Is cremation of the body after death un-Biblical?

The topic of cremation was shared with me through email along with a link to this topic here on Sermon index. http://media.sermonindex.net/21/SID21707.mp3. I am planing to listen to this teaching and was interested to also hear what others are seeing on this topic? I have never heard of this before, the thought that having ones body cremated after death is un-Biblical?

I had not considered this before..I am grateful that this sister sent this out for us to hear and consider before the LORD. I look forward to learning and knowing HIS heart on this topic.

God bless
Maryjane

Greeting Bear

I had to copy the link and paste it into my browser then it worked for me. I have not heard the teaching yet but I plan to later today. I think you have valid questions and those thoughts did come to my mind also. As I said I had not heard of this teaching before so was curious to hear what the LORD is showing others.

God bless
maryjane

The Roman Catholics used to forbid it, but the Archdiosese has since lifted the anathema. You would think Chriatians shouldn't care about this, but Rome's influence over evangelical Christianity through the years has been, and continues to be, very strong.

If you think about it, many of the choicest saints down through the ages were cremated by the will of God. The martyrs of the reformation in particular: men like William Tyndale, Jan Huss, Hooper, and all the Smithfield victims of Queen Mary, hundreds of them. Wycliffe, who was also involved with Bible translation, was eventually dug up, burnt and had his ashes crushed and dumped in a river. In comparison, the professional religious people, the pharisees and enemies of the cross of the day were all buried with comfort and dignity! But God often sent the real Christians into the fire. I really don't think God has a problem with cremation, if that is one's personal choice. Think of all the Chinese, Korean, Japanese and Indian Christians who are cremated as per their societal and cultural norm. Brethren, it is what is inside this clay tabernacle that counts, and not the corruptible, outer clay itself. The flesh itself of God's saints can be fed to lions for all it is worth.

We all turn to ash eventually; cremation just speeds the process. Trust me, I know, I'm a funeral director ;)

Brother Paul

We all turn to ash eventually; cremation just speeds the process. Trust me, I know, I'm a funeral director ;)

Brother Paul

_______

Thank you Paul for this reply. I appreciate what you have shared here. The more I have talked with others on this topic and prayed about it I do believe the LORD is showing me that you are correct in saying its what is inside that matters...the LORD looks at the heart.

My mother who is Roman Catholic is the only other person I had heard who believed this understanding about cremation and the body.

God bless
mj

Mary Jane,

I cannot open this either...maybe it was removed?

But I do have my opinions on this issue. While it is true that many Believers have been burned by the enemy, we must realize this is the enemy of God initiating this procedure, not God nor his people. Christians can get comfort from the fact that God can still resurrect one who was burned to ashes.

But let us look at the record as recorded in Scripture. Nowhere do we read where God's people burned a dead body - it was buried. You had human sacrifice which was soundly condemned by God but this was the only time we read of dead bodies being burned that I am aware of - need to check this out more closely. In any case, God's people who had died were buried. Think about that.

Yes, I do not believe a godly person will want his body to be burned. Now this will put me at odds with Paul, I know, but this is what I believe.

God bless.

ginnyrose

amrkelly:Thank you for supplying the link for everyone. I am going to listen to this later today. As I said it was not something I had ever thought about.

Ginnyrose I appreciate your heart in sharing what the LORD is showing you on this as well. As I mentioned to Paul those I have talked with did not see this as an issue and some had not ever thought about it. I do believe GOD wants us to deal with our hearts so in that I think we both agree with Paul that it is whats on the inside that matters most :)

I have another reason for interest in this topic, my mother as I mentioned is Roman Catholic and she is the only one I have ever heard speak about this. In the past I had shared with her that I thought she was limiting GOD in HIS ability to raise up for her a "new" body if she did in fact chose to be cremated after she passed away. (Of course her being lost and deceived in the Catholic church is still the most important factor) but I realized that I had given advice on this topic with out really seeking the LORD heart and desire on the matter. That is not something I want to be doing so when it came up through email it really got my attention. I am praying and seeking HIM on this and very appreciative of those who feel led to share doing so :)

God bless
mj

I do not believe a godly person will want his body to be burned.

"And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing." (I Cor. 13:3)

It is interesting that Paul mentions his freewill "giving" of his own body to be burned in conjunction with having faith to remove mountains (as in the preceding verse) and good deeds such as giving away all his possessions to feed the poor. If voluntarily giving his body to the flames was "ungodly", why would he associate it with all the other meritorious acts. The context of it all is in showing how none of it really matters if love is left out of the equation. Which brings us again back to the original truth: if the inside of the cup is corrupt, it matters not what you do with the outer.

Legalism is the reversal of this truth: the overt concern and imposing upon others in the keeping of certain holy days, Sabbath observance, the question of tithing, cosmetics, hair length, foods, washing, meats sacrificed to idols, burial versus cremation, etc. These are all outward preoccupations which have no benefit to the child who is liberated from it all by walking in the Spirit of the New Covenant. Christ Jesus is now the Substance. So what does the Spirit of Christ say about cremation? Obviously, there is a division among certain believers, just as there was concerning the consumption of meats sacrificed to pagan temple idols. How did Paul address it?

If the Holy Spirit has freed your conscience from the particulars of a burial rite, then we should walk in that liberty. Whatsoever we do, it is done unto God - and this includes cremation (otherwise show me a verse where God has made this exception). For those like Ginny who do not have this liberty, they do it unto God as well. But one should not judge the other, for both do it as an act of faith unto the Lord. To imply that someone is less "godly" for not sharing a conviction in these matters, is to err in accordance with New Testament scripture.

I do not have any scripture that says "donot burn a dead body." However, just as ginnyrose stated, no one in the Bible was burned IF they were buried according to God. Even the reference that the moderator gave aobut Paul stating "even if I give my body to be burned" he was not talking about after his death, but as a sort of sacrifice (which of course was condemned by God).

My husband and I discussed this long before he was even sick and we both felt in our Spirit that this was not a godly way to bury the dead. We in the West borrowed this way of handling our dead from demonic religions of Asia. If we would be hesitant and even appalled at borrowing any other of their practices, why do we simply accept this as ok?

Yes, there are those who have been burned at the stake, but that does not mean that the practice is ok for all of us. God has allowed others to die by decapitation, dismemberment, etc. Are we going to say that it is ok to cut up people's bodies before we bury them? I cannot fathom that!

One reason why this practice has grown so much in our nation is because it is so much cheaper than a burial in the ground. When I was trying to make arrangements for my husband, I was appalled at the cost of a funeral and the plot plus all the other things that they make you buy. Not having much money in savings I had the cheapest funeral I could, without a viewing, without any pastoral message, and at the cheapest cemetery in town. It still cost me $5400. I could have had his body cremated for under $1000 at a funeral home. Because he was on disability, the local medical examiner would have done it for $300. For many people, that is the critical issue. If I had not been so sure of what we believed about this, and my husband's direct wishes, I would have been tempted to save the money and had him cremated. In fact, some family members wondered why I did not do it.

Jesus wasn't cremated.

Even the reference that the moderator gave aobut Paul stating "even if I give my body to be burned" he was not talking about after his death, but as a sort of sacrifice (which of course was condemned by God).

The Jews did not drain the blood of their dead through arterial embalming either (the wealthier Jews were anointed with spices and entombed above ground), and embalming, just as much as cremation is considered an act of desecration by orthodox Judaism today. The criminals and poor were buried in the sand, or taken to burning grounds of Gehenna to be disposed. But we in the West tend to overlook this, as some of the staunchest opponents to cremation (for religious reasons) opt for arterial embalming so they can have their sanitized and cosmetized period of viewing in a chapel. But a primitive Christian would have never had their blood drained and preservative chemicals injected into them. The paganistic Egyptians practiced this! But embalming is commonplace today for westernized Christians. So you can see the ignorance which often leads to hypocrisy when someone has a religious bias to enforce. As a funeral director I have labored to erase some of the legalistic stigma attached to cremation to ease the financial burden of certain families.

Sarah wasn't cremated. Sarah was buried in the Cave at Macpelah at significant expense to Abraham. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Sarah, Rebecca, and Leah were all reported to have been buried there. Great effort was given to give honor post mortem and to provide a place for remembrance of the dead. Abraham and the Patriarchs valued burial and the Scripture provides a record of it.

Israel and Joseph were not cremated. Neither were they buried in Egypt where they had died. Instead, their bodies were transported to Israel at significant inconvenience and expense. The bones of Joseph were removed from Egypt during the Exodus and carried for forty years until their burial in the promised land. Great care was taken to give them a good burial.

At great risk, David recovered body parts from Saul and his sons after their bodies had been burned by the Philistines. Although he had been persecuted severely by Saul, David gave honor and a burial to the bones of Saul. (2 Samuel 21:14)

There is a burial that you don't want to miss:

For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with him you were raised to new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead. (Colossians 2:12 NLT)

In India, Hindu practice promotes scattering of the ashes of the deceased in the Ganges River which makes the river less clean. Burial promotes public health.

Yes, many English martyrs were burned during the Reformation. Good point. This added to the indignity of how they were treated that their bodies were disposed in a disrespectful way.

Yes, cremation may save money. My personal view is that marked burial of the ashes in a box or urn is preferred over scattering. When last I knew, the RCC had changed their policies to allow cremation but did still forbid scattering. The closest approximation to that was burial of ashes in an urn at sea as was done for John Kennedy Jr.

Isaiah 53:9 has been viewed by many as prophecy of Jesus being buried in the rich man's tomb as was done.

If Jesus had been cremated, the story of the Resurrection would be different.

A friend of mine donated an acre of his land for a cemetery, he hand builds the caskets, and I believe he has done. if I remember correctly two burrials for something like under $200.

RE: ///If Jesus had been cremated, the story of the Resurrection would be different.///

It makes me think of Thomas 'John 20:25
The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.'

Earlier in my lifetime, cremation was a much more rare practice in the USA.

In my youth, cremation was largely viewed as a practice typical of Hindus.

In my lifetime, culture has changed. Almighty God has not changed.

Orthodox Jews have forbidden cremation.

Eastern Orthodox churches still forbid cremation because it has been viewed as contradictory to faith in a general resurrection of the dead.

Every year in the spring, seed is sown into the ground.

1 Corinthians 15 tells us this about the human body and the resurrection to come. This passage is often read at funerals. Concerning the human body, it says:

It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption.

It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory.

It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power.

It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body.

The human body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. Our bodies belong to God and not to ourselves. (1 Corinthians 6:13, 15, 19, 20).

In cremation, we willfully destroy something that belongs to God.

Job prophesied that worms would destroy his body and I'm sure that they did. The Creator made worms when He made the earth. We have no record that Job planned the destruction of his body before the worms could get to it. Job also prophesied that in his flesh he would see God (Job 19:26) because of his faith in a resurrection to come.

RE:// The Jews did not drain the blood of their dead through arterial embalming either (the wealthier Jews were anointed with spices and entombed above ground), and embalming, just as much as cremation is considered an act of desecration by orthodox Judaism today. //

I do not know what the Jews believe, nor any other religious group, either. My husband and I did not study any commentaries. We based this on the reading of scripture and prayer.

I don't believe in embalming either. I didn't embalm my husband and don't understand why anyone would.

I read somewhere that if people really understood what happens to the body during the embalming process, they woul not do it to their loved ones. It has been so ingrained in Americans that embalming is necessary that they don't think twice about doing it.

I don't disagree with cremation because of some fear of what would happen in the future when the Lord comes. I know that God can do anything. It just seems to me that it is something the Lord would not have us do. I don't find it in scripture and I know its origin. I am surprised that here on SI we would be proposing that something that is of demonic origin (Hindu) is just "cultural." Is there really such a thing? All is either of God or not of God.

Personally, I don't care WHAT happens to me after I am dead. I told my wife and my parents that they can dig a deep hole in the ground and just place me there. I don't need a monument, statue or fancy coffin. I don't even need a wooden box that, like my body, will disintegrate in a short matter of time.

This will have no effect on my spirit. If a believer was lost at sea a thousand years ago, their "body" will still be resurrected on that day. How? There is nothing too difficult for God.

Well said Chris. I agree fully.

I agree with Chris. The countless men and women who have died and have had their bodies reduced to ashes, eaten by beasts, etc. will not be hindered in the resurrection from being raised in a body.

I think there is something about Bible interpretation that can be drawn from this discussion. So many of us have had strongly held traditions that have been passed down. Some people thank God for their food and ask Him to bless it prior to their meal, but there are cultures where this is done after the meal is completed. Some cultures practice burial of the body. Others cremate and bury the ashes. But these are traditions.

We cannot base scriptural interpretation by arguing based on what is missing from scripture. As soon as we do, we begin to add our own theories as to why it is not there. I think this topic would be a good example of one such area of scripture. It is absolutely true that scripture never mentions cremation, but always mentions burial of the body. But the best statement of truth that can be made from this observation is that the Jewish cultural tradition has always been to bury the dead bodily. There is not prescriptive teaching on the topic in the Bible.

So, in cases such as this I think it is perfectly appropriate to hold to or depart from tradition as your own desire and conscience dictate. When I die, I realize that my body will be resurrected in a form incorruptible and glorified, regardless of the physical state of the matter from which my body was made. So do what you will with my body. However, my family will probably want to lay me in a casket, have a visitation, have a formal funeral, and bury my body. That is OK with me. But if they chose to cremate me, I am perfectly OK with that as well. The issue is the state of my spirit in my opinion.

Chris wrote:
"I told my wife and my parents that they can dig a deep hole in the ground and just place me there."

That is the method my husband used to bury a dead dog - and I would think a human being who is made in the image of God deserves better respect then one would give a dog unless you think you are an evolved species...

The issue to me is not what will happen at the end. God created Adam from the dirt, I am sure He can raise us from ashes.

And I also agree that no excess money should be spent in disposing of the body. But there are human laws that need to be followed, and that is why it costs.

There is also the issue of how do we honor God. Obviously, this is not an issue for the person who is dead but for those who are left behind. Is it what God would have us do with our loved ones bodies? This is still the body that God created. It has to be treated with that awe toward God, not toward the body.

It is surprising to me there are no ritual rules left by Moses regarding this. However, as I and others have noted, nowhere in all of scripture do we find that those who loved God voluntarily burned their loved ones' bodies. As someone already stated, sometimes they went to great pains to make sure they were buried properly.

I was just looking up some scriptural references to burial and found this in Amos 2:

1“For three transgressions of Moab,
and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,
because he burned to lime
the bones of the king of Edom.
2 So I will send a fire upon Moab,
and it shall devour the strongholds of Kerioth,
and Moab shall die amid uproar,
amid shouting and the sound of the trumpet;
3 I will cut off the ruler from its midst,
and will kill all its princes with him,”
says the Lord.

This sounds like a very serious punishment. And I will take the clear meaning of the text: Moab is being punished ONLY for cremating the bones of the King of Edom (no motives here are mentioned, only the act is being punished.) (And yes, I did read the commentaries.)

Again, I ask, why do we want to borrow practices from other demonic religions? Is not that what "come out" from them means? Is not that what is always preached here on SI?

In Christ, and in peace and grace:
Natalie

____________________________________________________________
Chris wrote:
"I told my wife and my parents that they can dig a deep hole in the ground and just place me there."
____________________________________________________________

Chris,

Would you give your wife a burial like that??? I would be utterly humiliated if I knew this is what my husband would think of me!

There!

ginnyrose

I appreciate everyone's thoughts on this topic. I have shared my heart on the topic with my husband and after much prayer I honestly believe that the LORD is showing me something from this. The lesson for me actually has nothing to do with cremation or burial(although that still may come if HE so chooses to show me differently then I am seeing now) The lesson in this for me is to be in my WORD more and to be sure to know HIS heart on a topic before I speak to another. In this case as I mentioned, in the past I presented my thoughts to my mother as if I understood from GOD what HE was saying/showing me from the WORD when I see now I had really only been offering her my opinion. There is a huge difference and I want to be careful in my dealing/speaking with others how I speak on a matter. GOD has shown me much on this topic now and I feel I can offer my mother what I am seeing because I have taken the time to seek HIM, pray, and understand HIS heart not just go off what "I" think seems right...I am so grateful for this lesson and understanding from our LORD!

God bless
maryjane

Hi sister ginnyrose,

Chris,

Would you give your wife a burial like that??? I would be utterly humiliated if I knew this is what my husband would think of me!

There!

ginnyrose

My wife actually agreed with me and said that she doesn't want much "ado" over her own body/funeral either. She wasn't worried "what I think of her" -- because she knows that there is only One in this universe that I love more than her! It wouldn't be "humiliating" because there would be no pride found in her death and her death itself is not something that we weep at.

I think that believers are often looking through the issue of "burial" (if it is indeed an "issue") through the lens of modern society. What was a typical burial (for those of us who are not earthly kings or queens) like prior to the 20th Century?

How was a typical human being (including a spouse) buried at the time of Abraham, Isaac or Jacob? What about the time of the prophets? How about the time of Christ? What was a funeral like in the 19th Century frontier?

Yes, Jesus was laid in a BORROWED TOMB. We can argue that this is because he and his followers believed that our Lord would not "stay dead." However, the point that I am trying to make is that the tomb in which Jesus was laid was that of a rich man. The tomb itself was not "typical."

Most people at the time could not afford a nice tomb. Most people were just buried in the ground. No box. No casket. No fancy funeral homes. No wakes. No fancy plot of ground at a cemetery. No fake flowers. No tombstones.

I knew a woman who was spending a lot of money preparing for her funeral. She had the casket picked out, the plot was purchased, a guest list was prepared and even a list of songs selected. There is nothing wrong with such things (as long as they aren't motivated by pride). However, I remember thinking that it reminds me of young women who prepare for a "wedding" but not for a "marriage."

My sister-in-law had a little boy who died about a year before my wife and I were married. The little boy, Caleb, only lived for a few months before he passed away. My sister-in-law and her husband were both in college at the time and struggling financially.

At the time, all of the family members were struggling financially too. Thankfully, the funeral home was very understanding and provided their services at a low cost. Caleb's body was laid in a small wooden box that looked like it was built by a carpenter during the 18th Century and placed in an unmarked grave at a local cemetery.

The family didn't feel badly about the funeral. They held great love for this child and that love wasn't confined to the box or plot where the box was placed.

Personally, I just don't think that God is so worried about it. I certainly don't think that a "Christian burial" is an "essential" doctrine of the Church. The Word of God speaks much more about things like circumcision -- and believers aren't required (or prohibited) from being circumcised either.

I do understand the arguments in favor of burial. After all, God buried Moses at a secret location. However, that doesn't make it a prerequisite for a "Christian" burial or necessarily a prohibition to cremation. After all, many believers were martyred WITHOUT being allowed to "make preparations." Again, personally, I don't want to be cremated; however, I won't lose "sleep" over it either.

I just don't think that it is vitally important. Otherwise, there would be much more about it contained within the Word of God. For us, perhaps there is something worth remembering from the the words of Jesus when he said, "Let the dead bury the dead."