Cremation vs Burial | What does the Bible say about Cremation? | GotQuestions.org

Today’s question is, "What does the Bible say about cremation? Should Christians be cremated?" In this video I’ll answer that question from a biblical perspective. Afterwards, as always, I’ll share some helpful resources, so stick around until the end. The Bible does not give any specific teaching about cremation. There are occurrences in the Old Testament of people being burned to death (1 Kings 16:18) and of human bones being burned (2 Kings 23:16-20), but these are not examples of cremation. It is interesting to note that in 2 Kings 23:16-20, burning human bones on an altar desecrated the altar. At the same time, the Old Testament law nowhere commands that a deceased human body not be burned, nor does it attach any curse or judgment on someone who is cremated. Cremation was practiced in biblical times, but it was not commonly practiced by the Israelites or by New Testament believers. In the cultures of Bible times, burial in a tomb, cave, or in the ground was the common way to dispose of a human body (Genesis 23:19; 2 Chronicles 16:14). While burial was the common practice, the Bible nowhere commands burial as the only allowed method of disposing of a body. Is cremation something a Christian can consider? Again, there is no explicit scriptural command against cremation. Some believers object to the practice of cremation on the basis it does not recognize that one day God will resurrect our bodies and re-unite them with our soul & spirit. 1 Corinthians 15:35-58 However, the fact that a body has been cremated does not make it any more difficult for God to resurrect that body. The bodies of Christians who died a thousand years ago have, by now, completely turned into dust. This will in no way prevent God from being able to resurrect their bodies. He created them in the first place; He will have no difficulty re-creating them. Cremation does nothing but “expedite” the process of turning a body into dust. God is equally able to raise a person’s remains that have been cremated as He is the remains of a person who was not cremated. The question of burial or cremation is within the realm of Christian freedom. A person or a family considering this issue should pray for wisdom (James 1:5) and follow the conviction that results. Want to learn more? Subscribe so you don’t miss the next video! Visit GotQuestions.org for more great content. And check out the details section below this video, there is one book I recommend, along with several related articles. If you’d like to learn about Bible Munch, or if you’re interested in Bite-sized devotionals, subscribe to Bible Munch on YouTube, it’s linked right here. Now remember, Got questions? The Bible has answers, and we’ll help you find them!

Channel: Got Questions Ministries

Views: 85,340

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Id: 5I0TNgmnfS8

Length: 3min 4sec (184 seconds)

Published: Wed Mar 27 2019