In 1 Timothy 6:15-16, the Apostle Paul says God alone has immortality. If we assign immortality to God alone, we are not immortal, and this life is all we have. This contradicts evangelical belief and some of our sermons and hymns. How do we reconcile this with Gospel themes of life after death? The Old Testament has literally none. I recall Ed G. Kaufman (1891-1980), a former president of Bethel College, saying in a lecture that he did not believe he would ever again see his wife, Dorothy, who had recently died. Shortly thereafter, a wonderful parishioner told me that this was what she and her husband, also recently deceased, believed. I could only marvel at the patience of many a parishioner who sits through years of sermons holding forth something they do not believe. By their faithful lives they countered what they heard. It calls into question our definition of “eternal.” Does it mean quality of life, or timelessness? Having recently lost a wonderful wife, these thoughts are much with me.

Don Steelberg, Chicago