The Greek verb allassō means to change, alter, exchange, or transform. It is used in the New Testament for the resurrection transformation, the exchange of God's glory for idols, and the eschatological change of all creation.
Allassō appears in three theologically key texts. Romans 1:23 uses it for the catastrophic exchange — humans "changed" God's glory for images. Acts 6:14 uses it in the accusation against Stephen (that Jesus would change Mosaic customs). Most gloriously, 1 Corinthians 15:51–52 uses it for the resurrection: "we will all be changed, in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye." The same word that describes humanity's worst exchange (idolatry) describes God's greatest gift: the transformation of mortal into immortal.