Session 3: Can I Be Cremated?

(Intro Music starts with first slide - read intro and move forward)

Welcome to Apologetics and the Gospel. My name is Pastor Jonathan White, and I am the Lead Pastor at CrossPointe Family Church in Hurricane, WV as well as a practicing Emergency Medicine Physician.

Question for Today: Can I Be Cremated?

Today's question is not a typical apologetic question. However it is a very common medical and family question that I feel needs addressed from both the medical community and from pastors. As a member of both of these fields, I think it will be a good one for us to tackle.

Why is this question asked?

1. The cost of mortuaries, grave plots, funeral and burial expenses is at an all-time high.

2. People do not wish to burden their families with these added costs.

3. Concern for the amount of space to bury individuals.

Because of these reasons, cremation has become much more common. In fact, the National Funeral Directors Associated stated that in 2022, the cremation rate was projected be around 59.3% (https://nfda.org/news/statistics).

A Scientific Understanding

What happens after death scientifically speaking?

Without going into too much detail for the faint of heart, the soft tissue of a human body after death breaks down fairly quickly and is completely decayed within months in most cases. Bones take years to decades or longer to decay and sometimes mineralize with surrounding minerals in the soil and actually stop decaying and can last many years.

So scientifically speaking - no matter how you are buried, most of the human body is not intact years later whether you are cremated or buried. The only outliers would be those who cryogenically freeze their bodies or those who are embalmed. Cryogenics brings up ethical issues of its own and most cannot afford it. That would be a talk for another day! Embalming depends on the kind of embalming done and does not preserve the body indefinitely - it just slows the decay.

Moving forward, as Christians, we want to ask the question…

A Biblical Understanding

What does the Bible teach about burial?

Before jumping into the following understandings, we must mention that these accounts are not taught as commands. They are customs that we see in the Bible. Some things in the Bible are descriptive - meaning that they describe what happened but are not actually definitive commands for us to follow. Many descriptive parts of the Bible actually even provide us with warnings of things we should avoid! While other parts of the Bible are prescriptive. As a physician this word makes a lot of sense to me. When I give a patient a prescription, I expect them to fill it at take the medication. So when God gives a prescriptive command, He expects us to follow it.

So keep that in mind as we move forward.

The Most Common Biblical Burial

The most common Biblical burial was placing bodies in tombs or caves. Examples of this are seemingly endless, but we need not look any further than our Lord Jesus Christ who was placed in a tomb (Matthew 27:57-61). We also see His friend Lazarus, who He raised from the dead that had been placed in a tomb (John 11:38-44).

This common form of burial was likely done because of the amount of tombs and caves in the land and the customs developed during this time period. There are other Scriptures that seem to insinuate a dug grave as well but they are less clear in the descriptive words provided.

An Instance of Cremation

The bodies of King Saul and his son Jonathan are cremated after they are killed in battle (1 Samuel 31:11-13).

However their bones are buried afterwards.

But today in the United States, a dug grave had been the most common form of burial until recently. But what is the major reason that Christians have chosen burials?

The Resurrection

Most believers have struggled with cremation because of the resurrection.

Yet, this understanding is somewhat misunderstood by many.

What Happens Right After We Die

We are told that when believers die, they go into the presence of the Lord.

Philippians 1:23 ESV

I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.

2 Corinthians 5:8 ESV

Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.

But we are also told that we will be raised in the last days - some to judgment and some to eternal life (John 5:28-29).

If our bodies are going to be raised, shouldn’t we try to preserve them in some form?

First off we need to understand that:

God Can Do Anything

He can resurrect a decomposed or cremated body.

God is the same God that made Adam from the dust! He can obviously do it again.

And secondly, we need to consider all of the saints that have died before. Consider Holy martyrs of God such as William Tyndale or John Hus whose bodies were burned at the stake. Do we think God will have a hard time resurrecting them unto their new glorified bodies? I think not!

So practically speaking…

Cremation

In essence, cremation just does what normal decomposition normally does but in a much shorter time frame.

A Conscience Decision

So can you be cremated? I think the answer lies within your conscience as you seek the Lord.

There is no specific command in Scripture against cremation. There is no specific command in Scripture on how one must bury the dead.

I think we see a teaching that we should honor those who have passed, but that does not necessarily teach against cremating a body. You can honor a loved one who is cremated as well.

So if you have peace regarding your decision for cremation, there is no Scripture that stands in your way.

I think questions like this should remind us that the Christian walk is a personal one. The Holy Spirit guides and directs us and helps us make decisions such as these.

James 1:5 ESV

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.

We obviously start with the Word of God. The Word of God is a lamp unto our feet and a light into our path (Psalm 119:105). But there are some decisions that we must make that are not specifically laid out as a direct command in Scripture. The decisions require our personal relationship with God to be close and intimate. He promises to guide and direct our paths through the power of the Holy Spirit.

The Answer to Our Question…

So the answer in principle to our question for today is that it is a conscience issue. Seek the Lord and follow His leading.

(Slide Closing 1)

This presentation has been put together to strengthen the faith of believers and to challenge the unbelief of others. I pray that you have found this presentation helpful.

Also, please note that this 10-15 minute presentation cannot exhaustively address most issues. My prayer is that it stimulates you to personally research further, and I am assured that you will find the Word of God proven time and time again.

(Slide Closing 2 with outro music)

Feel free to email any ideas you would like to see addressed by emailing me at [e-mail]. There are slides prepared for each of these presentations which can be accessed at our church website at crosspointefamily.church/ATG. God bless and have a blessed week.