May 14, 2024 • 8 mins
Have you ever grappled with the delicate balance between faith and mourning, especially when it comes to the topic of cremation? Many of you have reached out with this deep and poignant question, sparking today's exploration into how this practice fits within the Christian belief system. In the intimate spaces where grief meets belief, we find ourselves questioning the scriptural stance on honoring our loved ones. This episode promises a compassionate journey through the Scriptures, offering a beacon of understanding and solace for those navigating loss and the decisions that follow.
Our conversation takes a turn into the heart of Romans 14 and 1 Corinthians 10, emphasizing our freedom and responsibility in Christ to make choices that both honor God and uphold the dignity of those who have passed. We share a moving story of a family confronted by misguided condemnation during their mourning and use this to affirm the power of God's infinite ability to transcend our earthly decisions. Whether you're faced with these choices now or are seeking comfort for the future, join us as we confront these tender topics with grace and scriptural wisdom, all while honoring the individual and the faith we profess.
Our conversation takes a turn into the heart of Romans 14 and 1 Corinthians 10, emphasizing our freedom and responsibility in Christ to make choices that both honor God and uphold the dignity of those who have passed. We share a moving story of a family confronted by misguided condemnation during their mourning and use this to affirm the power of God's infinite ability to transcend our earthly decisions. Whether you're faced with these choices now or are seeking comfort for the future, join us as we confront these tender topics with grace and scriptural wisdom, all while honoring the individual and the faith we profess.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to Beyond Sunday, where we delve into the
rich traditions of our faithmarriage, parenting, theology
and the practical questions thatarise as we navigate our
Christian walk.
Today's episode comes from alistener's heartfelt query.
In fact, if you don't know, Itake listeners' questions and
dive into them from a scripturalview.
So if you do have questionsthat you'd love answered,
(00:22):
whether it's theology ormarriage or parenting or
leadership, feel free to emailme.
Or at the bottom of the shownotes there should be a place to
text in as well.
But this question came inseveral weeks ago and it's not
an uncommon question.
And the question was this whatdoes the Bible say about
cremation?
Is cremation wrong?
And, honestly, this is a topicthat touches the core of our
(00:45):
beliefs about life, death anddignity.
Picture a family gatheringwhere each person brings a
different perspective to thetable.
They're reflecting on the lifeof a loved one who recently
passed away.
As they sift through oldphotographs and letters, they
face the delicate decision ofchoosing between burial and
(01:07):
cremation.
This decision, while personal,also taps into their faith and
the desire to honor their lovedones in the right way.
This is a moment that I sit inwith families over and over
again.
In fact years ago.
I'll never forget this moment,over and over again, in fact,
years ago.
I'll never forget this moment.
(01:27):
I'm sitting with a family thathad their son cremated.
You can imagine the heartbreakin the room, as it was.
But then the mom burst outcrying and I assume at first
it's just the situation that wefind ourselves in.
But one of the other sonsspeaks up and lets me know that
her cousin had just told her bycremating her son, that she had
(01:51):
condemned him to hell.
And there is so much I can sayabout that moment.
Sitting there in the room thatday.
First off, that is far from thetruth and far from what the
Bible says, but I just foundmyself so mad that somebody
would speak that into somebody'slife in such a hard moment.
It's in moments like these thatwe have to decide.
(02:14):
How do we align our decisionswith our faith?
What does Scripture guide us toconsider when facing modern
practices like cremation, whichweren't explicitly mentioned in
biblical times?
Today we'll explore this topicnot just through the lens of
tradition, but through what theBible teaches about life, death
(02:35):
and how we honor those who havedeparted.
The first thing I want to diveinto is kind of biblical
practices and the absence ofprohibition.
It's crucial to start byacknowledging that the Bible
does not explicitly addresscremation.
In biblical times, burial wasthe most common practice, often
(02:59):
seen as a mark of respect and away to honor the dead.
Notable figures like Abraham,sarah and Lazarus were buried.
However, the lack of a directprohibition on cremation
provides us Christian liberty tomake choices that reflect our
personal and cultural beliefs.
In Romans 14, verses 1-4, itencourages us not to pass
(03:21):
judgment over disputable matters.
Paul's words remind us thatwhat matters is not the
specifics of practices but thehonoring of God through our
choices.
The theological perspective onthe body and resurrection is
what I want to talk about.
Some hesitation about cremationcomes from questions about the
(03:44):
resurrection.
Will cremation affect theresurrection of the body?
According to Christian doctrine, our resurrection is based on
God's power, not the conditionof our remains.
Let me say that again theresurrection of our body, when
Christ comes back, is based onGod's power, not the condition
of our remains.
Whether our bodies are buried,lost at sea or cremated, it is
(04:08):
within God's infinite power torestore us to life.
I think what we deal with atthe heart of this issue is what
do you believe about God?
Do you believe God's power ispowerful enough to overcome the
decisions that you make in life?
Billy Graham addressed this byreassuring that God can recreate
us from whatever state we're in.
(04:31):
This highlights that our hopein resurrection is not bound by
the physical state of ourremains, but anchored in the
omnipotence of God.
The third thing I'll talk aboutis us honoring God in our
choices.
As we consider cremation orburial, our guiding principle
(04:53):
should be to honor God andreflect the dignity of the
individual.
This includes considering howour decisions impact our
testimony to others and thecomfort of our families.
1 Corinthians 10 31 says so.
Whether you eat or drink orwhatever you do, do it all for
the glory of God.
This principle applies broadly,encouraging us to make choices,
(05:16):
even in death, that reflect ourcommitment to glorifying God.
As Christians, we're called tonavigate these decisions with
grace, wisdom and sensitivity.
Engaging in thoughtful,prayerful discussions with
family and church leaders canoften help you guide these deep
personal choices.
(05:39):
Now, if you're listening to thispodcast and these are thoughts
that you've had about whatyou'll do with your life the one
thing I can encourage you to do, based on my years of sitting
with families wrestling throughthese, these issues is don't
leave the decision of what youwant done with your body to your
family.
Make the choice for them.
(05:59):
One of the hardest thingsfamily have to do is, after
someone has passed away is dealwith their state, deal with
their body, deal with the burialand not knowing which decisions
would best honor the personthat passed away.
And so I would encourage youmake sure your will is done,
make sure you know exactly whatyou want to happen, so that your
(06:22):
loved ones can simply mournyour loss and celebrate your
life rather than have to make somany hard decisions.
Now.
I want to leave you with this,the words of Jesus in John 11.25
.
He says I am the resurrectionand the life.
The one who believes in me willlive even though they die.
(06:43):
You and I have to remember thatour ultimate hope is not in the
condition of our earthlyremains, but in the promise of
eternal life through Christ.
Thank you so much for joiningme today.
May you find peace and guidancein your decisions and may your
actions always glorify God.
Until next time, keep walkingin faith and grace.
(07:06):
Farewell.
Welcome to Beyond Sunday, where we delve into the
rich traditions of our faithmarriage, parenting, theology
and the practical questions thatarise as we navigate our
Christian walk.
Today's episode comes from alistener's heartfelt query.
In fact, if you don't know, Itake listeners' questions and
dive into them from a scripturalview.
So if you do have questionsthat you'd love answered,
(00:22):
whether it's theology ormarriage or parenting or
leadership, feel free to emailme.
Or at the bottom of the shownotes there should be a place to
text in as well.
But this question came inseveral weeks ago and it's not
an uncommon question.
And the question was this whatdoes the Bible say about
cremation?
Is cremation wrong?
And, honestly, this is a topicthat touches the core of our
(00:45):
beliefs about life, death anddignity.
Picture a family gatheringwhere each person brings a
different perspective to thetable.
They're reflecting on the lifeof a loved one who recently
passed away.
As they sift through oldphotographs and letters, they
face the delicate decision ofchoosing between burial and
(01:07):
cremation.
This decision, while personal,also taps into their faith and
the desire to honor their lovedones in the right way.
This is a moment that I sit inwith families over and over
again.
In fact years ago.
I'll never forget this moment,over and over again, in fact,
years ago.
I'll never forget this moment.
(01:27):
I'm sitting with a family thathad their son cremated.
You can imagine the heartbreakin the room, as it was.
But then the mom burst outcrying and I assume at first
it's just the situation that wefind ourselves in.
But one of the other sonsspeaks up and lets me know that
her cousin had just told her bycremating her son, that she had
(01:51):
condemned him to hell.
And there is so much I can sayabout that moment.
Sitting there in the room thatday.
First off, that is far from thetruth and far from what the
Bible says, but I just foundmyself so mad that somebody
would speak that into somebody'slife in such a hard moment.
It's in moments like these thatwe have to decide.
(02:14):
How do we align our decisionswith our faith?
What does Scripture guide us toconsider when facing modern
practices like cremation, whichweren't explicitly mentioned in
biblical times?
Today we'll explore this topicnot just through the lens of
tradition, but through what theBible teaches about life, death
(02:35):
and how we honor those who havedeparted.
The first thing I want to diveinto is kind of biblical
practices and the absence ofprohibition.
It's crucial to start byacknowledging that the Bible
does not explicitly addresscremation.
In biblical times, burial wasthe most common practice, often
(02:59):
seen as a mark of respect and away to honor the dead.
Notable figures like Abraham,sarah and Lazarus were buried.
However, the lack of a directprohibition on cremation
provides us Christian liberty tomake choices that reflect our
personal and cultural beliefs.
In Romans 14, verses 1-4, itencourages us not to pass
(03:21):
judgment over disputable matters.
Paul's words remind us thatwhat matters is not the
specifics of practices but thehonoring of God through our
choices.
The theological perspective onthe body and resurrection is
what I want to talk about.
Some hesitation about cremationcomes from questions about the
(03:44):
resurrection.
Will cremation affect theresurrection of the body?
According to Christian doctrine, our resurrection is based on
God's power, not the conditionof our remains.
Let me say that again theresurrection of our body, when
Christ comes back, is based onGod's power, not the condition
of our remains.
Whether our bodies are buried,lost at sea or cremated, it is
(04:08):
within God's infinite power torestore us to life.
I think what we deal with atthe heart of this issue is what
do you believe about God?
Do you believe God's power ispowerful enough to overcome the
decisions that you make in life?
Billy Graham addressed this byreassuring that God can recreate
us from whatever state we're in.
(04:31):
This highlights that our hopein resurrection is not bound by
the physical state of ourremains, but anchored in the
omnipotence of God.
The third thing I'll talk aboutis us honoring God in our
choices.
As we consider cremation orburial, our guiding principle
(04:53):
should be to honor God andreflect the dignity of the
individual.
This includes considering howour decisions impact our
testimony to others and thecomfort of our families.
1 Corinthians 10 31 says so.
Whether you eat or drink orwhatever you do, do it all for
the glory of God.
This principle applies broadly,encouraging us to make choices,
(05:16):
even in death, that reflect ourcommitment to glorifying God.
As Christians, we're called tonavigate these decisions with
grace, wisdom and sensitivity.
Engaging in thoughtful,prayerful discussions with
family and church leaders canoften help you guide these deep
personal choices.
(05:39):
Now, if you're listening to thispodcast and these are thoughts
that you've had about whatyou'll do with your life the one
thing I can encourage you to do, based on my years of sitting
with families wrestling throughthese, these issues is don't
leave the decision of what youwant done with your body to your
family.
Make the choice for them.
(05:59):
One of the hardest thingsfamily have to do is, after
someone has passed away is dealwith their state, deal with
their body, deal with the burialand not knowing which decisions
would best honor the personthat passed away.
And so I would encourage youmake sure your will is done,
make sure you know exactly whatyou want to happen, so that your
(06:22):
loved ones can simply mournyour loss and celebrate your
life rather than have to make somany hard decisions.
Now.
I want to leave you with this,the words of Jesus in John 11.25
.
He says I am the resurrectionand the life.
The one who believes in me willlive even though they die.
(06:43):
You and I have to remember thatour ultimate hope is not in the
condition of our earthlyremains, but in the promise of
eternal life through Christ.
Thank you so much for joiningme today.
May you find peace and guidancein your decisions and may your
actions always glorify God.
Until next time, keep walkingin faith and grace.
(07:06):
Farewell.
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