CREMATION
If you have ever went to a funeral you may have heard the phrase "dust to dust and ashes to ashes" used during the service. That is paraphrased from Genesis 3:19, "In the sweat of your face shalt you eat bread, till you return unto the ground; for out of it were you taken: for dust you are, and unto dust shalt you return."
God's promises to us are primarily future realities. In other words, most of the great things that God has promised His firstfruits will not be received in this life. An example of this is found in the faith chapter, which emphasizes the norm for God's called people to look forward in faith for the primary fulfillment of God's promises. We are to look beyond the end of this physical life and have faith in the future. Notice, "Abraham by faith sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: for he looked for a city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God. These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: Wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for He has prepared for them a city"(Heb.11:9-10,13-16).
That future city will be governed by God's laws that are written down in the book called the "Bible." It is our instruction book for today and for all our eternal life in the world yet to come. Each one of us who have been called has a responsibility to either follow or not follow what is written down in this book, the Bible!
With that underlying basis or principle set in concrete in the word of God I want to address a subject that has been asked about in the past, but never addressed in a sermon or article. It is a practice that is increasing in popularity today that develops a question in a lot of people's mind. That question deals with the topic, "cremation - opposed to being buried."
Concerned Christians often ask, is cremation scriptural or un-scriptural? Is cremation sinful? What about loved ones that have been cremated? For answers to such questions, it will help us to do a biblical and historical survey concerning the practices of cremation verses being buried. Checking the Internet and talking to various people, and in conversations with Mr. Pete Fleming, who is a manager over a cemetery, I found cremation is certainly much cheaper than having a burial funeral performed. Armed with this information of faith and knowing the inflated dollar does not go very far, what would be your preference for yourself - or a loved one?
To begin answering a question like this we need to know from God's instruction book, "What is His preference?" Let's look at a few scriptures that addresses the disposing of a dead person's body by cremation "called burning in the Bible, " Strong's # 8313. Beginning in Leviticus 20:14, where it speaks of a man having unlawful sexual intercourse with both a mother and her daughter. "And if a man take a wife and her mother, it is wickedness: they shall be burnt with fire, both he and they; that there be no wickedness among you." All three offenders were to be burned [cremated] and put to death by fire.
In Chapter 21 of Leviticus, we read of a priest's daughter who was immoral. "And the daughter of any priest, if she profane herself by playing the whore, she profanes her father: she shall be burnt [cremated] with fire" (Lev 21, 9). At that point in history if a young woman of the general population sinned her punishment was to be according to the gravity of the offence but if the daughter of a priest was not conforming to the accepted standard of morality there was but one law- death by fire [cremation].
Another example of a person or bodies being burned were during times of pestilence's and plagues, "And it shall come to pass, if there remain ten men in one House, that they shall die. And a man's uncle shall take him up, and he that burns him, is to bring out the bones out of the house" (Amos 6: 9 - 10).
Again history has shown us pestilence's can cause death to so many at once it leaves no time for normal burial practices. Looking at one more example in the book of Joshua, where we read of Achan and his family's punishment for their crime of condemnation. "And it shall be, that he that is taken with the accursed thing shall be burnt [ cremated ] with fire, he and all that he has: Because he has transgressed the covenant of the Lord, And Joshua said, [to Achan] why have you troubled us? The Lord shall trouble you this day. And all Israel stoned them with stones, and burned [cremated] them with fire, after they had stoned them with stones" (Josh 7:15,25). You can read more of this story in 2 Kings 23:19-20.
Nowhere in the scriptures is cremation or burning spoken of with approval for an innocent person. When scanning some history books - you will notice cremation was the normal practice of the Greeks and Romans. Many of them believed in the immortality of the soul and saw no reason to give special attention to the human body.
When putting this article together I found there is confusion about cremation among some religious practices, for instance, Indians, Hindus, Buddhists; all prefer cremation, because of their doctrine of reincarnation. Eastern orthodox- forbids cremation. Islam- forbids cremation. Mormonism- strongly discourages it. In Christian countries- cremation is discouraged, but not forbidden. Among the early Hebrews, cremation or burning was the exception. Some rabbis considered the burning of a corpse consistent only with idolatry.
The first cremation in America took place in 1876, accompanied by readings from Charles Darwin and the Hindu scriptures. For many years, relatively few persons, mostly liberals and freethinkers, chose cremation. But that has changed dramatically! Only 5 percent of Americans were cremated in1962. Cremation has expanded rapidly since 1973; the number of cremations in North America has more than tripled. By the year 2000 - it was 25.5 % and they figure by 2010, the percent will be around 40 %. Countries such as Japan right now 97 %, Great Britain 70 %, Scandinavia is over 65 %, and again its predicted by the year 2010, cremation in the U.S. will be close to 40 %. These numbers reveal the practice of cremation to be clearly of heathen origin.
Now let's consider the other half of this question- the custom of burial. There are many verses in God's word showing burial was clearly the custom among the patriarchs. God's people, who we read of in our studies of God's word. Beginning with Sarah in Gen. 23:3-4,17 - 20. She was buried by Abraham. "And Abraham stood up from before his dead, and spake unto the sons of Heth, saying, I am a stranger and a sojourner with you: give me a possession of a burying place with you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight" (Gen. 23:3-4). Gen. 23:19-20, "And after this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave. . .in the land of Canaan."
We find that Abraham was buried by his sons, Isaac and Ishmael. "Then Abraham gave up the spirit, and died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years; and was gathered to his people. And his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the same cave as Sarah" (Gen 25:8 - 9).
Deborah, Rebekah's nurse, was buried near Bethel. "But Deborah, Rebekah's nurse died, and she was buried beneath Bethel under an oak" (Gen. 35:8). Rachel was buried near Bethlehem by Jacob. "And Rachel died, and was buried and Jacob set a pillar upon her grave" (Gen. 35:19-20).
Isaac was buried by his sons, Jacob and Esau. "And Isaac gave up the spirit, and died, and was gathered unto his people, being old and full of days: and his sons Esau and Jacob buried him" (Gen. 35:29). Jacob buried Leah in the family tomb. "There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife; there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife; and there I buried Leah" (Gen. 49:31). Jacob made Joseph swear to bury him in the same place. "And the time drew nigh that Israel must die: and he called his son Joseph, and said unto him, if now I have found grace in your sight, put, I pray you, put your hand under my thigh, and deal kindly and truly with me; bury me not, I pray you, in Egypt: but I will lie with my fathers, and you shalt carry me out of Egypt, and bury me in their burying place. And he said, I will do as you have said" (Gen. 47:29-30).
Joseph was embalmed in Egypt, later buried at She- chem. "So Joseph died, being an hundred and ten years old: and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt" (Gen. 50:26). Later, Moses took the bones of Joseph from Egypt to the Promised Land. (Ex. 13:19)
Burial was the custom during the Mosaic dispensation. Miriam, sister of Moses, was buried in Kadesh. "Then came the children of Israel, even the whole congregation, into the desert of Zin in the first month: and the people abode in Kadesh; and Miriam died there, and was buried there" (Num 20:1).
Moses was buried by God Himself in the land of Moab. "So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord. And He buried him in a valley in the land of Moab" (Deut 34:5-6).
Joshua was buried in his inheritance at Timnath- serah. "And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnath-serah, which is in mount Ephraim, on the north side of the hill of Gaash" (Josh 24:30).
Samuel was honored with a national burial, 1Sam 25:1. David, Solomon, Hezekiah, and many other kings were buried in the city of David. (1 Kings 2:10; 1 Kings 11:43; 1 Kings 15: 8; 2 Kings 15: 38; 2 Chronicles 32:33.)
Burial continued to be the custom for Jesus and His followers. Jesus was buried in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea. "When the even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathaea, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus' disciple: he went to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered. And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed" (Matt 27:57-60).
Stephen was buried after his martyrdom. "And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him" (Acts 8:2).
The overwhelming evidence in the Bible reveals burial as the preferred custom. In history the main reasons for Israel's preference for burial appear to be their belief that God intended for the soul and body to be compatible with their belief in the resurrection of the body. Clearly the Bible records early Israelites followed the practice of burying the dead.
When traveling in Europe in 1978, my wife and I visited the catacombs in Rome and seen evidence where the early Christians insisted on burying their dead. Christian gravesites were called coemeteria (Cemeteries), which literally means 'sleeping places,' reflecting the belief in a future resurrection.
Many martyrs were burned to death, but many Christians in history believed God would bring them forth un-impaired at the resurrection. Not until recent times did Christians even consider cremation as an alternative.
When surveying the Biblical and historical evidence, there is found reasons to prefer burial over cremation. To begin with, cremation is of heathen origin and there is no biblical support for being cremated. So why choose a practice with such pagan origins?
God's people have mostly practiced burial, as revealed in the pages of the Bible, from the Old Testament to the New Testament. So why not emulate the practice of the faithful saints in the Bible today? Burial reflects respect for the body, unlike the Greeks, who regarded the body as a prison of the soul! Israelites saw it as the integration of human personality.
Today, many of God's called believe 1 Cor 6:19, that puts emphasis upon the body as the temple of the Holy Spirit, which increases their hesitancy toward cremation. " What? Know you not that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you, which you have of God, and you are not your own?" Our bodies do not belong to us, as 1 Cor 6:13 conveys to us - ".....the body is for the Lord." So the body is not our own, as the Apostle Paul expressed, "For you are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's" (1 Cor 6:20).
Then, the question is which practice, burial or cremation shows a higher value for the body? Burial reflects our hope in the resurrection, if we believe in the resurrection of the dead. "Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear His voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation" (John 5:28-29). Notice Acts 24:15, expresses the same thought, "Have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust."
We therefore should be eagerly awaiting the redemption of our bodies - knowing we are considered God's first fruits. The Apostle Paul reminds us of this, "And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the First fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man sees, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it" (Rom 8: 23-25). Our hope for deliverance from the presence of sin is based on the promise of God, so we need to eagerly wait for it with perseverance.
Back to the beginning questions: "Is cremation scriptural or unscriptural? Without scriptural support cremation certainly is unscriptural especially when we have read burial is proven to be a scriptural practice that is approved for the people of God.
The second question is cremation sinful? If one has any doubt as to its approval by God, then it is, because "He that doubts is damned if he eat, because he eats not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin" (Rom 14:23).
How much better to have a clear conscience supported by the revelation of God's word. What of those who have been cremated? We should be content to let the Lord be the judge! We know from reading Rev 20:13, that the Lord has the power to raise all the dead, no matter what has happened to their bodies. "And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works" (Rev 20:13).
The Biblical support is clearly on the side of burial as opposed to cremation. Burial certainly reflects a higher regard for the body, which is reflected in Paul's comment, "Know you not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into His death? Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of His death, we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection" (Rom 6:3- 5).
James Russell