I have often been asked for my views on cremation. On rare occasions, the question came from someone who was contemplating cremation or someone who had a loved one who was contemplating cremation. But more often than not, the question came from someone who had a loved one who had already been cremated and the person asking the question had no control over what had happened. They were grieving because a close relative (child, sibling, etc.) had been cremated and they had been told that cremation is a pagan practice, their close relative is in hell and things like that.

Understand right up front that I am not recommending cremation. And I am not saying that cremation is a good thing or anything like that. The fact is that I advise against it. But the fact that someone incinerates a loved one’s body doesn’t negate that loved one’s salvation. Living human beings are body, soul and spirit. Where their soul and spirit goes to spend eternity is based on their decision to accept or reject Jesus before they die not by what family members decide to do with their body after they die. When a person dies their soul and spirit are in heaven or hell before anything is ever done with their body.

Many Christians have been burned at the stake. Many have died in bombed buildings, burning houses, plane crashes, car accidents, etc. They didn’t go to hell because their body was incinerated. And God couldn’t do all things, if He couldn’t raise them from the dead. But He can do all things.

Also, the unpardonable sin is blasphemy of the Holy Spirit (unbelief or attributing to God the works of Satan) not cremation. And if the grace of God can cover sins such as murder, adultery and lying, it can cover cremation.

I personally am not aware of even one Bible verse that recommends cremation or even one of God’s people whose body was cremated. On the other hand, I know that Abraham buried Sarah (Gen. 23:19); that God told Abraham that he would be buried (Gen. 15:15); and that when God was faced with the decision on what to do with the body of Moses, God buried Moses’ body (Deut. 34:5-6). I also believe that Jesus was buried and every aspect of His death, burial and resurrection was orchestrated by God. We know that David was buried (Acts 2:29) and archaeologists say they have confirmed the burial place of Paul in Rome.

In addition to being Scriptural, having a body to see and say goodbye to is often more beneficial to the grieving than is an urn full of ashes. So cremation is not the best thing, but it is not an unpardonable sin that will keep people out of heaven.