From the negative prefix a- and thanatos (G2288, "death"), athanasia denotes the quality of being exempt from death — absolute deathlessness. It appears only three times in the New Testament (1 Corinthians 15:53–54; 1 Timothy 6:16) and is distinct from mere long life or resurrection — it is the permanent, imperishable state that belongs inherently to God and is bestowed on believers at the resurrection.
God alone possesses athanasia inherently (1 Timothy 6:16). Humanity, made in His image, was placed in a garden with the tree of life — access denied at the Fall, restored in Christ. At the final resurrection, "this mortal must put on immortality" (1 Corinthians 15:53). Athanasia is not an innate human possession but a gift of grace received at resurrection through Christ, who "abolished death and brought life and immortality to light" (2 Timothy 1:10). This grounds the Christian hope: death is defeated, not managed.