There are no Bible verses that prohibit cremation. In fact, there are no specific instructions in the Bible for how we’re to deal with the bodies of those who have died.
The ancient Jews typically buried the dead, but not always. 1 Samuel 31 describes “valiant men” who snuck into enemy territory during war to provide burials for Saul and his sons. They quickly burned the bodies, then took their bones and buried them somewhere else. Jews in the New Testament era also practiced cremation, and we see nothing in Scripture to suggest they shouldn’t have done it.
I understand your concern, as many Christians have grown up with the idea that burial is the option that God prefers. They see some connection between burial and resurrection. Of course, that doesn’t quite make sense. God will have no problem providing bodies for those He resurrects, and cremation is not going to make it more difficult for Him.
Having recently lost both of my parents and a brother (all separately), I admire your desire to make things easier for your family. My advice to you would be to do whatever you think is best, as God has not provided any restrictions on how to dispose of our bodies.
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Thank you for this article. It has helped me with the question to cremate or to bury which has always troubled me. Ancient Israel seemed to do same day burials. The pagan nations, it appeared burned their dead. 1 Sam 31 throws a different light on the subject. However, were the bodies of Saul and his sons taken and burned due to a circumstance of war…we are not told. If not, then is this scripture giving us a green light to cremate our dead? My logical mind tells me that many souls have died by fire since the beginning of time, and the Father will have no problem raising them from the dead so why should our remains being burned be a problem? I still wonder if it is our flesh and blood that He raises from our earthly tombs or is it our spiritual bodies or breath that He raises from the place of the dead, be that Hades, Sheol, the two realms of Paradise or whereever? Surely He will clothe us with a spiritual body when our breath, which returns to Him at death is raised? (Ecc 12:5-7) If this is the case, our earthly physical remains would really have no purpose once we die? Yet if they are raised from the dead, and do have a purpose, should we bury our remains and only cremate them under special circumstances? I really don’t know how things actually play out and there are many Scriptures in the book of Ecclesiastes that raise all sorts of questions to be sure. I’m just sharing some thoughts. Great topic for sharing.?
Jesus Christ was burned when he died?
The apostles were burned when they died?
In the Old Testament the men and women that God used any of them were burned?
In case of a misfortune by accident it is something unfortunate and out of control.
I urge you to pray and search the Word of God being wary of misinterpretations of the Bible.
Look for the answer in God and not in human interpretation.
I share this with a lot of love in Jesus Christ and respect for the decision you choose.
May God bless, direct and enlighten you.
Sincerely from your brother in Jesus Christ,
North America & Israel.
Dear friend:
Let’s agree completely: we should be wary of misinterpretations of the Bible. Let’s also agree on this: we should not place on anyone the burden of human tradition when God has not seen fit to instruct us. With respect, your comment is based not in Scripture, but in human tradition.
No, Jesus was not burned when He died. We don’t know whether the bodies of the apostles were burned. That’s not the point. Scripture does not tell us to follow the pattern of the disposal of their bodies. I wonder: have you buried your dead relatives, then returned to their graves after a year to gather their bones into a stone box for long-term storage? That’s what the first-century Jews did. If you aren’t doing that, perhaps your reasoning is flawed.
I mean no disrespect, my friend. I would simply ask that you consider the implications of your position before you take the time to criticize anyone else’s as being unbiblical or improper. Where Scripture speaks, we should speak. Where God has not given a command, we should avoid adding to anyone’s burden the weight of our opinions.
Cremation perplexes me. Please comment on Amos 2:1 (mentions God’s punishments in relation to the burning of a kings bones to lime, which IMO is the same as today’s cremation wherein only ash remains,
versus most scriptural mentionings of burning bodies wherein the bones are left and bones are often transferred or reburied). To say it again, scriptures that mentioned burning of a body also include the bones being leftover and then buried or other scriptures that mention bones being moved to new burial sites. The aforementioned scripture in Amos clearly denotes the bones were also reduced in the burning and that rendered a punishment by God. Am I being too literal here or is there another interpretation I don’t understand?
Adjacently, what about Ezekiel 37…
SarahD:
Thanks for asking! Amos 2:1 refers to an event in 2 Kings 3. This wasn’t a funeral, of course. This wasn’t a way for the king’s loved ones to handle his body after death. This was a sign of disrespect and desecration by his enemies. There’s nothing in the Bible that defines the proper or improper way to dispose of a dead body. It’s easy to read this passage and think that, perhaps, the extent of the burning is what made God angry… but there’s nothing in that text – or any other – to suggest that burning the king’s bones a little less or even a lot less would make any difference.
As for Ezekiel 37 – an interesting passage – this goes back to a bit of superstition regarding burial. The superstition suggests that God can’t resurrect the dead if their bones aren’t intact. That, of course, doesn’t make sense when we think about it. Consider the following situations, and ask whether God, who created everything from nothing, would be hampered:
Most cultures handle their dead in specific ways, to show respect for their loved ones. These practices differ from culture to culture, and the Bible doesn’t approve of, or condemn, any of them. There’s no reason to think that burial is better, just because the ancient Israelites tended to bury their dead. There’s no reason to think that cremation is better, just because the first-century Jews often cremated their dead. God gave no instructions, so it seems unwise to try to imagine what He thinks otherwise.
With all due respect, you used imaginary scenarios to try to debunk my “superstitious” theory regarding Ezekiel 37, so I’m not sure you’re proving any point here? Like you literally said in your last statement it’s unwise to imagine what God thinks…To your credit, I will say that Jesus did heal the cut off ear in the garden at the time of his arrest, and there was that withered arm/hand miracle. Bones weren’t necessarily involved in those two things though…nor was burning. How about Adam’s rib bone being used to create Eve? Still bones. I’ll grant that Adam didn’t seem to have been created with any bone though. Still, I’m not sure you’ve swayed me on this one.
As for Amos, you kind of said it yourself – the enemy desecrated the remains of the King. And how did they do that? Full cremation and rendering of the bones to ash…thoughts?
SarahD:
Thanks for your follow-up… I appreciate it!
While I certainly didn’t intend to upset you by using the word “superstitious,” I do think it’s the right word… and the scenarios aren’t imaginary. There are plenty of righteous dead whose bones are no longer intact. Do you believe that God will be able, or unable, to resurrect them? That’s the idea behind the traditional fear of cremation. I’m not a salesman for cremation companies, by the way. I have no stake in the decisions being made. You, and a number of others, asked the question. I’ve simply tried to express what the Bible does and doesn’t say about the topic. To be abundantly clear: the Bible does not express God’s preference for burial. We should not claim to know what Scripture does not say about God’s preferences.
Now, it’s perfectly fine for you and me or anyone to speculate. What matters is what we conclude. It’s irresponsible to conclude that the Bible says something that it doesn’t say. The Bible doesn’t say that burning your dead is bad. In fact, as you’ve pointed out, we have more than one passage to deal with. One is neutral and one is bad. Make of that what you will. There are a number of things that God has not specifically addressed in Scripture that I believe to be true… that I suspect are true. Things I speculate about. What I don’t do is teach that those things are true. It would be irresponsible for me to lead someone to believe things about God that He hasn’t said about Himself.
It’s okay for you and I to come to different conclusions on this secondary matter. What’s not okay – for you or me or for anybody – is to claim as truth what God has not said. You haven’t done that here, but I do think it’s worth mentioning. I recently heard a good definition for legalism: elevating my own ideas to the same level as God’s ideas. I want to avoid doing that… even a little. What God HAS said is enough.