What is meant by “Conditional Immortality” and what, if any, is

the Biblical basis for it?

In this essay I shall be looking at the doctrine of Conditional Immortality and how this
idea has been taken from the Bible. I shall look into the Scriptures that are used to
support this doctrine and the other ideas and doctrines that have branched off from
Conditional Immortality and have become a part of it in some instances, and see if
there actually is any Biblical basis for this belief in Conditional Immortality.
Conditional Immortality is considered to be a relatively “new” idea compared to the
universalism doctrine which dates back as far as the early church to Origen’s theory
of apokatastasis – the idea that everything will be restored back to God, possibly
even the devil. Universalism is the other main challenge, along with Conditional
Immortality, to the traditional view about hell, and what happens to unbelievers after
death and judgement, although Universalism has been widely condemned and its
doctrine has never really been accepted by evangelicals. But because of the
seeming “newness” of Conditional Immortality;
[It] has caused evangelicals, whichever position they take on the debate, to be
hesitant when discussing the matter. The assumption is that if this is a Biblical
doctrine, then why did it not appear until recently?1
Conditionalism did appear under different forms in the 19th Century debates and is
documented by various scholars, such as Geoffrey Rowell and his “Hell and the
Victorians” along with David Powys essay on 19th and 20th Century debates, although
more recently, Conditionalism and Annihilationism have become more known due to
it gaining more public knowledge due to two important works by John Wenham and
John Stott. The first, by Wenham in “The Goodness of God”, talks of the moral
difficulties of hell in one of the chapters that deal with this subject. He presented
Conditionalism as a possible option. The second work was written fourteen years
later by John Stott with a case for Annihilationism when he was questioned by David
Edward’s in “Essentials: A Liberal Evangelical Dialogue”. Because such a respected
leader of the modern evangelicalism supported this doctrine, it caused people to
listen and brought it to a wider Christian audience.2

1
Gray, T., “Destroyed for ever: An examination of the debates concerning Annihilation and Conditional Immortality”, Themelios
Journal, Vol. 21, Issue 2, p.14
2
Ibid., Gray, T., pp. 14 - 15

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The debate between Conditionalists and people who believe the more traditional
view on hell is between the ways Biblical texts have been interpreted, and secondly
concerns theological arguments. ‘Caution must be exercised when using Biblical
texts … only when we have considered context, [and] setting …can we make a fully
informed decision.'3 The trouble with doctrines and debates like these is that some
Scripture can be interpreted and taken in different ways to back up certain points, so
now I shall look at the definitions of Conditional Immortality to see what it actually
defines as and then move on to the Biblical basis for it.
Immortality in the Old Testament does not really appear as a distinct term, but in
Proverbs 12: 28 it ‘has the coinage ‘not-death’ (al-māwet)’ 4 The Old Testament does
have some positive references to hope in an afterlife in Job 19: 26, Ps. 17: 15; 49:
15; 73: 24; Isa. 26: 19; 53: 10 – 12; Dan. 12: 2,13, but these appear to speak of
resurrection of the body and some, a resurrection first then life for ever after. The
Daniel 12: 2 reference is one of particular interest because here God speaks of those
who have already died, and states they will “wake up” to have life again forever, while
others will wake up to find “shame and disgrace” forever.5 This in itself goes against
Conditional Immortality, and the belief that the unrighteous will perish indefinitely or
be annihilated after a certain period of time and punishment.6 But S. D. F Salmond, in
his book Christian Doctrine of Immortality talks about this verse in Daniel and
concludes to say that ‘the antithesis shows at once that life is not mere existence.’7
But in the New Testament, the word ‘immortality’ has several different meanings since
there are three different words used in the Greek: ‘anthanasia, ‘deathlessness’ …
aphtharsia, ‘incorruptibility’ … [and] aphthartos, ‘incorruptible’.8 This kind of
immortality means more of immunity from decay and death because of sharing
eternal divine life.
So what exactly is meant by “Conditional Immortality”? Well, the Evangelical
Dictionary of Theology describes it this way:
[It is] the doctrine of that immortality was not a natural endowment of man at Creation,
but it is a gift from God to the redeemed who believe in Christ. Those who do not
receive Christ ultimately lose all consciousness or existence.9
3
Gray, T., op. cit., p. 15
4
Ferguson, B. S.; Wright, D. F. (eds.), New Dictionary of Theology, p. 332
5
Quotes are taken from the NCV translation of the Bible.
6
cf. Grudem, W., Bible Doctrine, pp.459 - 462
7
Salmond, S. D. F., Christian Doctrine of Immortality, p. 490
8
Ibid., Ferguson, B. S.; Wright, D. F. (eds.), p. 332
9
Elwell, W. A., Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, p. 264

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Annihilationism is closely related to this Conditional Immortality doctrine in the way
that Annihilationism teaches all men were created immortal but then those that do not
believe in Christ will be deprived from immortality and then made nonexistent at
death. But what dies the Bible say? Where does Conditional Immortality come from
in Scripture, if it indeed does have a solid Biblical basis?
Romans 2: 7 – 8 delineates two distinct categories of persons who will appear before
God on the day of judgement. ‘To those who seek for glory, honour, and immortality
by perseverance in well-doing, He will give eternal life’10
Conditionalists base their ideas for the doctrine on passages of Scripture such as 1
Tim. 1: 17; 6: 16 and 2 Tim. 1: 10, which all state in one way or another that only God
has immortality, as Stott affirms by saying, ‘according to Scripture only God
possesses immortality in Himself’11
Conditionalists also base the doctrine on three main points in Scripture as their
evidence for Conditional Immortality, the first point being stated above. The other two
points of Scriptural evidences are:
[1.] eternal life is described as a gift from God imparted only to the believing person
(John 10: 27 – 28; 17: 3; Rom. 2: 7; 6: 22 – 23; Gal. 6: 8); and [2.] the wicked are said
to “perish” or to be “destroyed,” which is taken to mean that the nonredeemed will be
reduced to non-existence.12
While it is true what these Scriptures are saying, Louis Berkhof produces a counter
argument for these evidences in his Systematic Theology, refuting the claims of the
Conditionalists for the non-existence of the unbeliever after death, saying,
The doctrine of Conditional Immortality is plainly contradicted by Scripture where is
teaches: (1) that sinners as well as saints will continue to exist forever, Eccl. 12: 7;
Matt. 25; 46; Rom. 2: 8 – 10; Rev. 14: 11; 20: 10; (2) that the wicked will suffer eternal
punishment … and therefore will not be annihilated, cf. the passages just mentioned;
and (3) that there will be degrees in the punishment of the wicked, … Luke 12: 47, 48;
Rom. 2: 12.13
So while Annihilationists hold that we were all created immortal, and Conditionalists,
that we only receive immortality as a gift from God, therefore not being created
immortal, we can look to the Genesis account of the creation of Man to see, and

10
Harris, M. J., Raised Immortal, p. 197
11
Gray, T., op. cit., p. 16
12
Ferguson, B. S., Wright, D. F., (eds.), op. cit., p. 261
13
Berkhof, L., Systematic Theology, p. 691

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quite possibly deduct, that Man was made neither, but with the option to become
either.
He was created for immortality rather than with immortality. Such a view coheres with
1 Tim. 6: 16. God is inherently immortal, but Man is derivatively immortal, receiving
immortality as a gracious divine gift (Rom. 2: 7)14
With this in mind, plus the Scriptures that Conditionalists use to back their doctrine of
immortality/eternal life as a gift, it would be good now to mention the slight, but
extremely important differences between the words used. Immortality and eternal life
are closely related, but the difference being that eternal life is the “positive” end of
immortality, that is, going to live and share life in heaven with God and the other
Righteous, whereas immortality in itself is just continued existence.
Looking at 1 Cor. 15: 51 – 54, we can see that immortality is gained through the
Resurrection at the Second Coming of Jesus when God comes to judge the world,
where believers will be changed from mortal to immortal “in the twinkling of an eye.”
From Paul’s teachings, and examination of the Scriptures, it is clear that immortality
that leads to eternal life is something that is only given to the righteous as a gift of
grace from God, but that the unrighteous will also be resurrected on that Last Day for
judgement, but that their immortality goes with them down the “negative” end to
eternal punishment, which is explicitly outlined in Scripture in the New Testament
writings and the Gospel’s,15 not Annihilationism.
So therefore it would seem plausible to conclude that the Bible does in fact teach us
of “Conditional Immortality,” but only in the sense that just the righteous will inherit
immortality and eternal life because they are in Christ, the unbelievers living an
eternity in hell for their actions and God’s just judgement on them, but not being
annihilated in any sense or form.

14
Ferguson, S. B., Wright, D. F. (eds.), op. cit., pp. 332 - 333
15
cf. 2 Thess. 1: 9; Rev. 20: 6, 14; 21: 8

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 Bibliography

Berkhof, L., Systematic Theology, (Oxford, Banner of Truth; 1939)

Davies E., “Eternal Punishment”, Foundations, Issue 13, (UK, British Evangelical
Council; 1984)

Elwell, W. A. (ed.), Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, (Michigan, Baker Books;

1984)

Ferguson, S. B., Wright, D. F. (eds.), New Dictionary of Theology, (England, Inter-

Varsity Press; 1988)

Gray, T., “Destroyed for ever: An examination of the debates concerning Annhilation
and Conditional Immortality.”, Themelios, vol. 21, Issue 2, (USA, RTSF; 1996)

Grudem, W., Bible Doctrine, (England, Inter-Varsity Press; 1999)

Harris, M. J., Raised Immortal, (England, Morris Morgart and Scott; 1983)

Journal for the study of the New Testament, Issue 28, (England, JSOT Press; 1986)

New Revised Standard Version, New Testament (The Division of Education and
Ministry, National Council of the Churches of Christ, 1990)

Salmond, S. D. F., Christian Doctrine of Immortality, (Edinburgh, Morrison and Gibb

Ltd; 1901)

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