I get it, no one wants to talk about death. It’s uncomfortable, unknown, and whether we want to admit it or not, a little scary. But just like taxes and Pumpkin-Spice-everything hitting the shelves way too early in the year, it’s an inevitability we all have to face at some point in our lives.
The Bible has plenty to say about life after death… but does it have anything to say about burial? Does the scripture favor or prohibit those choices? What does the Bible say about cremation, specifically?
It’s a question worth asking. According to the National Funeral Directors Association (yes, it’s a thing), the US cremation rate has been on a steady increase. Clocking in at only 27% a few decades ago, it jumped to 60.5% in 2023 and is expected to exceed 80% by 2045.
There are lots of reasons for this. Cremation is generally much more cost-effective for a grieving family, and offers more convenience, flexibility, and privacy than a traditional funeral and burial. Oftentimes, though, people of faith have recoiled at this option. But before we jump to conclusions, it’s worth asking: what does the Bible say about cremation?
What does the Bible Say About Cremation?
While cremation wasn’t commonly practiced among the ancient Israelites and early followers of Jesus, the Bible doesn’t overtly prohibit, or endorse, any burial practice—cremation included. But whether you’re interested in the answer to this question because of a current loss in your family (my heart goes out to you), or purely out of curiosity, the Bible does say a few things that might help you come to your own decision.
Let’s jump through them quickly and then tie up any loose ends together.
Cremation in the Bible?
1) We’re Made of Dust…and Will Return To It
On the first pages of the Bible, God makes humanity out of dust. He breathes his own breath into them, and they come to life. Designed to live in paradise alongside God, people mistrust and disobey him, introducing death…and a whole host of other consequences. One of them is the promise that all life will eventually return to its original form: dust.
“By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” (Genesis 3:19)
This Scripture is the origin point of the phrase commonly heard at funeral services: “ashes to ashes, and dust to dust.”
What does this mean for us? No matter what we choose to do with our body after death, the ultimate reality is that it is returning to its Maker—whether in a casket or an urn.
2) Imago Dei Matters
While it might sound like a category from Final Jeopardy, Imago Dei is a concept woven throughout the Scriptures. Taken from Latin and meaning “image of God,” the idea is introduced on page one of the Bible—and is a constant throughout the rest of the book.
“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” (Genesis 1:27)
While panda bears, redwood trees, and meteors are pretty freakin’ cool, it’s only humanity that is made with the Imago Dei imprinted on them. Because of this fact, the way we treat ourselves and others is of paramount value in Christianity.
Most Biblical mandates—from loving our enemies, to honoring our parents, to caring for the poor, to avoiding overeating—can be traced back to this idea. Human life has value, and we’re called to protect and care for it.
Personally, I don’t think that dictates what you do with a body after death, but rather that you make an informed decision built on respect for God’s creation. In the Scriptures, the ultimate disrespect to a deceased body isn’t to burn it, but to leave it unattended (see here and here for examples).
What does this mean for us? We honor the image of God when we treat humans with respect, in life and in death.
3) Lots of Pages, Lots of Options
The text of the Bible covers thousands of years, from ancient history all the way up to the first century AD. As you’d imagine, cultural norms and societal preferences change dramatically over time—from food, to family structures, to, yes, even burial practices.
Looking across the pages of the Bible, it’s easy to see that the most common burial practice among the people of God was internment, though most often in caves, and not necessarily in the ground, as is common now. For example, when Sarah, the beloved wife of Abraham, passes away, an entire chapter is dedicated to his efforts to secure a proper resting place for her. Spoiler alert: Abraham buys a cave and is later buried there himself.
While internment was the most common practice, it isn’t the only one highlighted by the Bible. Joseph, the great-grandson of Abraham, lived most of his life in Egypt—first as a slave, and then rising to second-in-command behind Pharaoh. Following the customs of Egypt, he was embalmed after his death, but not buried, so that his wish to have his bones returned to the Promised Land could be followed.
Later, Saul, the first king of Israel, died alongside his sons in battle. After stumbling upon the fallen king, his enemies, the Philistines, further desecrated his body through decapitation and hanging it on a wall. As a final sign of respect for their leader, the Bible says that men of Israel dared to recover Saul’s body, and that of his sons, and burned them (1 Samuel 31). The Bible refers to these men as “valiant.”
The next king, David, praises the men who risked their necks to recover and bury Saul, and later, David makes a move to recover his predecessor’s bones and relocate them to a family plot. Wait? Bury? Bones? I thought Saul was cremated?
This is a spot where it seems the Bible contradicts itself, but in reality, it’s giving a complete picture. Turns out, bones don’t burn all that well. Even in modern crematoriums, where temperatures can be raised to 2000°F, many bones are left behind—at which point they are ground into a fine powder and mixed with the traditional ashes before being passed on to the surviving family members. Out in the field in ancient Israel, there’s no way a couple of soldiers would be able to get a bonfire anywhere near hot enough to destroy Saul’s bones.
While cremation is never explicitly prohibited in scripture, the burning of bodies after death is often portrayed, especially in the Old Testament, as a final act of punishment. One example is the story of Achan (Joshua 7), a man whose disobedience to God resulted in 30 innocent people losing their lives in battle. Achan paid for his mistake with his life, and afterward, his body was burned.
What does it mean for us? Cremation is just one of a long list of societal norms that are constantly changing. For example, in pre-Christian Europe, decorating your home with evergreens, feasting, and burning logs would have marked you as a pagan celebrating Yule. This December, if you do any (or all) of those things, no one will assume you’re a Druid. Societal norms are constantly evolving, and since the Bible doesn’t prohibit cremation, I believe this means you have the freedom to think, consider, and make a choice. Kind of like gambling. Or tattoos. Or your TV choices.
All this said, the most important thing likely isn’t the choice to cremate or not cremate, but the intent behind it.
4) What Matters More
In my own life, I’ve heard followers of Jesus reject cremation as a viable (and maybe even God-honoring) choice because of their hope in a future resurrection. To be clear, Scripture does teach that Jesus is going to return to Earth as a conquering King, that the dead will be raised, and that he will reign forever.
The argument goes: ‘Burning a body might have some effect on that hope for a future resurrection’. But pulling on that string, it unravels quicker than your favorite sweater. If that’s the case, what does it mean for people who have died tragically in house fires? Or at sea? Or in warfare? Or in explosions or accidents?
Clearly, the Creator of all life doesn’t have a ceiling to his resurrection power. If the mutilated body of Christ can be raised to new life, so can the body of any believer, no matter how they died or chose to be buried.
What matters most isn’t the burial option we settle on, but the hope that comes to followers of Jesus after death. Paul makes this clear in a letter to believers in Corinth, at a time in the 1st century when cremation was a very popular burial practice among the world’s superpower, Rome.
“But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?” You foolish person! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. And what you sow is not the body that is to be, but a bare kernel…
So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body…
Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:
“Death is swallowed up in victory.” “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 15:35-37, 42-43, 51-57)
That’s a lot of words to say this: what we will be in the future isn’t who we are now. When Jesus returns, as a king, he will make all things new—including us. What we choose to do with our bodies after death can’t limit His good work.
What does it mean for us? For followers of Jesus, our future hope isn’t tied to the burial practice we chose, but the redeeming work of Jesus, which brings us into relationship with the Father, and gives us hope for the future—both on Earth, and after it.
The Final Resting Place
Unfortunately, loss is a staple of life on Earth. One day, God will gather his children to himself and put an end to sickness, death, and grief once and for all. Until that day, we can take solace in the fact that the most important decisions we have to make won’t be between burial plots and cremation urns, but in trusting our life (and the life to come) into the hands of a good Father. In light of His goodness, every other choice becomes secondary.
So no matter what choice you make, do it trusting that death returns you to the Father; that you are made in His image; that burial is pretty open-ended in the Bible; and the most important thing isn’t your final resting place on earth, but where your soul will find rest eternally.
Disclaimer: This article is 100% human-generated.
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At Crossroads, we major on the majors and minor on the minors. We welcome a diverse community of people who all agree that Jesus is Lord and Savior, even if they view minor theological and faith topics in different ways based on their unique experiences. Our various authors embody that principle, and we approach you, our reader, in the same fashion. You don’t have to agree with every detail of any article you see here to be part of this community or pursue faith. Chances are even our whole staff doesn’t even agree with every detail of what you just read. We are okay with that tension. And we think God is okay with that, too. The foundation of everything we do is a conviction that the Bible is true and that accepting Jesus is who he said he is leads to a healthy life of purpose and adventure—and eternal life with God.
