GOD ONLY HATH IMMORTALITY

The attention of every student of the sacred page has doubtless been arrested by that prominent declaration, “God only hath immortality.” 1 Timothy 6:16. The query arises, Can this be taken in its absolute sense? Is this a declaration that God is now. the only being in the universe who is in possession of immortality, or absolute exemption from death? Doubtless not. Our Lord declares of the angels that they die no more; Luke 20:36; and he says of himself, “I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore.” Revelation 1:18. The meaning of the passage under consideration, must then be simply this: That God only is the great source of immortality; that he only has it in himself to bestow upon others. The fact that now the Father has conferred equal power in this respect upon the Son, John 5:26 affects in no wise this declaration. With this interpretation, 1 Timothy 6:16 is final and conclusive. This being admitted, we must also make room for the inevitable sequence, that those only are immortal upon whom God has, by a separate and distinct act, bestowed this immeasurable gift. We accept the issue here; and here we might rest, saying to all the believers in man’s immortality, Show us the record that God hath bestowed upon man this, so glorious a boon, irrespective of character, and it sufficeth us.MOI 7.1

We cannot, however, wait for their response to this appeal. We fear that to wait till they should find the record we call for, would involve too long a delay. And as we, equally with them, are in possession of the only source from which we are willing to admit that legitimate testimony can come, with them we will turn to the “opening page of a progressive revelation,” and see if for ourselves we can find the prerogative of a never-ending existence in anywise inherent in the birthright of man - see if God, the only source of immortality, has unconditionally bestowed this great gift upon his earthborn creatures.MOI 8.1