Tag: cremation

Is It Acceptable to be Cremated?

Cremation has become a very popular choice for dealing with our earthly remains. There are a variety of reasons why people choose cremation: cost, use of space, even environmental reasons. In the past, pastors spoke against cremation. Why? Is it a biblically acceptable choice?

The first thing to consider is the Bible’s teaching about the resurrection of our bodies. At Judgment Day all people, both saved and not, are to be raised in a physically imperishable form. (For one of many articles on this topic see the following) https://wordpress.com/post/afterdeathsite.com/825 This will be good news for those who have a part in God’s New Heaven and New Earth. It will not be so great for those who will be forsaken by God. (Use the search bar for more on all of these topics)

In the past, it was common for people to be cremated either in an attempt to stop their own resurrection or to make a statement that they didn’t believe in a resurrection. In such a context, cremation was unacceptable. That is typically not the motive today.

Another objection sometimes raised against cremation is that the Jews buried their dead and pagans burned their dead. In the case of paganism and Eastern religions, cremation did have a theological significance. These religions saw the body as something evil. Our goal was to be free of the body. Burning the body liberated the soul. Conversely, burying the body had a theological foundation that acknowledged that our body, even after death, was a part of us. We are not a soul renting a body. We are body and soul.

That said, there is no laws against cremation in the Bible. Having examples like that stated above do not create unwritten rules. God has no problem resurrecting a person regardless of how their body was disposed. It is not a given that He will use the very same molecules. You will get a body that is uniquely you that is appropriate for the New Earth or Gehenna.

Cremation sometimes can have a positive or negative psychological effect on a person before they die. Some are distressed by the thought of their bodies burning. Others are distressed at their bodies decaying or being eaten. Both are unnecessary concerns, because you will be unconnected and unaware at the time.

Scattering of ashes in a favorite place is a common practice. This too finds its origin in the idea being freed from the body. It is not the greatest witness but few think of the theological origins of such a practice.

There is nothing wrong with saving money. Nor is there anything wrong with being mindful of space or ecology. I would conclude that there is nothing wrong with cremation if that is your preference and not distressing for your relatives.

God is able to take you to the next step no matter what you do. He can even resurrect ashes flung to the wind.

Resurrection? Are You Sure?

What is your expectation of life after death?  Reincarnation? A spiritual existence? A dream state? Heaven? Nothing?

What is the basis of your expectation?  Observation? Real or imagined experience? Your upbringing?  Revelation from God?

From observation you might conclude that we merely cease to exist or that we experience some sort of spiritual liberation from the body.  The ravages of what we see happen to our body, lead several world religions to  teach that escape from the body is the goal, even if it takes several cycles to achieve it.

How strange it is for God to reveal in the Bible that eternal life in a body is the goal.  Both Old and New Testaments speak of the resurrection of the body.  Many Christians don’t even have that as part of their model for eternity.  They hold to a semi-heretical view that we live in Heaven as some sort of spirit.  This is not biblical, but is an inherited worldview from other cultures.

It is hard to imagine both the how and the why of the resurrection of the body.  This is especially true if you understand that Heaven and a heavenly body will come first most likely.

God hasn’t provided the all the details, but here is what we know.  The resurrection of the body will include both those who have been forgiven and those who have not.  People who are still alive at the date of Christ’s return will be instantly changed from a living, but flawed body, to a resurrected body.  A resurrected body isn’t just a repaired version of what we have now.  Some people have been “raised” only to die again at a later date.  To this point, only Jesus has a resurrected body.  So “resurrected” isn’t the same as “reconditioned”.

For those who have been forgiven through their connection to Jesus, the resurrection and life in a new Heaven and new Earth will be the ultimate experience.  How can it be an upgrade from Heaven?  We will have to wait and see, won’t we.

The Bible gives just enough information to be intriguing.  Add to it, if you wish, the reports that come from Near Death Experiences.  The upgrade from this life, where we have pain, illness, aging, interpersonal strife and sin, to Heaven, where there is none of this, is staggering.  Can there even be a further upgrade?

God is good and God is creative, so I am confident that the answer is yes.  From the vantage point of our current ignorance, I can say that the Bible sees us as both body and soul.  Even with a heavenly body, that does not leave us “naked” (2 Corinthians 5:3), our current body is still a part of us.  It is not completely redeemed until the resurrection.

Will God use our remains to make this resurrected body?  Should we be careful about how we dispose of our remains?  The bible puts no restrictions on the disposal of dead bodies, so I think we can conclude that nothing that happens with our remains is an obstacle for God in resurrecting us.

Here is just a theory.  Our genetics produce our body.  The Bible speaks of inheriting a sinful nature from our conception.  So it follows that our genetics have been altered from what they would have been had sin never entered the equation.  Our ideal genetics are like the Word of God speaking us into existence.  They are His information coding our design.  God will “re-speak” our ideal genetics and thus resurrect the ideal us.  It may or may not include any existing material from our remains.  We may or may not resurrect where we are “laid to rest”.  But we will resurrect, and it will be great for those who belong to Jesus.

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