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What the Bible Says About Immortality

Overview

The Bible addresses immortality across 119 verses, drawn from both the Old and New Testaments. These passages cluster most in 1 Corinthians, John and Psalms. Closely related themes include Resurrection, Resurrection, the, Body and Death. Figures whose stories touch this theme include Jesus, Moses, Abraham and Isaac.

Key Bible verses about immortality

Old Testament

Psalms

Psalms 16:10

For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.

Psalms 16:11

Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.

Psalms 49:7

None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him:

Psalms 49:8

(For the redemption of their soul is precious, and it ceaseth for ever:)

Psalms 49:9

That he should still live for ever, and not see corruption.

Psalms 49:14

Like sheep they are laid in the grave; death shall feed on them; and the upright shall have dominion over them in the morning; and their beauty shall consume in the grave from their dwelling. beauty: or, strength in the grave from: or, the grave being an habitation to every one of them

Psalms 49:15

But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave: for he shall receive me. Selah. power: Heb. hand the grave: or, hell

Psalms 102:24

I said, O my God, take me not away in the midst of my days: thy years are throughout all generations.

Psalms 102:25

Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands.

Psalms 102:26

They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed: endure: Heb. stand

Psalms 102:27

But thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end.

Psalms 102:28

The children of thy servants shall continue, and their seed shall be established before thee.

Psalms 145:1

David's Psalm of praise. I will extol thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever.

Psalms 145:2

Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever.

New Testament

Luke

Luke 10:25

And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?

Luke 10:26

He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou?

Luke 10:27

And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.

Luke 10:28

And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.

Luke 20:36

Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection.

Luke 20:37

Now that the dead are raised, even Moses shewed at the bush, when he calleth the Lord the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.

Luke 20:38

For he is not a God of the dead, but of the living: for all live unto him.

John

John 3:14

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:

John 3:15

That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

John 3:16

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

John 5:39

Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.

John 5:40

And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.

John 6:39

And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.

John 6:40

And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.

John 6:50

This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.

John 6:51

I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.

John 6:53

Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.

John 6:54

Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.

John 11:25

Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:

John 11:26

And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?

John 17:2

As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.

John 17:3

And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

1 Corinthians

1 Corinthians 15:12

Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead?

1 Corinthians 15:13

But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen:

1 Corinthians 15:14

And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.

1 Corinthians 15:15

Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not.

1 Corinthians 15:16

For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised:

1 Corinthians 15:17

And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.

1 Corinthians 15:18

Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.

1 Corinthians 15:19

If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.

1 Corinthians 15:20

But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.

1 Corinthians 15:21

For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.

1 Corinthians 15:22

For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

1 Corinthians 15:23

But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.

1 Corinthians 15:24

Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.

1 Corinthians 15:25

For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.

1 Corinthians 15:26

The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

1 Corinthians 15:27

For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith, all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him.

1 Corinthians 15:28

And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.

1 Corinthians 15:29

Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead?

1 Corinthians 15:30

And why stand we in jeopardy every hour?

1 Corinthians 15:31

I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily. your: some read, our

1 Corinthians 15:32

If after the manner of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantageth it me, if the dead rise not? let us eat and drink; for to morrow we die. after: or, to speak after the manner of men

1 Corinthians 15:33

Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.

1 Corinthians 15:34

Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame.

1 Corinthians 15:35

But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come?

1 Corinthians 15:36

Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die:

1 Corinthians 15:37

And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain:

1 Corinthians 15:38

But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body.

1 Corinthians 15:39

All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men another flesh of beasts another of fishes, and another of birds.

1 Corinthians 15:40

There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another.

1 Corinthians 15:41

There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory.

1 Corinthians 15:42

So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption:

1 Corinthians 15:43

It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power:

1 Corinthians 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.

1 Corinthians 15:45

And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.

1 Corinthians 15:46

Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.

1 Corinthians 15:47

The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.

1 Corinthians 15:48

As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.

1 Corinthians 15:49

And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.

1 Corinthians 15:50

Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.

1 Corinthians 15:51

Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,

1 Corinthians 15:52

In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

1 Corinthians 15:53

For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

1 Corinthians 15:54

So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

1 Corinthians 15:55

O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? grave: or, hell

1 Thessalonians

1 Thessalonians 4:13

But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.

1 Thessalonians 4:14

For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.

1 Thessalonians 4:15

For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. prevent: or, come before, or, anticipate, or, precede

1 Thessalonians 4:16

For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

1 Thessalonians 4:17

Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

1 Thessalonians 4:18

Wherefore comfort one another with these words. comfort: or, exhort

People in the Bible and immortality

Biblical figures whose stories intersect with this theme.

In the Bible dictionary

Studying immortality for yourself

  • Begin with Job 4:17, then read the passages below in canonical order.
  • Compare how 1 Corinthians, John and Psalms each treat the theme.
  • Consider the lives of Jesus, Moses and Abraham and how their stories intersect with it.
  • Widen the study to related themes: Resurrection, Resurrection, the, Body and Death.

Frequently asked questions

What does the Bible say about immortality?

The Bible addresses immortality across 119 verses, drawn from both the Old and New Testaments. These passages cluster most in 1 Corinthians, John and Psalms. Closely related themes include Resurrection, Resurrection, the, Body and Death. Figures whose stories touch this theme include Jesus, Moses, Abraham and Isaac.

How many Bible verses are about immortality?

The Bible references immortality in 119 verses (King James Version).

Where does the Bible first mention immortality?

In canonical order, the first of these passages is Job 4:17: “Shall mortal man be more just than God? shall a man be more pure than his maker?”

Which people in the Bible are associated with immortality?

Jesus, Moses, Abraham, Isaac and Adam.

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