Question:
Is it wrong to be cremated after death?
Answer:
The act of cremation is the process of burning a dead body to ashes instead of the more traditional burial process. There are some who believe that cremation is a sin. Yet, the Scriptural proof for such a position seems difficult to find. The following points are offered for your consideration.
God will not judge us for an act we had no choice in making. In many cremation situations, this is the case. During the Holocaust, many people were cremated by another’s choice. Some families choose cremation over burial for their loved ones immediately following their death. Will God judge us for an act we did not choose? 2 Corinthians 5:10 says, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.” We will be judged for what we have done, not what others have done after we are dead!
God’s Word teaches our bodies are only important until we die. Yes, while we are alive we should take care of our bodies. 1 Corinthians 6:19 says, “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?” Yet, after we die what use is this physical body? In the beginning, our bodies were just made of dust. “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being” (Genesis 2:7). What will become of these bodies when we die? Solomon answers, “Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it” (Ecclesiastes 12:7). This body is simply a habitation for our soul and spirit. It is no use after we are dead. James 2:26 says, “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” Once we die, our mortal bodies will corrupt and corrode. Cremation simply hastens the process.
In the resurrection, we will be given new bodies. There is no need to preserve our bodies after death, supposing we might need to use them later. The ancient Egyptians attempted to preserve all of the body parts of their great leaders hoping they would live in those same bodies again. Such a concept is foreign to any Scriptural requirements. 1 Corinthians 15:42-44 says, “So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body 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. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.” After reading such a passage, why would we want to keep our old, creaky, wrinkly, achy bodies? Our new bodies will be incorruptible when we are raised at the resurrection of the dead!
The emphasis of the Christian’s post-death concerns should be spiritual rather than physical. Instead of being concerned about the cremation of our physical bodies, we should be more fearful of our souls burning in hell. Matthew 10:28 says, “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” If you want to avoid hell and obtain heaven, you must obey Christ. This means putting “to death” those sins that kill our souls and being “raised with Christ” by seeking to be like Christ. Is this your goal?