Cremation

by F. McCormick | Category: General | Feb 1952

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The object of this article is to examine briefly the question as to whether it is right for the bodies of believers in our Lord Jesus Christ to be cremated. We know that cremation is being widely advocated, on hygienic grounds, and also to save land used for burial places. Another reason which we think prompts some to adopt it is to defy the power of the Almighty in resurrection. The ashes are duly delivered, and scattered upon the sea or land as the case may be, in the hope that such will not be resurrected to stand before God in judgement. What folly! Do men really think it is impossible for God to reclaim, and resurrect the body? Remember, it is no harder for Him to do that than it was to make the body of man-fearfully and wonderfully made originally, from the dust of the earth. Let none doubt His eternal power.

Nowhere in the Bible do we find any justification of cremation. The normal way of disposing of the body as seen in Scripture is by burial. There is neither precept nor example to support cremation; but we do find this remarkable statement concerning Moses

"So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab,

according to the word of the LORD. And He buried him in the valley in the

land of Moab over against Beth- peor but no man knoweth his sepulchre

unto this day" (Deuteronomy 34.5, 0).

If men had buried him they would have known where his sepulchre was, but God buried him. This should speak volumes as to the way in which God desires the body to be disposed of after death, and the value God placed upon it. We know from Jude 9 that there was a contention between the Devil and Michael the archangel about the body of Moses Why should such mighty beings contend about a dead body if it is unimportant? The fact is, that God has future and eternal purposes to fulfil in regard to the bodies of men, as may be seen in such scriptures as Matthew 8.11 and Revelation 20.11-15. The bodies of God's saints are precious to Him, and He purposes through Christ to cause them to stand up again in resurrection life and glory, but to those who are impenitent their resurrection will be unto judgement, for there shall be a resurrection both of the just and of the unjust.

Another remarkable case is that of Joseph:

"By FAITH Joseph .... gave commandment concerning his bones" (Hebrews ii. 22).

He laid hold of the promises of God concerning His people and the land (Genesis 50. 24), and in consequence gave commandment concerning his bones.

"And Joseph took an oath of the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you, and ye shall carry up my bones from hence. So Joseph died, being an hundred and ten years old: and they embalmed him, and put him in a coffin in Egypt" (Genesis 50.25, 26).

If ever there was a case for cremation it was this one, for that embalmed body lay in Egypt 144 years, until the children of Israel were delivered out of the land of Egypt, and then, "Moses took the

bones of Joseph with him" (Exodus 13.19). It must have been a remarkable sight to see that coffin carried for about another forty years by that people going to the land of their inheritance. The body of him who was named by Pharaoh "Zaphenath-paneah," Saviour of the world, was borne along by them as a corpse into the land. We who know the true Saviour of the world can never do that, for our Saviour lives in the power of an endless life, death hath no more dominion over Him. We raise our Hallelujahs and march on in triumph to the glories of a better land, a heavenly country. About twenty-six years more, and the valiant commander of the host of Israel, Joshua, lays down his sword in death.

"And they BURIED HIM in the border of his inheritance in Timnathserah .... and THE BONES OF JOSEPH which the children of Israel brought up out of Egypt BURIED they in Shechem .... and Eleasar the son of Aaron died; and they BURIED hem in ... the hill country Ephraim" (Joshua 24.29-38).

In these last five verses of the book of Joshua are recorded three burials.

Again, Jacob when dying charged his sons, saying:

"Bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Epheon the Hittite, in the field of Machpelah .... in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought ... a possession of a burying place: there they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife; there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife; and there I buried Leah." "In the land of Canaan thou shalt bury me" (Genesis 49.29-81,50.18). See also Acts 7.15-16.

It would appear that these men of faith desired to find a resting place for their bodies in the land, in hope of resurrection, by which means (the resurrection) they would enter into possession of the land promised afore to Abraham and his seed. "These all died in faith." It is good when men desire to find themselves in the current of the Divine purposes, and so express the expectancy of their hope.

We too have been given precious and exceeding great promises concerning an inheritance, incorruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for us. We can only enter into possession when God through Christ shall take possession of His heritage, for we have been bought, spirit, and soul, and body. In this" little while," during which we await the consummation of God's purpose in the redemption of our body, at the return of Christ, many of God's dear children, alas, are called upon to die. The question before us is, if the Lord should so will, then what shall be done with the body? Shall we act in rank unbelief and cause it to be. cremated? Should we not bear in mind that our bodies belong to Him by right of redemption, that He is coming to reclaim them, which may be at any moment? Alas, if believers should resort to the crematorium!

Should the Lord come when the body is passing through the crematorium fires, by arrangement and consent, it will be indeed a denial of faith and hope in the certainty of His own word, "Behold I come quickly"; "I am the Resurrection and the Life." Would not such be ashamed before Him at His coming? Yea, verily. Beloved child of God, Scripture is plain. Four times the phrase is used in 1 Corinthians 15. 42-44-"It is sown"; the illustration is of sowing, of wheat or some other grain, which are necessarily buried. Doth not nature itself teach you? Was it not also true of the Lord Himself, "that Christ died .... and that He was buried" ; is not this an indisputable answer to every believer as to what should be done with the body? Let us then, like Joseph, who "by faith gave commandment concerning his bones," also give commandment concerning ours, in faith that what God has promised, He will also perform. The coming of the Lord draweth nigh.

Some, however, may query the meaning of Paul's statement in 1 Corinthians 13.3, "If I give my body to be burned." What does Paul mean? Surely Paul was not anticipating cremation! While certain nations did practise cremation in the past, it was the custom of the Jews, throughout their history, always to bury the dead. So then, neither as a Jew, nor as a Christian, could Paul's words suggest cremation. In this passage he is showing the necessity of love as the motive of the action, whatever it may be. Even though he gave his body to the flames in martyrdom, unless he had love it would not profit him. The "ifs" in this passage are the "ifs" of argument, to demonstrate the absolute necessity of love as the motive power.

We would also point out that throughout the whole of the Scriptures there is no suggestion of disposing of the bodies of the dead, normally, in any other way than by burial. This is borne out by the words of the Lord in Matthew 23.29-31:

"Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites for ye build the sepulchres of the prophets, and garnish the tombs of the righteous .

ye are the sons of them that slew the prophets."

Then again

"Marvel not at this : for the hour cometh, in which all that are in

the tombs shall hear His voice" (John 5.28).

This indicates where the dead should normally be; nevertheless, let none think that by cremation they can escape the resurrection. Resurrection is the work of the Omnipotent and Omniscient Christ, who shall cause all to stand before Him "according to the working whereby He is able to subject al] things to Himself."

To us who know the Lord Jesus as our own personal Saviour, we are convinced by the whole tenor of Scripture, by the fact that our glorious Lord Himself was buried, and by the example of Christian procedure as seen in the words,

"And devout men buried Stephen" (Acts 8.2, also Acts 5.9, 10),

that cremation is nowhere countenanced in Scripture as a normal way of disposing of the body, but that burial, in the light of the imminent return of our Lord Jesus Christ, is that which is proper for a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ.

F. McCormick | Feb 1952
General