Should Christians Cremate?

“Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen.”
Jeremiah 10:2

Cremation Statistics

1. God made you a three-part being – body, soul, and spirit – and God created all three parts for Himself. Every part of your existence, including your body, should be dedicated to His glory. You have no right to use any part of God’s creation as you wish. He is the Creator; He has the full right to dictate how His creations are treated.
   (Proof: Gen 2:7; Prov 16:4; Is 45:9-10; Matt 10:28; Rom 9:20-21; I Cor 6:12-14; I Thess 5:23; Jas 2:26; Rev 4:11.)
2. Whether in life or in death, you owe full bodily obedience and honor to God, for He is Lord of your body, as well as your soul and spirit. Whether eating or drinking in life, or the care of your body after death, you should do all things to His glory. You shall soon give an account to God of everything you have done in and to your body.
   (Proof: Lev 19:28; Num 19:11; Deut 14:1; Matt 5:29-30; Rom 6:12; 8:13; 11:36; 14:7-9; I Cor 6:18-20; 7:4,34; 9:27; 10:31; II Cor 4:8-11; 5:9-11; Phil 1:20; Col 3:17)
3. Jesus Christ died for all three parts of each of His elect, therefore there is a second compelling reason to treat the body of a saint in a way that shows faith and truth. Not only has the God of heaven created your body, He has also redeemed your body. Jesus Christ died to purchase your body from sin, and you have no right to cremate it; your body should be dedicated to magnify Jesus Christ by life or by death.
   (Proof: Rom 6:12; 7:24-25; 8:17-25; 14:7-9; I Cor 6:12-20; II Cor 5:14-15; 7:1; Gal 6:17; Phil 1:20; 3:21; Col 2:20-23; 3:17; I Thess 5:23; I Tim 6:13-16).
4. You are not your own. Your body was bought for the great price of Jesus Christ’s blood, so you should glorify God in your body, whether by life or death. God owned you as His creature, and but He also owns you by having bought you from your sins. You do not glorify God by burning His creation in a pagan practice from hell.
   (Proof: Rom 6:13; 7:24-25; 8:17-25; 12:1-2; 14:8; I Cor 6:12-20; II Cor 5:1-4; 7:1; Phil 1:20; 3:20-21).
5. Your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost, Who dwells in you. You cannot connect your body to harlots while living, so why should you connect it to Hinduism at death? The body is good enough for God to occupy it; you should not consider it such a despicable thing as to be burned to ashes in a rite taken from devil worship.
   (Proof: John 14:23; I Cor 6:15-20; 10:31; II Cor 1:22; 5:5; 6:16; Eph 1:14; Col 3:17).
6. The Lord Jesus Christ, Who was buried and rose from the dead Himself, will soon return and raise all dead bodies from the ground, for the resurrection of life or the resurrection of damnation. The doctrine of the resurrection, both of the Lord and of His elect, is a key doctrine of Christianity, and it is clearly denied and/or profaned by the hopeless and pagan burning of dead bodies, as if there is no future for them.
   (Proof: Job 19:25-27; Is 26:19; Matt 22:23-33; 27:50-54; 28:1-15; Mark 16:1-13; Luke 20:35-36; John 5:28-29; 11:23-26; Acts 1:22; 4:2,33; 17:16-34; 24:14-16; Rom 6:5; I Cor 15:1-58; Phil 3:8-11; Col 2:12; I Thess 4:13-18; II Tim 1:9-10; 2:18; Heb 6:1-2; 11:35; I Pet 3:21; Rev 1:18).
7. Due to Jesus Christ’s victory over sin, death, the grave, and hell, believers only go to sleep in Jesus when their bodies die. Though their bodies may decay, they will be raised and changed into glorious spiritual bodies at the resurrection. Why in the world would another Christian want to burn a fellow believer while he sleeps? Death is not the end of the body! It is only waiting for its great change at the resurrection!
   (Proof: II Sam 7:12; I Kgs 1:21; 2:10; Dan 12:2; Matt 27:52; Luke 8:52-53; John 11:11-14; Acts 7:60; 13:36; I Cor 15:6,18; II Cor 5:1-8; I Thess 4:13-15; 5:10; II Pet 3:4).
8. Due to Jesus Christ’s victory over sin, death, the grave, and hell, believers are planted in the ground to come forth with glorified, spiritual bodies. It is either hopeless ignorance or profane rebellion that would cause them to burn the seed of their future! Death is not the end of the body! It is the planting for a new body!
   (Proof: Rom 6:5; 8:17-25; I Cor 15:35-58; II Cor 5:1-8).
9. If God’s preservation of bodies, souls, and spirits to the coming of Jesus Christ was an important prayer of Paul, then why would we want to desecrate our bodies with a pagan ritual at death? How could we make such a prayer ourselves while burning each other’s bodies? For consistency’s sake, let us honor and preserve our bodies.
   (Proof: I Thess 5:23-24; I Pet 1:3-5).
10. Whether by precept, principle, or example, true saints are Bible Christians, measuring everything they do by the words of God in the Scriptures. They do not need a direct verse stating the obvious, if there are plenty of principles and indirect verses to condemn a thing. The Bible easily forbids cremation by exalting burial of the body and condemning any profaning of the body, denial of the resurrection, or learning the way of the heathen.
    (Proof: Ps 119:128; Is 8:20; Acts 17:11; Rom 15:4; I Cor 10:11; I Thess 5:21; II Tim 3:16-17).
11. It is typical of our profane nation to ignore the Bible, as pagan customs become ever more popular. Cremation was once nauseating to Christians, but modern ones have compromised with the world so much they no longer see any difference. The rise of cremation during the moral degeneration of the nation says much of its morality.
    (Proof: Jer 6:16; Amos 8:11-12; Rom 1:18-32; II Cor 2:17; 11:3-4,13-15; II Tim 3:1-7,13; 4:3-4).
12. Abraham, the friend of God and the father of the faithful, purchased the first family cemetery, and many family members were buried there by oaths and promises. Consider these many examples well, as this is the clear practice of the sons of God.
    (Proof: Gen 15:15; 23:1-20; 25:9-10; 35:8,19,29; 47:29-31; 49:28-33; 50:1-14).
13. Joseph wanted his bones carried out of Egypt, so he could be buried in Canaan, though they had to keep his embalmed body in a coffin for about 200 years until the Exodus. It would have been so much simpler to carry an urn of his ashes to Canaan!
    (Proof: Gen 50:24-26; Ex 13:19; Josh 24:32).
14. God buried Moses himself, since he wanted to hide the body. He could have simply cremated it, but He was not in the habit of pagan rites, especially for His friends and devoted men! And though there was no marker in a cemetery, Moses was buried.
    (Proof: Deut 34:5-8; Jude 1:9).
15. Eleazar, the son of Aaron the high priest, was buried in a family plot on property owned by his son Phinehas.
    (Proof: Joshua 24:33).
16. King Saul’s decapitated and defiled body was burned, but it was still buried. Even criminals who had been put to death were to be buried. And Achan and his family, though stoned and burned for their terrible sin, were buried under a pile of stones.
    (Proof: Deut 21:22-23; Joshua 7:24-26; I Sam 31:8-13; II Sam 2:5-6).
17. David, a powerful figure and type of the Lord Jesus Christ, was carefully buried; and the location of his tomb was still well known 1000 years later in Jerusalem.
    (Proof: I Kings 2:10; 11:43; Acts 2:29; 13:36).
18. John the Baptist was buried, though Herod’s men of war had cut his head off and given it away for a birthday present. Why did the disciples not just leave the body for the jailors to dispose of it? Why did the disciples not just cremate the headless corpse? Why was it still important to his disciples to bury John’s decapitated body?
    (Proof: Matt 14:1-12; Mark 6:14-29).
19. The Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth was buried, and that should be good enough for any true disciple of His, for true disciples want to follow His holy example. Even though his body had been mangled, and there was no funeral, they still took the pains to prepare his body for burial and place it in a very secure tomb.
    (Proof: Isaiah 53:9; Matt 27:57-60; Mark 15:43-46; Luke 23:50-53; John 19:38-42; Acts 13:29; I Cor 15:4).
20. Women anointed Jesus’ body with costly spices, before and after He died. And He was buried in the tomb of a rich believer, which he had purchased for his own burial. Even after His body had been dead three days, it was still important to honor it.
    (Proof: Matt 26:12; 27:57-60; Mark 16:1; John 12:1-8).
21. God condemned the unnecessary burning of bodies, especially for child sacrifice; but He also condemned the Moabites for cremating the king of Edom.
    (Proof: Lev 18:21; Deut 12:29-31; 18:10; II Kgs 16:3; Jer 7:29-34; Ezek 23:37; Amos 2:1).
22. Burning was used only for very severe judgment of exceptional crimes or to desecrate and pollute something. There is a burning coming in the future, when God will burn up this planet and its wickedness and then cast them into the lake of fire.
    (Proof: Gen 19:24-29; Ex 32:20; Lev 10:1-2; 20:14; 21:9; Num 11:1; 16:35; Deut 7:25; Josh 7:24-26; II Kgs 10:26; 23:15-17; I Chr 14:12; Matt 25:41; Mark 9:44; Luke 17:28-30; Acts 19:18-19; II Pet 2:6; Jude 1:7; Rev 14:11; 20:15).
23. Men naturally love their bodies, which they show by cherishing and nourishing them. But burning a body, even after death, shows a person without natural affection, similar to the sin of sodomy. Only pagans that despise the body can do it. Blinded by the devil, Hindus burn the hair, face, flesh, and body of their parents, spouses, and children to their gods! Then they cast the ashes in a sacred river!
    (Proof: Prov 11:17; 16:26; Song 5:9-16; 7:1-9; Rom 1:31; Eph 4:17-19; 5:28-29; II Tim 3:3).
24. God’s judgment on Adam at death was to return to the ground from which he had been taken. God had created him from the dust of the ground, not from the ashes of a campfire. He was to return to dust, not be turned into ashes. “Dust to dust,” though not found in that form in the Bible, is yet true; but “ashes to ashes” is not true!
    (Proof: Gen 3:19; Job 34:15; Ps 104:29; Eccl 3:20; 12:7; Dan 12:2).
25. Not having a proper burial was once a disgrace, which is why great pains were taken to give relatives or saints a proper burial. Burning a body is incredibly profane, but most so-called Christians have lost their horror and revulsion at the idea due to the gradual acceptance of it by a corrupt society and promotion of it by crematoriums.
    (Proof: I Kgs 21:23-24; II Kgs 9:30-37; Ps 83:9-10; Eccl 6:3; Jer 22:18-19; 26:23; 36:30; II Tim 3:1-5; 4:3-4; Jas 4:4).
26. The New Testament era was no different – Christians buried their dead. Martha and Mary buried Lazarus. Even the sinful Ananias and Sapphira were buried after lying to the Holy Ghost. And the family or friends of the rich man also buried him.
    (Proof: Matt 8:22; 27:1-10,57-60; Luke 16:22; John 11:33-44; Acts 5:1-11; 8:2).
27. Bible baptism is a burial, when it is done correctly by immersion, because it presents an outstanding picture in water of burial and resurrection, as God intended. If you choose to cremate the dead, you should forget about baptism as an ordinance, for you are denying and rejecting the truth of the resurrection that baptism portrays.
    (Proof: John 3:23; I Cor 15:29; Rom 6:5; Col 2:12; I Pet 3:21).
28. The devil’s name is Apollyon in Greek and Abaddon in Hebrew, both of which mean destroyer. Harming the body in life or death is devilish in origin. Judas was a good example of what the devil thinks of life and the body. The devil was a liar and murderer from the beginning, and we should recognize his evil influence. Burning a body to ashes is what will happen to him and his children in an eternal hell.
    (Proof: Gen 3:1-7; Job 1:1-22; 2:1-10; Matt 8:29; 15:22; 25:41; 27:5; Mark 5:1-15; 9:44,46,48; Luke 9:42; 13:16; John 8:44; Acts 1:18; I Cor 5:5; I Tim 1:20; II Pet 2:4; Jude 1:6; Rev 9:11; 12:7-17; 14:11; 20:10,15).
29. Cremation is devil worship, by desecrating and destroying a good gift from God in a pagan practice copied from the darkest nations and tribes on earth. It does not matter what your motive or reasons might be, for the devil is behind all false worship, especially such a practice taken from the most deluded and profane peoples on earth.
    (Proof: Lev 17:7; Deut 32:17; II Chron 11:15; Ps 106:37; Mark 16:17-20; John 6:70; 8:44; 13:2; Acts 13:10; 26:18; I Cor 10:18-22; II Cor 11:3-4,13-15; Eph 2:1-3; II Thess 2:3-12; I Tim 4:1; Rev 12:7-17; 16:14).
30. Christians are not to even touch the things of pagan religion or befriend this world and its ideas, philosophies, or practices. Cremation cannot be separated from pagan worship historically, as it originated and was perpetuated by pagans. Pagans had numerous explanations for the soul and the body, and they believed fire had benefits for their soul. Hindus, wanting to get to their next body, sought to destroy the first.
    (Proof: I Cor 10:20; II Cor 6:14-18; James 4:4; II Pet 3:4; I John 2:15-17; Rev 18:4).
31. We are not to learn the way of the heathen. Hindus are lost pagans – total rejecters of the true God and gospel of Jesus Christ – and they popularized cremation. They do not think the human body is any more important than the grasshopper or sparrow body they will inhabit next. They have no hope, truth, or wisdom at all. Their nation is a land of darkness and ignorance, much like the nations of Canaan before Joshua.
    (Proof: Lev 18:1-5; Deut 12:1-4; 12:29-32; Ps 19:1-6; Jer 10:1-2; Rom 1:18-32; II Cor 6:14-18; Rev 18:4).
32. The Roman Catholic Church is the Great Whore, and her popes are the prophesied Man of Sin. They have been whitewashing pagan practices since their beginning. They endorsed the modern rush to cremation, having granted permission for it in 1963 and authorized masses for it in 1997. They did this in spite of official condemnation of it with severe penalties in 1886 and 1892. Whores will change!
    (Proof: Prov 5:6; Dan 7:1-28; II Thess 2:1-12; I Tim 4:1-3; Rev 17:1-6; 18:4).
33. Americans did not cremate until 1876 in Washington, PA. This was 234 years after the Pilgrims arrived. There were only 28 cremations during 1876-1884. It became popular in the last 30 years, when the nation rushed after the Beatles (African beat and Hindu influence) and many other pagan influences. Or have you forgotten George Harrison singing, “My Sweet Lord,” to Hare Krishna and Hare Rama?
34. Pagan Americans abort the body by numerous cruel methods at the beginning of life, so we should not be surprised that they cremate it at the end of life. They are pagans from start to finish. They have no regard for human life or respect for the human body; personal convenience and economics are far more important. What corrupted their thoughts so greatly? The acceptance of evolution as the source of life.
35. It was the profane Satanists of pagan and papal Rome that burned the blessed martyrs at the stake to show their diabolical hatred for Jesus Christ and His true followers. Destruction, hate, and murder are his trademarks. It is devotion to the devil to take a body and offer it in sacrifice to Satan through a crematorium’s oven. It matters little what you think you are doing; you are engaged in the devil’s religion.
36. Cost has nothing to do with this issue at all. Since when does money dictate truth and righteousness? God forbid! Shall fathers sell their daughters to make a rent payment? Shall judges compromise justice to take a bribe? Shall pastors preach a lie for a little extra in the plate? Judas denied Jesus Christ for a mere thirty pieces of silver. Will you deny Him as well for the small financial gain of burning over burial?
37. If you have cremated believing relatives, or if you are cremated against your will, there is no problem. Jesus Christ has a catalog of every cell of your body, and He will resurrect you just as easily in the near future as anyone in an expensive coffin. The natural process of dissolution of these clay tabernacles means nothing to God; but it is His work to dissolve your body for the resurrection, not yours to burn it.
    (Proof: Job 19:25-27; Ps 139:12-16; Col 1:17; Heb 1:3).
38. Rather than follow pagan Hindus or Americans and burn bodies in denial of Jesus Christ and worship of the devil, let us follow the martyrs that carefully collected the bodies of saints from the Coliseum floor and buried them in the subterranean tombs of the catacombs. Their souls are under the altar of God waiting for the resurrection, when they will reclaim their bodies to rule the world and destroy their enemies!
    (Proof: Heb 11:32-40; 12:22-24; Rev 6:9-11; 19:11-21).
39. Praise the glorious God of heaven! Jesus Christ is coming soon to raise all the dead, whether buried or cremated. Those that have followed false gods or disobeyed the gospel will be consigned to everlasting torment, and those that have honored the body for Christ’s sake and waited for the resurrection will be ushered into heaven.
    (Proof: Matt 7:21-23; II Thess 1:7-10; 4:13-18; I Tim 6:13-16).
40. The conclusion is simple. Cremation is devil worship and rejection of Jesus Christ and His gospel. Though whitewashed by Roman Catholics and sanitized by modern crematoriums, the true followers of Jesus Christ will have nothing to do with it. His ministers and churches will not allow it, and they will speak boldly against it.

For Further Study:

1. The sermon outline, Your Body Is the Lord’s, shows in detail how your body belongs to God and details many sins of the body against Jesus Christ that are allowed or promoted today.
2. The sermon outline, Death Declared, Defied, and Destroyed, shows the victory of Jesus Christ and His elect over sin, death, and hell to glorious hope of the resurrection and an eternity in heaven.
3. The sermon outline, I Corinthians 15, which examines this chapter of the Bible and its promises of a coming resurrection and a glorified body for all the elect.
4. The sermon outline, He Ascended Up on High, reviews the glorious resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ from earth to heaven, which the elect will do soon.
5. Cremation: What Does God Think? by David Cloud of Way of Life Ministries.
6. Historical Cremation Statistics from 1876-2002 for US and Canada.