Does the Bible teach that cremation is wrong?
Nowhere do we find a specific passage in Scripture that explicitly or even indirectly forbids the process of cremation as a body disposal/burial option. However, many people assume that the Bible only supports traditional, in-ground burials, and perhaps they get this idea from the following text:
“Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it.” Ecclesiastes 12:7
However, this is a blanket statement that refers to the nature and process of death, and not to the appropriate methods of body disposal. It does, if anything, support cremation when referring to our bodies as “dust.” History is flooded with records of people who had no choice as to how their body would be buried. Millions gave up their lives for their faith in the dark ages, and many of them were brought to ashes after being burned alive at a stake. Yet the Bible says these martyrs will be among God’s saints who will enter the Kingdom (Revelation 6:9–11; 7:13–17). Paul even alludes to this in the following verse:
“…And though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.” 1 Corinthians 13:3
Paul was not burned alive. He was beheaded. However, he references the realities of his day in which Rome often burned Christians alive in the colosseum for their faith in Christ. These people were essentially cremated, and obviously, their non-traditional body disposal method will not prevent them from salvation or eternal life in Christ.
We must consider that cremation often provides a more affordable way for people to properly bury their loved ones. Traditional in-ground burial can prove to be cost-prohibitive for some families, and cremation helps in those instances. Since there is no biblical evidence condemning cremation, we should not judge, but rather be there in loving support for our friends and family, regardless of their choice of burial method.