Cremation or Burial? What the Bible Really Says About Death, Dignity, and Resurrection

Cremation or burial — does it matter to God?

In this powerful episode of Behind the Mike Podcast, Mike Stone explores one of the most asked questions among Christians today: Is cremation biblical, or should we stick with burial?

Together, we’ll walk through:

• What the Bible says about burial and burning.
• How early Christians viewed cremation.
• The theology of the body and resurrection hope.
• Practical considerations: cost, culture, and family convictions.
• Why the real issue isn’t ashes vs. casket, but where your soul rests for eternity.

Whether you’ve wrestled with this question for yourself or for a loved one, this conversation will give you clarity, comfort, and confidence in Christ.

👉 Share this episode with someone facing end-of-life decisions.
👉 Explore more resources at BehindTheMike.net.

Key Scripture References: Genesis 23, 1 Corinthians 15 & 19, Ezekiel 37, Revelation 20, Romans 14, 1 Thessalonians 4.

⏱ Timestamped Chapters:

• 00:00 – The question: Cremation or burial?
• 00:29 – Is cremation biblical? What Scripture shows us.
• 01:20 – Burial in the Bible: Abraham, Joseph, David, and Jesus.
• 02:15 – Cremation in Scripture: judgment vs. honor.
• 02:49 – The body as the temple of the Holy Spirit.
• 03:16 – Resurrection hope: dust, ashes, and God’s power.
• 03:57 – Early church history and the rise of burial.
• 04:58 – Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox perspectives.
• 05:27 – Practical reasons families choose cremation.
• 06:04 – Romans 14: conviction, wisdom, and faith.
• 06:31 – The heart of the matter: our hope in Christ.
• 07:29 – Closing encouragement: death is not the end.

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Episode Transcript

(00:01):
Imagine standingin a funeral home.
Planning for a loved one.
You're shown two paths.
One leads to traditional burialwith a casket and a plot,
the other to a simple urnfilled with ashes.
Which one feels right?
Here's a surprisingreality in 2024, neither nearly

(00:21):
62% of Americans chose cremationover burial, up
from just around 5%in the 1960s.
That's a seismic shiftin just a few decades.
By 2045, cremation could accountfor more than 80%
of final dispositionsnationwide.
Now, for many Christians,this trend stirs up questions.

(00:43):
Is cremation biblical?
Does it dishonor the body?
Will God still resurrect ashes?
Those aren't just practicalquestions.
They cut to the very heartof what we believe
about death, dignity,and eternity.
So here's the real question.
Does it matter to Godwhat happens to our bodies

(01:04):
after we die?
Well, buckle up because we'regoing to get fired up and start
digging for the truth.
All right, let'sstart with Scripture.
If you look through the Bible,the overwhelming pattern

(01:27):
is burial.
Abraham boughta burial cave for Sarah
in Genesis 23.
Jacob was buried in thatsame family tomb.
Joseph made the Israelitespromise to take his bones
back to the Promised Land.
David, Solomon,and most of the kings
of Israel were buried.

(01:47):
And of course,the most significant
burial of all was Jesus himself.
He was placed in a tomb.
So we see throughout Scripturethat burial was the norm.
It was seen as a way ofhonoring the body.
So what about burning?
There are some examples,but they're usually negative.
In Joshua 7, Achanand his family were burned

(02:10):
after God's judgment.
In first Samuel 31.
King Saul's body was burnedafter his death.
But most scholarsthink it was probably
for sanitary reasons,since the Philistines
had mutilated him.
Burning was often connectedwith judgment, curse,
or desecration.
Not with honor.
But here's the key.

(02:31):
Nowhere in Scripture does theBible explicitly
forbid cremation.
It just consistently presentsburial as the expected way.
This brings us to the theologyof the body.
Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians

6 (02:45):
19 that our bodies are the temple
of the Holy Spirit.
That's why Christianshave historically
treated the body with dignityeven after death.
Now, I believe that at deaththe body and the soul
are separated.
But more on that later.
Paul also talksabout the resurrection
in 1 Corinthians.
He compares burialto planting a seed

(03:07):
where the body is sownin weakness, raised in glory.
That imagery has been powerfulfor Christians.
A burial can be like saying,we're planting this body
in hope of resurrection.
But here's an important point.
God's ability to raisethe dead is not limited
by whether a bodyis buried, burned, lost at sea,

(03:31):
eaten by a whale,or decomposed into dust.
Ezekiel saw God raise an entirevalley of dry bones.
Revelation describesthe sea giving up its dead.
So the objection thatif you're cremated, you can't
be resurrected.
It doesn't hold water.
Our God is more than capableof reassembling

(03:51):
and glorifying ourbodies no matter what.
So what about history?
Early Christians almost alwayspracticed burial.
Part of that was theological,but part of it was just
cultural, too.
In Rome, pagans oftenpracticed cremation.

(04:12):
So Christianswanted to stand apart.
That's why the catacombs exist.
There were burial placesfor believers.
A testimony of hopein the resurrection.
For centuries, burial remainedthe dominant Christian practice.
The reformers likeLuther and Calvin
didn't forbid cremation,but they still lean

(04:33):
toward burial.
Today's views vary by tradition.
The Catholic Churchnow permits cremation,
but prefers burial.
And they ask that ashes be keptin a sacred place
rather than scattered.
Many Protestant churchesleave it up
to personal conviction.
Eastern Orthodoxchurches still strongly

(04:54):
oppose cremation, emphasizingrespect for the body.
So across history,burial has been the default.
But cremationhas become accepted
in many places.
And let's be real,sometimes this question
isn't only theological,it's practical.
Cost concerns.

(05:14):
Burial can costthousands of dollars
more than cremation.
For some families,that's a huge factor.
Environmental concerns.
Some people choose cremationbecause they see it as less
disruptive to the Earth.
On the flip side, green burialsare growing in popularity.
Family convictions.
Sometimes it comes downto what the family feels

(05:38):
honors their loved one best.
And this is where Romans14 comes in.
Paul says each one shouldbe fully convinced
in their own mind.
And whateverwe do, do it in faith.
So the main thing isthat our decision
isn't made in fearor superstition,

(06:00):
but in confidence that God holdsour future.
So where does that leave us?
I'd put it this way.
Burial is the historicChristian practice,
and it carries rich symbolismabout resurrection.
Cremation is not condemnedin Scripture.
And God's power to raise usis not limited by it.

(06:21):
And the decisionultimately rests
in personal conviction,guided by faith, family
and wisdom.
But, friends,here's the heart of it.
Whether we're buriedor cremated, whether our bodies
turn to dust in the groundor ashes in an urn,
the same hope remains.
1 Thessalonians 4 saysthat when Christ

(06:43):
returns, the dead in Christwill rise first.
Our identityis not in the condition
of our remains.
It's in Christ.
He has conquered death,and he will
raise us up in glory.
So if you take nothing elsefrom today's
conversation, take this.
What matters most is nothow your body is laid to rest,

(07:07):
but whether your soulis resting in Christ.
And that's the hopethat we cling to.
Death is not the end for thosewho belong in Jesus.
The grave.
Whether it holds dust or ashesis only the doorway
to resurrection life.

(07:29):
Well, thanks for joining me onBehind the Mike Podcast.
If this episode helpedyou bring some clarity,
would you share it witha friend?
Maybe you know someonewho's wrestling
with this question.
That's why we do this.
And as always, you can find moreepisodes, blog articles
and resources at Behindthe Mike.net.

(07:49):
Until next time, I'm Mike Stonereminding you
that no matter whatthe world throws at you,
there's always hope in Jesus.