Bible Discussion Thread

Is cremation against the wishes of the Lord upon our death?

Hellow Chris.

Good afternoon (1:26 pm PNG time)thank you for replying to my comment.The most important point here is how we live our lives here on earth.Obidence is better than sacrifice John 14 :15 if you love me obey my commands James 2:17 faith with action be friend to all enemy to none,love one another .Pray ,fast wait patiently for the comming of our risen saviour.

God bless.

Simon

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Hello Moxiemeaux. The Bible doesn't specify how we should deal with the remains of the deceased. It was the norm for Jews to be buried or entombed; whereas burning (cremation) & burial was the norm for Gentiles. Some others, such as the Parsis (Zoroastrians), disposed of their dead by other means, which can't be described here because of its graphic nature.

I feel that it comes down to personal preference and what our financial resources allow. Even though following the general biblical pattern of burial is the preferred, there would have been many Jews, Gentiles, Christians and others through the ages who for various reasons were burned and not buried. As well, many, even today, would be unable to afford a burial, since many more expenses are involved than what folk would have had to bear in earlier days.

As much as it is a difficult question to answer for someone else, ultimately, the Lord takes the spirit & soul of the deceased (to Himself or relegated to hell) regardless of the condition or even existence of a body. I think that 2 Corinthians 5:1-8 is helpful in this regard, as the Apostle Paul writes about God giving us a new body, even when the old one lies in the earth or exists no more. So, what's important to us now, is that we know for sure that we are saved through faith in Jesus' Sacrifice & we will be with Him at our death; then what happens to our lifeless remains on Earth (whether buried or cremated), God will take care of that in His Own way. I hope this helps you in some way to be confident in this matter. Blessings.

Hello good afternoon.

The bible clearly states that man was formed out of dust of the ground and by dust man shall return.It is not right for the dead to be burned and cremated. Genesis 3:19 This was God"s word before casting them out of Eden.

You need to make a point. What if someone is cremated? or the body destroyed is some other fashion that what we will call a regular burial?

Hello Simon. Your reference to Genesis 3:19 is correct, though when we consider the Hebrew word for 'dust' (as given in the KJV), it is 'aphar', and this includes dust, earth, ashes, powder, even rubbish. And then we have Abraham speaking in Genesis 18:27, "And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes". So even here, Abraham uses that word, aphar, to show that his body is truly of the earth ( 1 Corinthians 15:47), which the LORD God used to put together humankind, identifying him with the ground upon which he would walk, and into which his body would one day return.

So, these references could show that whether soil & dust is referred to, it must also include other substances and elements that comprise the earth, of which ash forms a part (as ash doesn't remain in that form for very long - it will integrate with the soil in which it is mixed). As much as a biblical pattern of dealing with the deceased is most preferable, it must be admitted that quite often that is not always possible, whether because of personal choice or constraints, or through dealings by others or beasts coming against the unfortunate. None of this should prevent the righteous soul from sharing in the resurrection, for not one of the Shepherd's sheep will be lost. GBU.