What is the difference between everlasting life and immortality?

[Jack Ryan]

...

[Melinda Mills]

We had a recently discussion on this.

 

[Evacuated]

"Immortal" and "everlasting" are two qualities associated with life in the Scriptures. My understanding of these terms is as follows:

Immortality (and it's closely associated terms, incorruptible and indestructible) has to do with the quality of life enjoyed by Jehovah himself and certain others of His creation, namely Jesus and his 144000 associate king-priests. Their life also has the quality of being everlasting. The life enjoyed by other spirit creatures whilst potentially everlasting, is not immortal (otherwise how could Satan and his spirit supporters be destroyed?)

The word in scripture for immortality (athanasia) is said to mean deathlessness as a quality of life. Because it goes hand in hand with incorruption, (1 Cor.15:53), the description at Heb.7:16 of Jesus having indissoluble life ("indestructible" NWT, rather than the weak "endless" in KJV) is apt. This refers to the quality or nature of life he enjoys and also is enjoyed by the 144000 who are resurrected to rule with him in the heavens. This why those who do go to heaven to rule with Christ have to die as far as their human organism is involved. Then, their resurrection to the heavens includes the gift of immortality. 1 Cor 15:35-58 contains plenty of information  on this subject.

However, by it's very nature, human life can never be immortal. As long as humans are alive on earth, which will be forever (Ps.37:29), they will need to breath the right mix of gases, eat the right balance of nutrients, sleep when tired, eliminate waste products, repair worn or damaged tissue, and do whatever else is required to maintain physically the organism with which Jehovah endowed his human creation. And then, their obedience to the requirements of the creator, for whose purpose they were created and given that living organism, will ensure that that grant of life will be, just as the Bible says, everlasting but never immortal. And the right to that everlasting life (never enjoyed by the sinner Adam) will be enjoyed by the obedient, perfect human family once the thousand years of Christ's rule has ended. Rev.20:5.

So immortal or indestructible life is a quality of life enjoyed by certain spirit beings in the sprit realm, namely Jehovah, Jesus, and the 144,000 king priests. Their life, by nature of its immortality, is also everlasting.

The life enjoyed by faithful, sin-cleansed, servants of Jehovah on the earth within the physical realm, will also be everlasting (without end), but always subject to maintenance  in harmony with the physical, life-sustaining processes provided by the Creator. This life will therefore never have the quality of immortality.

[Ann O'Maly]

Immortality vs. everlasting life is a distinction without a difference. If you do not die, your life is everlasting.

But if a life is truly indestructible, it means not even God Almighty can extinguish it ... which kind of puts the indestructible person on a par with the Supreme Deity, does it not?

[Evacuated]

 

2 hours ago, Ann O'Maly said:

 which kind of puts the indestructible person on a par with the Supreme Deity, does it not?

 

Well..........it does present an interesting conundrum for the thinking person I'll agree. We know there are things God cannot do. He cannot lie, cannot die, cannot fail to accomplish his purpose for example.

It is abundantly clear that indestructible life exists and that it is not limited to Jehovah (Heb.7:16). But as for us deciding what Jehovah can or cannot do based on our relatively puny experience and intellectual capacity, that is a step too far for me.

And as for putting anyone or anything "on a par with the Supreme Deity" ? That seems to be decidedly dodgy ground (Is.40:25) and likely ground upon which even (most) angels would fear to tread.

[JaniceM]

 

I'm not sure I can explain correctly but I think it means that although humans and angels are dependent upon God for life, those given immortality are given their own incorruptible, indestructible self-sustaining bodies.  However, they are not almighty in power and can be destroyed by their Creator.  A few excerpts are below:

 

Questions from Readers:

*** w84 4/1 p. 31 Questions From Readers ***
Still, the Bible does not provide much detail about the quality of life termed immortality. We do know that mortal humans—even perfect humans having the prospect of endless life on earth—must eat and drink to maintain life, or they die and their bodies experience corruption. (Genesis 2:9, 15, 16) No doubt immortality involves a quality of life that does not need to be sustained like that. Thus it could be said that all who become immortal are not subject to death or that ‘death is master over them no more.’ That would harmonize, too, with their receiving incorruptibility, indicating that their spirit body or organism is inherently beyond decay, ruin or corruption. (Compare 2 Corinthians 5:1; Revelation 20:6.) In these ways a difference might be seen between immortality and everlasting human life.

 

*** it-1 pp. 1197-1198 Incorruption ***
Raised to Immortality and Incorruption. Christ Jesus entered into immortality upon his resurrection from the dead, thereafter possessing “an indestructible life.” (1Ti 6:15, 16; Heb 7:15-17) As the “exact representation of [the] very being” of his Father, who is the incorruptible God (Heb 1:3; 1Ti 1:17), the resurrected Jesus also enjoys incorruptibility.

United with Jesus in the likeness of his resurrection, his joint heirs also are resurrected not merely to everlasting life as spirit creatures but to immortality and incorruption. Having lived, served faithfully, and died in corruptible human bodies, they now receive incorruptible spirit bodies, as Paul clearly states at 1 Corinthians 15:42-54. Immortality therefore evidently refers to the quality of the life they enjoy, its endlessness and indestructibility, whereas incorruption apparently relates to the organism or body that God gives them, one that is inherently beyond decay, ruin, or destruction. It therefore appears that God grants them the power to be self-sustaining, not dependent upon outside sources of energy as are his other creatures, fleshly and spirit. This is a stirring evidence of God’s confidence in them. Such independent and indestructible existence, however, does not remove them from God’s control; and they, like their Head Christ Jesus, continue subject to their Father’s will and directions.—1Co 15:23-28; see IMMORTALITY; SOUL.

[Melinda Mills]

Jehovah is still going to be supreme. See text below which was cited in Janice's comment.

 

"(1 Cor 15:28) 28 But when all things will have been subjected to him, then the Son himself will also subject himself to the One who subjected all things to him, that God may be all things to everyone."

 

None of Jehovah's creations can ever be master over him. His name means "He Causes to Become". He becomes and also causes others to become whatever is necessary to fulfill his purposes and protect his servants.

 

To believe that he is not or cannot become whatever he has to to protect himself is ludicrous; and shows a lack of knowledge of Jehovah.

 

1 Cor 1:19  "19 For it is written: “I will make the wisdom of the wise men perish, and the intelligence of the intellectuals I will reject.” 20 Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this system of things? Has not God made the wisdom of the world foolish? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not get to know God through its wisdom, God was pleased through the foolishness of what is preached to save those believing."

[HollyW]

On 9/4/2016 at 9:28 AM, Jay Witness said:

What is the difference between everlasting life and immortality?

For JWs the difference is in who is getting it.

The WTS says that the tree of life is symbolic of God's provision for sustained life....immortality for the 144,000.....continuing life for everyone else (until they sin and die in the lake of fire.) The "continuing life" is viewed as being everlasting unless they sin and are annihilated in the lake of fire.

1 Corinthians 15:53-54 is interpreted by the WTS as being only for the 144,000 and they say means that they will be given newly created spirit bodies activated with their memories, character, personality-----their life pattern.

 For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. ⁵⁴ But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, “Death is swallowed up in victory."

But this is saying in the resurrection the physical body which is mortal and perishable will be clothed with, or will put on, immortality and incorruption.  That's how our physical, mortal, perishable bodies become spiritual, immortal, imperishable bodies.

 

[Menrov]

Everlasting life is life that is promised to all believers and means you live as long as you have access to tree or water of life: Rev 22:14 Blessed are those who wash their robes so they can have access to the tree of life and can enter into the city by the gates.

Same like with Adam and Eve. Access can be removed by Jesus and the Father

Immortal life: means that you have life inside of you. You do not need access to these trees. Jesus is immortal, The Father is. Not sure about angels. I guess (cannot prove from the scriptures) that being in the proximity of the Father is similar to having access to tree of life. In other words, they have eternal life and live as long as they are allowed in the proximity of the Father.

 

[HollyW]

For Christians everlasting life (eternal life) is the same as immortality.

This is an interesting excerpt from gotquestions.com  showing the Christian belief:

Question: "What is eternal life?"

Answer: When the Bible speaks of eternal life, it refers to a gift of God that comes only “through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23). This gift is in contrast to the “death” that is the natural result of sin.

The gift of eternal life comes to those who believe in Jesus Christ, who is Himself “the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25). The fact that this life is “eternal” indicates that it is perpetual life—it goes on and on and on, with no end.

It is a mistake, however, to view eternal life as simply an unending progression of years. A common New Testament word for “eternal” is aiónios, which carries the idea of quality as well as quantity. In fact, eternal life is not really associated with “years” at all, as it is independent of time. Eternal life can function outside of and beyond time, as well as within time.

For this reason, eternal life can be thought of as something that Christians experience now. Believers don’t have to “wait” for eternal life, because it’s not something that starts when they die. Rather, eternal life begins the moment a person exercises faith in Christ. It is our current possession. John 3:36 says, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life.” Note that the believer “has” (present tense) this life (the verb is present tense in the Greek, too). We find similar present-tense constructions in John 5:24 and John 6:47. The focus of eternal life is not on our future, but on our current standing in Christ.

The Bible inextricably links eternal life with the Person of Jesus Christ. John 17:3 is an important passage in this regard, as Jesus prays, “Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” Here, Jesus equates “eternal life” with a knowledge of God and of the Son. There is no knowledge of God without the Son, for it is through the Son that the Father reveals Himself to the elect (John 17:6; 14:9).

This life-giving knowledge of the Father and the Son is a true, personal knowledge, not just an academic awareness. There will be some on Judgment Day who had claimed to be followers of Christ but never really had a relationship with Him. To those false professors, Jesus will say, “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!” (Matthew 7:23). The apostle Paul made it his goal to know the Lord, and he linked that knowledge to resurrection from the dead: “I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead” (Philippians 3:10–11).

In the New Jerusalem, the apostle John sees a river flowing from “the throne of God and of the Lamb,” and “on each side of the river stood the tree of life. . . . And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations” (Revelation 22:1–2). In Eden, we rebelled against God and were banished from the tree of life (Genesis 3:24). In the end, God graciously restores our access to the tree of life. This access is provided through Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29).

Right now, every sinner is invited to know Christ and to receive eternal life: “Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life” (Revelation 22:17).

How can you know that you have eternal life? First of all, confess your sin before a holy God. Then, accept God’s provision of a Savior on your behalf. “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13). Jesus Christ, the Son of God, died for your sins, and He rose again the third day. Believe this good news; trust the Lord Jesus as your Savior, and you will be saved (Acts 16:31; Romans 10:9–10).

John puts it so simply: “God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life” (1 John 5:11–12).