Bible Question:
Is it wrong in the sight of God to be cremated?
Bible Answer:
Cremation was a common practice among many ancient nations. The Greeks are an example of a people who only cremated their own dead. The Romans sometimes cremated their own dead, and the Jews rarely cremated bodies.
The Bible contains a number of examples of human bodies being burned that resulted in death (Genesis 38:24; Leviticus 20:14; Numbers 16:35; Judges 15:6). But nowhere in the Bible can one find a passage that commands that a dead human body be cremated. Cremation is not discussed in the Bible. But Scripture does suggest that the burning of bodies is an act of divine judgment. For more information visit “Cremation — What does the Bible say about cremation?”
We have just developed a biblical principle about cremation or the burning of bodies. Now we will examine some examples. In the passages above, the sin of harlotry was punished by being burned (Leviticus 21:9).
Also the daughter of any priest, if she profanes herself by harlotry, she profanes her father; she shall be burned with fire. Leviticus 21:9 (NASB)
Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed by fire because the men engaged in homosexuality (Genesis 19:13-14, 23-26; Jude 7). 1 Samuel 31:11-15 records the cremation of King Saul’s body by his own troops.
All the valiant men rose and walked all night, and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth-shan, and they came to Jabesh, and burned them there. 1 Samuel 31:12 (NASB)
This is a particularly important example because later in 2 Samuel 1:1-15 David is angry over the killing of the Lord’s Anointed, Saul. So he has Saul’s murderer killed, but David never expresses anger over the cremation of Saul.
God destroyed Jerusalem and the temple with fire because the Israelites were rebellious for many years (2 Kings 25:8-10). Matthew 13:40 and John 15:6 teach that non-Christians will be burned up with fire at the judgment. Fire will be used during the tribulation to judge the world (Revelation 8:7). At the second coming of Christ, the antichrist and the false prophet will be destroyed by fire (Revelation 19:20-21). When the rebellion occurs after the millennial kingdom, Satan and the rebels will be destroyed by fire from heaven (Revelation 20:7-10). Then at the end of time, the entire evil universe will be destroyed by fire (2 Peter 3:9-10, 13). Revelation 20:12-15 says that the unbelievers will all be assigned to the lake of fire as an eternal punishment. It is called the second death. So, fire and burning are often associated with judgment. There are other passages, but these are sufficient to teach us the principle that fire is often used as a tool of God’s judgment.
Yet, in 1 Corinthians 13:3. Paul is talking about the importance of love in a Christian’s life and seems to use cremation as an extreme example of suffering.
And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I deliver my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing. (NASB) 1 Cor. 13:3
Does this mean that Paul does not condemn cremation?
In sharp contrast to cremation, burial in the ground is the common practice in Scripture. There are about one hundred examples of burial. Since there are too many to list, we will focus on a few important examples. First, in Genesis 15:15, God told Abraham that he would be “buried at a good old age.” Since He never condemned or criticized his burial, that reveals God’s approval, even though He did not command the burial to occur. Abraham buried his wife Sarah (Genesis 23:19). If burial in the ground was a sin, it is unlikely that Abraham would have buried her after his conversation with God.
The second example of burial in the ground is that God, Himself, buried the body of Moses in the ground.
So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the LORD. And He buried him in the valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth-peor; but no man knows his burial place to this day. Deuteronomy 34:5-6 (NASB)
This is the only example in Scripture of God burying a person. It reveals that God does approve of our bodies being buried in the ground. However, it would be a mistake to be dogmatic about cremation or burial since God has not specifically stated which is preferred.
If cremation or physical burial in the ground is important, God would have provided us with some guidelines in the Bible, but He did not do that. We must notice that God uses burial in the ground in Romans 6:3-5 to illustrate the fact that Christians have died to their old self and should now walk in newness of life. The Holy Spirit did not use cremation in the illustration.
History tells us the early Christians did not practice cremation. In fact, the persecutors of the early church burned the bodies of the Christian martyrs as a mockery of the resurrection, but every body eventually decays and returns to ashes.
Conclusion:
While cremation was the practice of ancient godless nations around Israel, it is referred to a number of times in the Bible without a clear negative comment. Yet, the examples in Scripture are usually acts of judgment. It seems that burial in the ground is the divine expectation.
Ecclesiastes 12:7 tells us that everyone will return to ashes someday. Whether we are buried in the earth, die in the ocean, or are cremated, we will return to dust and dissolve some day. The water, minerals, and elements that make up our bodies will be absorbed into the ground and consumed by bacteria, plants, various organisms, or animals. Those who have died in the rivers, lakes, seas, and oceans will completely dissolve. Yet, God can and will resurrect their bodies in the end times. That is the message of Revelation 20:4-6, 13.