MAN ADAM BECAME A LIVING BEING." The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. 1Co 15:46 However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual.
Verse 46 confirms it. There is no eternal spirit FIRST. There is a natural body. When Christ returns Christians are given the gift of eternal life. That's the spiritual. The first body is mortal, natural. We die.
Therefore 1 Timothy 6:16, referring to Christ, means the God/man alone has immortality as his nature, and being the firstfruit raised in the resurrection.
1Ti 6:14 that you keep this commandment without spot, blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ's appearing,
1Ti 6:15 which He will manifest in His own time, He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords,
1Ti 6:16 who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power. Amen.
Since Christ has not returned with his gift of eternal life for Christians, nobody as of yet, except Christ, has eternal life or is immortal. Hence the statement: "whom no man has seen or can see". Because Christ hasn't returned yet to save our lives:
Heb 9:28 so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.
Christ came the first time for the forgiveness of our sins. When he comes again, it will be to give us eternal life, to save us from permanent death....salvation.