What Does The Bible Say About Cremation?

What Does The Bible Say About Cremation?

I’d like to talk with you about a delicate subject, and that is what does Christians do according to the Bible with the body of a loved one, the dead body of a loved one. What does a Christian do With a dead body? What Does The Bible Say About Cremation?

Does God expect burial? This is a very delicate subject, and anytime you’re dealing with people’s feelings, in the end, the dead, you want to use great love, great tenderness, great dignity, great on or great understanding. 

And as we go to the Scripture and look to God’s word for guidance, what we’re going to find is that God has not given guidance specific guidance about what to do with a dead body what he does do in the Bible is cover some of the things that the cultures of the Bible did? 

But he doesn’t even include all of those. There are things, for example, that the Persians did that we’re going to cover that God doesn’t even go over in the Scripture. 

So the Bible doesn’t give us any direct revelation as to what we should do with the dead body of a loved one, and again the societies in the Bible did many different things. For example, the Egyptians practice mummification. 

Now we don’t do that today, but it was something that was done in biblical culture. So it shows up in the Bible the usual way that dead bodies were handled in the biblical world was burial that was usual way. There were many different types of burial, by the way, in the biblical world because they had no way of embalming the body and keeping it from decaying and spreading disease. The custom was that you buried a body the same day that the person died. 

And that custom, of course, could be stretched or chained a little bit here and there, but by and large, the custom of the Bible was that the very day a person died. They were buried that day, and there were different types of burial in the Bible times. There was direct burial in the ground. 

The burial took place in a crypt located above the ground. There were burial caves. These would later be called ancestral caves. 

For example, Abraham bought the Cave of Machpelah bought a man named Mac Pilla, a Hittite Abraham bought his cave and buried his wife Sarah there, and then when Abraham died, he was buried in the same cave. Then when Isaac died, he was buried in the same cave. Then when Leah died, she was buried in the same cave. 

So there were ancestral burial caves by the way we know Jesus Christ was buried in a cave sometimes people who were buried were just laid in the grave sometimes like isn’t with Jesus Christ people were wrapped in cloth or even wrapped in cloth and spices sometimes the dead body was laid in what was known as a sarcophagus is a very long word for flesh-eater that’s what it means in Greek Sarcophagus means flesh-eater and a poor dead body was laid in the sarcophagus until the flesh rotted. Then the bones were retrieved, and then the bones would be buried or sometimes placed in the little box and put in a burial cave. 

Romans, as well as Jews, preferred burying the dead. Now when it came to cremation, there was some cremation in the biblical world. Not a lot, but some of the Greeks, for example, practiced some of the Greeks practiced cremation. Sometimes bodies were cremated when they had been desecrated. 

For example, the men of Jabesh Gilead cremated King Saul and his sons, who the Philistines had killed. In 1st Samuel chapter 31 verse 12. You can see this the bodies were cremated, and in the bones were taken and buried. Sometimes in biblical cultures, a body was just exposed to the air. Some of the American Indian tribes used to do this, and Persian, some Persians, did that. They just exposed bodies to the air. 

Many criminals were just executed, and then their dead body was just thrown on the ground they weren’t even given a burial that’s what Goliath said he was going to do to David. I’m going to leave your body on the ground for that for the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth. Jehovah Kim was an evil king of Judah, and the word of prophecy would happen to his body Jeremiah 20 to 19.

So there was some cremation there was some exposure that was usually burial. But again, as we read the Bible, we have no command of God, no direct revelation from God about what is the proper thing to do with the dead body. 

And so the fact that God didn’t give us any instructions. This leads to some fascinating conclusions about the dead.

The first is whatever we’re going to do with a dead body, let’s follow that the second commandment that we love our neighbor like ourselves we’re supposed to do everything with love, whatever we do with the dead body, we should do it with great love, great tenderness, remarkable honesty, great dignity and make a conscious decision about it. 

We learn that no matter what happens to your body, even if you’re mummified, whether you’re mummified buried cremated exposed, whether you fall off a ship and drown in the sea. They’ve never found your body, whether you burned up in a house fire, for example, and there wasn’t much left of your body eventually what God said would happen. 

In Genesis chapter 3:19, God said to Adam. You will return to the ground for sense from it you were taken for dust you are and to dust you are returned you will return eventually every dead body will return to dust. 

And we need to keep that in mind how we get to dust differ it may be through cremation. It may be through burial and decay. Still, eventually, every dead body will drop dust, which brings us to another interesting point that God doesn’t emphasize in the Scripture. What we should do with a dead body, but what he emphasizes repeatedly is what we should do is live bodies. 

Listen to Ecclesiastes. Whatever you do, don’t forget to use your brain! There is no knowledge, work, or wisdom after death. Wherever you’re going. Life is a gift, and you and I need to maximize the gift that God has given us. We need to live for God now, and when we die, then we make a loving decision about what happens to the body, which will, according to God and His Word, eventually return to dust. 

And lastly, I’d like to say none of us person should let death be final for them. God never intended death when God created Adam and Eve and put him in the Garden of Eden. He didn’t say, by the way, you’re going to live a couple of hundred years. 

And then you’ll die now. God intended there to be life, and God has provided for mankind to have everlasting life through Jesus Christ.

 So even if this flesh body dies, God will one day get that flesh body up from the dead in a new and wonderful body that will live forever.

 If you are reading this article and you haven’t given your life to Jesus Christ, don’t let dust be the end of your life. Get saved through Jesus Christ and live forever. 

Remember the most famous verse in the Bible, John 3:16, for God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish. 

But have everlasting life. Let’s handle our dead bodies with dignity and honor and love, prayer, and make wise decisions and good choices. 

But let’s not let death be our final resting place. See you in everlasting life.

Does The Bible Say A Cremated Body Can’t Rise?

The Bible does not support or forbid cremation. Many Christians believe that cremation would render their bodies ineligible for resurrection. Others refute this argument based on the fact that the body continues to decompose after burial.

What Does The KJV Bible Say About Cremation?

The Bible doesn’t clearly describe cremation in terms of a way to dispose of the dead. The New Testament does not prohibit cremation. Cremation is not prohibited or supported by the Bible.

Should Christians Be Cremated?

The Bible doesn’t give any specific instructions about cremation. Although there are instances in the Old Testament where people are burned to death (1 Kings 16,18) and bones are burned (2 Kings 23,16-20), these are not examples of cremation.

Interestingly, 2 Kings 23:16-20 states that burning human bones on an altar was a desecration of the altar. However, it is not in the Old Testament that a cremated body of a human being should be burned or cursed.

Although cremation was common in biblical times, it was not practiced widely by New Testament believers or the Israelites. According to the Bible, burial was common in Bible cultures. It could be done in a cave, a grave, or in the ground. Although burial was a common practice, it is not the norm.

The Bible does not recommend burial as the only acceptable method of disposing of a body.

Can a Christian consider cremation? There is no specific commandment against cremation. Some Christians object to cremation because it doesn’t recognize that God will one day resurrect our bodies and reunite them with our soul and spirit.

1 Corinthians 15:35–58 But, just because a body is cremated doesn’t make it more difficult for God to resurrect that corpse.

Christians who died over a thousand years ago are now completely dust. God will still be able to raise their bodies. God created them; He will not have any difficulty in resurrecting them.

Cremation is nothing more than “expedites” the process of turning a person’s body into dust. God can also raise a person.

Cremated remains are also known as He.

Christian freedom allows for burial and cremation. The family or person contemplating this matter should pray for wisdom (James 1:15) and follow the conviction.

Which Religions Do Not Cremate?

Islam, of all the world religions, is most opposed to cremation. There is not much disagreement about cremation, unlike Christianity and Judaism. Islam considers cremation unclean.

What Does The Bible Say About Burial?

1 Corinthians 15:35-55

Our bodies are broken and buried, but they will rise in glory. They will be raised from the grave in strength, even though they are weakly buried. They will be raised in spiritual bodies and buried as human beings.

What Does The Bible Say About Embalming

To use chemicals, drugs, or balsams to preserve (a body that is dead). To keep from oblivion, preserve his memory in the hearts of his followers.

Cremation Vs. Burial Bible

The Bible Cremation is not something that we support or forbid. Some people don’t care about cremation or burial because it is the spiritual body permitted to enter Heaven. 1 Corinthians 15:35–55. It is the same with the resurrections of the dead.

Is Cremation A Sin In The Catholic Church

Catholics believe that the soul can exist indefinitely and is independent of the physical body. The Church says that cremation does not affect the soul of the deceased.

First Person Cremated In The Bible

1 Samuel 31:11-13 is the first mention of Cremation in Scripture. Saul After terrible ravages to their bodies, the sons of the victim are set on fire, and their bones are buried.

FAQ

1. Is it a sin to be cremated?

Answer: Cremation is not considered a sinful act. Some biblical references to burning people with fire suggest that they lived a life of sin. The enemies of God and God’s laws were quickly cremated as a form of capital punishment.

2. Can Christians be cremated?

Answer: Memorials and funerals don’t only concern the deceased or the grieving process. Funerals and memorials are also reminders of Christian beliefs about eternal living. Most Christians agree that a combination of a Christian memorial ceremony and a cremation can still fulfill this purpose.

3. What Scripture talks about cremation?

Answer: 1 Corinthians 13.3: Even though I give all of my goods to the poor and even though I am torn and have no charity, it doesn’t profit me anything. 2 Kings 23.20 – He slaughtered all the priests at the high places and set fire to the bones of those who were present; then he returned home to Jerusalem.

4. Why should you not be cremated?

Answer: There are some disadvantages to cremation

It may be against the religion of the deceased or a member of their family. This is a permanent decision that cannot be reversed. Sometimes, it is more challenging to grieve for loved ones.

5. What does the Bible say about cremation and burial?

Answer: The Bible does not support or forbid cremation. Many Christians believe that cremation would render their bodies ineligible for resurrection. Others refute this argument based on the fact that the body continues to decompose after burial.

6. Can Christians be Cremated?

Answer: Memorials and funerals don’t only concern the deceased or the grieving process. Funerals and memorials are also reminders of Christian beliefs about eternal living. Most Christians agree that a combination of a Christian memorial ceremony and a cremation can still fulfill this purpose.

7. Does the skull burst during cremation?

Answer: A coroner or a medical examiner will often sign off to ensure no medical investigations or examinations are required. The body cannot be exhumed after it has been cremated, unlike after a funeral. The body must be prepared by removing any pacemakers that could explode in the heat.