The concept of immortality is a profound element within God's Plan for humanity. God promises immortality to believers as a gift, bestowed at specific times, each in their own order. This gift of eternal life is not inherent within human beings at birth but is granted through the Holy Spirit, as the guarantee of inheritance until the resurrection. To live forever, humans must partake of the fruit of the Tree of Life, which is the fruit of God's Holy Spirit, signifying that eternal life is a divine endowment rather than a natural possession. Scripture reveals that mortal man will put on immortality through resurrection. The dead lie in their graves until they are resurrected, with the righteous experiencing a resurrection to eternal life, while evildoers face a resurrection of condemnation. There are distinct resurrections outlined, including a future period of judgment for humanity, where God will grant salvation and eternal life to those who live according to His way. However, some will reject immortality, choosing to live selfishly despite knowing God's truth. Such individuals will face a different resurrection, one that leads to a fate apart from eternal life. The example of David illustrates this cycle of life and death. David, a man after God's own heart, is dead and buried, his body having decayed, and he has not ascended into the heavens. Like all humanity, he awaits the resurrection, with a future planned by God to be king over resurrected Israel. This pattern confirms that immortality is not immediate upon death but is a future gift, part of God's glorious plan for those who choose to follow His way of life.

The question of immortality is central to understanding human destiny after death. The prevailing worldly belief holds that the soul is an immortal essence, an eternal spirit or ethereal life-form that persists beyond the body's death, embodying human will, understanding, and personality. However, this view is not supported by the clear teachings of God's Word, which provides a different perspective on the nature of the soul and immortality. In biblical terms, the soul, derived from Hebrew and Greek words like nephesh and psyche, refers to a breathing creature or the breath of life. It is the life-force or vital principle that animates a being, distinct from mere biochemical reactions, as it originates from God as an immaterial gift of life. The soul is not inherently immortal; it is simply the state of being a living creature, applicable to both humans and animals, and can even refer to dead beings in certain contexts. Scripture is explicit that the soul can die. God declares that the soul who sins shall die, emphasizing that sin results in death, not eternal life in another form. Every person has sinned, and thus, every soul faces death, as the wages of sin is death, not immortality. Eternal life is not an inherent possession but a gift from God, just as physical life is given through the breath of life. This eternal life, or immortality, must be bestowed by God, often described as something to be put on or sought after, indicating it is not currently possessed. The human spirit, distinct from the soul, serves as a record of one's character, memories, and experiences, akin to a storage device. Upon death, this spirit returns to God for safekeeping until the resurrection, but it does not possess life or immortality on its own. It requires the infusion of life from God to become functional again in a resurrected, spiritual body. The spirit in man provides mind power and the capacity for understanding, but it is not immortal; true immortality comes only through the Spirit of God, which imparts eternal life. Ultimately, only God possesses inherent immortality. Jesus Christ, in Whom was life, offers this immortal life as a gift to be received in the resurrection. Humans do not have an immortal soul or spirit by nature; immortality is a future promise for those who pursue righteousness and follow God's way, to be granted in the Kingdom of God at the resurrection from the dead.

The concept of immortality is central to understanding the spiritual deception introduced by the Serpent in the beginning. The Serpent convinced Adam and Eve that they would not surely die, implying they already possessed immortality, thus leading them to take the forbidden fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. This lie, suggesting they were inherently immortal, became a cornerstone of pagan belief systems and a major departure from God's way, dominating the spiritual thinking of many religions apart from the faithful descendants of Abraham who adhere to the truth. This false notion of an immortal soul at birth infiltrated even the early church through false conversions influenced by Gnostic teachings, undermining faith and motivating sin as it did with Adam and Eve. Today, many who call themselves Christian take for granted that at death their soul retains consciousness and departs to heaven, hell, or purgatory, a belief supported by elaborate philosophies predating Christ. God's truth, however, stands in stark contrast. Sin kills, and humans are not immortal. As Paul writes in I Timothy 6, only God possesses immortality, and it is not yet granted to us. Adam and Eve did not have immortality at the time of their sin, and they died. Even Paul, filled with the Spirit of God, affirmed that immortality is a future determination based on whether we pursue life as God lives. This sobering reality urges us to fight the good fight of faith and resist sin, recognizing that immortality is a gift from God, not an inherent trait. The belief in an immortal soul diminishes the fear of sin and its consequences, subtly confusing and hindering the motivation to overcome. Jesus Christ, in His death and resurrection, confronted death—Satan's most powerful tool—directly on its own turf of absolute nothingness. He did not possess inherent immortality; if He did, His death would not have been real. Yet He died, experiencing the complete loss of everything God created, demonstrating that death is an enemy, not a friend, and must be conquered. Jesus' resurrection to God-life was the first act of God's promise to make all things new, a divine act of creation from genuine death, not from an already living soul. This truth contrasts sharply with the pagan belief that no new creation is needed since the soul never dies. Physical life, given by God, is true life, and its destruction through sin is a grave matter. The resurrection, issuing from nothingness, is a revolutionary event, affirming that only God has the power to grant immortal life, as He did to Jesus Christ, the first of the firstfruits. To reject Christ's resurrection is to disregard the hope of every true follower of Christ and to misunderstand the purpose of His death, which is the means for the forgiveness of sins and access to God's throne. The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ render death powerless for those who truly believe and steadfastly practice the way of life He pioneered, promising a magnificent reward for their trust.