To view titles or purchase those books visit our bookstore. Many people choose cremation for that purpose as well, so they can keep the remains close by. But the most compelling Biblical support for burial is seen in the death and burial of our Lord Jesus Christ himself. Some have become environmentalists and are concerned about the lack of burial plots as space has become less available in cemeteries in certain locations. These verses show, the bible does not explicitly promote burial or cremation. First of all, burial, not cremation is exclusively mentioned and recommended in the Scriptures. Cremation and burial result in the same essential change in chemical nature. Actually, the Scriptures do not say anything about required modes of burial for believers. The primary difference is that cremation is an action to make that change nearly instantaneous rather than gradual. The Bible never says that God will scour the whole universe, sifting through all the atoms and molecules of cremated humans to restore their body. Thirdly, the Holy Spirit indwells believers in both body and soul, and consequently, they are holy and to be treated with honor. The bodies of Saul and his three sons were desecrated by the Philistines before the people of Jabesh-gilead took them away and burned them. Some feel there are fewer decisions that need to be made, so cremation is easier. A Christian funeral is to communicate the church’s belief in the promise of an eternal physical and spiritual existence. Is God and Jesus the same or are they differente? As for biblical support for the anti-cremation position, it’s often pointed out that Abraham purchased a burial site for himself and his wife Sarah (Genesis 23:9). In the Book of Joshua, Achan, together with his family and the loot he took from the city of Ai, were stoned to death and then their bodies burned because he disobeyed God’s command (Jos 7:24-25). If you’re not sure whether to choose cremation or burial, you might be wondering what the Christian Bible has to say about it. There was an attitude that, not only was the passing of someone a solemn event that included stewardship of a person’s body, but it also was to be a demonstration of the glory of God when a saint went home to be with the Lord. How sad it was to see no dignity given the dead. If burial is a way of worshipping or idolizing a loved one, it too can be sin. Although the Bible does not specifically speak to the subject of cremation, we do find in the Word of God that only the heathen tribes cremated people (burned their bodies with fire after death), while the Jews always buried bodies in graves in the ground, or entombed their dead in a cave or in an sepulcher, similar to our modern day mausoleums. Secondly, because Christ himself was the Word became flesh in the incarnation, and given a glorified body at his resurrection, the human body should be hallowed as well. Tender loving care and respect were commanded in preparing the dead body for burial. Psalm 103:15-17 is a Bible passage that gives us a great perspective on cremation -- or on any other burial practice: As for man, his days are like grass, He flourishes like a flower of the field; What does the Bible say about cremation… should a Christian be cremated? Cremation is not wrong, but burial is a better picture of the Christian hope of resurrection. Enjoy 374 selections of the best Inspirational Audio Bible Verses from the King James Version Bible. We believe in a God that brought bones back to life (Ezekiel 37), how can we not expect Him to bring us back from cremation and give us heavenly bodies like the Apostle Paul said. It does give instances where bodies were burned, some by God himself. All Rights Reserved © My Bible Questions, First, all the dead in the Bible, except in the case of King Saul and his sons who were partially cremated (1 Sam 31:12-13), were buried. How should a person plan for a Christian funeral? How Should A Christian Woman Dress According To The Bible? Eventually, we will all return to dust whether we are buried or cremated. to bring us back from cremation and give us heavenly bodies like the Apostle Paul said. Have Questions About The Bible, God Has The Answers! The Roman Catholic Church discourages cremation; as they believe the body is holy and should be treated with honor and respect and felt that cremation constituted a denial of the resurrection of the body. We believe in a, that brought bones back to life (Ezekiel 37), how can we not expect. You can see why many believers are uncomfortable with cremation. Jesus, Himself, was buried in a tomb. But in any case our all-powerful God will have no trouble making a perfect resurrection body out of the fragments He will raise. God is able to gather up the ashes of any person’s body and recreate it into a new body no matter how scattered they are upon the face of the earth, so just leave that to the Lord and know if your loved ones knew the Lord as their personal savior, then they are now in heaven, awaiting their new bodies at the second coming of the Lord. God himself sent consuming fire from heaven against evildoers: Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen 19:24; Jude 1:7), Nadab and Abihu (Lev 10:1-2), and Israel’s 250 rebellious chiefs (Num 16:35). On the other hand, escaping fire is related to escaping judgment, as in the case of Lot and his daughters and Daniel’s three friends. Bible verses related to Cremation from the King James Version (KJV) by Relevance - Sort By Book Order . The verses cited in this article and the two companion articles show what the bible says about cremation. What are the most common reasons why Christians wanted their dead buried and not burned? The verb to create is the Hebrew bara. Donate. “And after this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah before Mamre: the same is Hebron in the land of Canaan.”  Genesis 23:19, “The field which Abraham purchased of the sons of Heth: there was Abraham buried, and Sarah his wife.”  Genesis 25:10, “There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife; there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife; and there I buried Leah.”  Genesis 49:31, “Let thy servant, I pray thee, turn back again, that I may die in mine own city, and be buried by the grave of my father and of my mother. Christ’s body was carefully prepared with spices, wrapped in strips of linen, and then buried in a tomb owned by a rich man. That is what will be important to him, what type of heart we had because, that’s where the springs of life flow (Proverbs 4:23). They always talk of a person’s name when mentioning burial. The Bible does not take a stance on cremation, nor does cremation in any way hamper God’s plan to one day resurrect all of humanity. Big eye opener for me, made me rethink about not leaving any burden to my family when the good Lord takes me. But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, “Death is swallowed up in victory. For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. There is really no right or wrong answer to this question as we have studied God’s Word. What does the Bible say about Cremation? By Betty Miller. Bible-era practices are described in Unger’s Bible Dictionary as follows: “Interment in Bible times followed soon after death, as is evident in the narratives of the burial of Sarah (Genesis 23:1-20), Rachel (Genesis 35:19-20), and Rebekah’s nurse (Genesis 35:8). What does the Bible say about cremation? Financially we might not be able to afford a burial and end up going with cremation but, that should not be a situation that drifts us away from God. The Gospel is the Death, Burial, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. God doesn't need our ashes or the disintegrated bones and flesh to make us anew. God made that promise to Noah that He would not destroy the world using water but, by using fire instead. Cremation was even prohibited by the Catholic Church in the late nineteenth century. When the Romans eventually adopted Christianity as their state religion, cremation was replaced by Christian burial. What does the Bible say about cremation? For example, Achan, his family and possessions were burned at Joshua’s command, presumably with the blessing of God. “But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre, 12And seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.”  John 20:11:12: Christianity and Judaism discourage cremation and Islam prohibits it. Topic: What the Bible Says About Cremation – Burial vs. Cremation Infant Urns: You have the option to memorialize a child with either a baby urn or some keepsakes jewelry. But the most compelling Biblical support for burial is seen in the death and burial of our Lord Jesus Christ himself. “All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again.”  Ecclesiastes 3:20, “And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.”  Daniel 12:2. 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