The Bible has no explicit teaching about cremation, but it does say some things that can help inform our thinking about burial practice.
First, Christians should begin their consideration by reflecting on the importance that the Bible places on the human body. God showed just how much he valued the human body when he himself came to earth in human flesh, and when he resurrected Jesus’ human body (John 1:14; 1 Corinthians 15:3-8). We, too, will experience bodily resurrection some day (1 Corinthians 15:12-28 ). Thus, whatever method of burial a Christian chooses, we need to celebrate the value and preciousness of the human body and its future resurrection.
The most common form of burial among the Jews of Jesus’ day was a two-stage burial process. First, the body was wrapped mummy-style in cloth and was placed in a cave-tomb, above ground. Then, about a year later, after the body had decomposed, the cloth was unwrapped and the remaining bones were placed in a limestone bone-box called an “ossuary.” The bones from several generations of the family would be added to the box over time.
Unlike the first century Jewish tradition, the most common burial practice throughout Christian history has been burial of the entire body in the ground. Through most of church history, Christians have rejected cremation due to its association with pagan religions and desecration of the body. So, the most common Christian historical tradition has been not cremation, but rather full body burial.
Because full body burial has been the most common Christian historical practice, some Christians today strongly believe that we should continue in this tradition. They feel that cremation does not show proper respect for the human body and its future resurrection. Others resist cremation because, like many past Christians, they also associate it with non-Christian religions that burn their corpses. They point out that, while the Greeks and Romans practiced cremation, the ancient Jews and early Christians did not. Finally, some Christians reject cremation due to a concern that burning the body might affect its ability to be raised from the dead when Christ returns.
On the other hand, many Christians today believe that cremation is the most responsible form of burial, in that it is less intrusive to the earth’s environment, and is more economically responsible. They also point out that an omnipotent God would have no more trouble resurrecting a cremated body than he would a decomposed body. They remind us, for example, that many Christian martyrs over the centuries died by being burned at the stake—and yet God will raise them from the dead along with everyone else. They also remind us that God says in the book of Genesis that human bodies are made of dust, and will return to dust after death (Genesis 3:19). Whether they return to dust quickly by cremation, or more slowly by decomposition after a full body, our bodies eventually return to dust.
While we may have different personal preferences or convictions, as a church our view is that either traditional burial or cremation is a permissible option for Christians. Since the Bible offers no direct command or teaching about it, Christians are free to seek God’s wisdom and then follow their own conscience on the matter. In this sense, we see the question of cremation as similar to questions about eating certain foods, etc. that the early Christians wrestled with, and that the apostle Paul addresses in Romans 14:13-23 and 1 Corinthians 8:1-13 . As Paul clearly states in these passages, the important things are to follow your own conscience, and to be sure not to judge those who believe differently than you about the issue.
