CHRIST'S BURIAL
"Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and THAT HE WAS BURIED, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures" - 1 Cor 15:1-4

Devotion 4 of 14

CASES OF CREMATION
      For some, this is a sensitive subject--particularly because of current trends favoring cremation. While it is not my intention to cause offence, or to impose rules upon people God has not imposed, it IS my intention to declare what has been said on this subject. Your view of the matter is your own responsibility. I will endeavor to provide a Scriptural context in which personal decisions on the subject can be reached. However, the decision you reach is your business, not mine. I am not sitting in judgment, but declaring what is written.

      Aachan and his family (Josh 7:25). This is certainly not a suitable precedent for believers to follow! Aachan was judged for breaking the commandment of the Lord.
 
      Saul and his sons (1 Sam 31:12-13). Technically, this was not a cremation. The bones were preserved and buried in keeping with the manner of the people of God.

      The Priests of the high places (2 Kgs 23:20). Again, this cannot be adduced as a precedent for those who have embraced the Lord by faith. This action was related to cursing, not blessing. It also was completely dissociated from hope.

      The burning of the bones of the king of Edom (Amos 2:1). The Lord denounced Moab because it burned the bones of the king of Edom. "Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Moab, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because he burned the bones of the king of Edom into lime" (Amos 2:1). Something of the Divine mind is certainly revealed in this word.

      Throughout Scripture, burial is always the norm--and there are no exceptions. Historically, wherever the Gospel has been received, the people chose to bury their dead rather than cremate them. During the first century, under the powerful influence of the Gospel of Christ, Rome abandoned cremation in favor of burial. The same thing happened in Scandinavia during the eleventh century. In cultures where God is not known, cremation is common. That is because the truth of the resurrection is not known among them. Like the Athenians and Stoics, the "resurrection of the dead" is counted as a strange thing among them (Acts 17:32). 

      Suffice it to say, no person, however astute can defend the act of cremation from the Word of God. Any and every person seeking to defend this practice resorts to human reasoning. Such logic is wholly inappropriate for the believer! While the manner in which the disposition of the body is handled is not the determining factor in obtaining eternal life, it does reveal a type of thinking totally unknown in Scripture. No patriarch, Moses, nor any prophet--not Jesus, nor any Apostle every provided the slightest hint that cremation was, or ever would be, practiced among those embracing the hope of the resurrection. This is an observation that simply cannot be contested.

The Sowing of the Body
      Scriptures represent burial as an act of faith. It is done in hope of the resurrection. "So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: 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. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body" (1 Cor 15:42-44). Just as Christ's mission was not completed until He rose from the dead, so our salvation is not complete until we too rise from the dead. As it is written, "Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies" (Rom
8:23, NIV). How marvelous! Our "adoption" is here equated with the resurrection, or redemption, of our bodies! We are comprised of "spirit, soul, and body" (1 Thess 5:23). Salvation addresses us in our totality--spirit, soul, and body. The experience of salvation is not complete until we are raised from the dead. Until that time, we have "the firstfruits of the Spirit." In that condition, we yearn for the completion of our adoption. The burial of the body blends with this stance.

      Cremation is an act of hopelessness, not hope. Those who retain the ashes of a "loved one" accentuate memory, not hope. Believers throughout the ages, however, have "planted" the bodies of generations in hope of the resurrection. It makes as much sense to burn seed corn in hopes of a harvest as to burn a body in hope of the resurrection!

      I am painfully aware that this is offensive to some of my readers. However, your thoughts, which are between you and your Lord, should be as much in harmony with the Word of God as possible. Even in your death, you should seek a view that is compatible with the ancients, who enjoyed Divine visitations and looked forward to the resurrection. Whatever reasons may be offered for cremation, not a single one of them comes from the Word of God. They are, without exception, founded upon human reason. There is not a syllable in the entirety of Scripture to support them--not a word that would lead one to embrace them. While some are content to found thinking on such a flimsy foundation, I cannot. For that reason I have spoken, and make no apology for my stance.

PRAYER POINT: Father, in the name of Your only begotten Son, help me to die in faith, looking forward to the resurrection of the dead. Following my departure, grant that my body may be handled in keeping with the stance of Your people throughout the centuries.

-- TOMORROW: OUR BODIES ARE THE MEMBERS OF CHRIST --