So it is with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable, what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. It is sown a physical body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a physical body, there is also a spiritual body (I Corinthians 15:42-44).
So glorify God in your body ( I Corinthians 6:20b).
My purpose is not to say that the cremation of a dead body is a sin, rather it is to make one think about which option communicates the Christian hope the best.
There are a number of pragmatic reasons who one might choose cremation, lower cost being the chief one. When a natural disaster strikes and hundreds, even thousands, of deaths result, one of the best ways to avoid disease caused by decaying bodies is cremation. Cremation is a practical option of dealing with a dead body; however, the growing prevalence of cremation seems to be an indication of a more secular worldview.
In ancient Greek philosophy, the body was viewed as evil and the soul/spirit was viewed as being good. When a person died, the Greeks believed the good soul/spirit was released from the evil body. As a result, the body was not important to them. In contrast, the Bible teaches that a living soul is the result of the spirit entering the body. The body is as essential to the soul as the spirit (Genesis 2:7). Thus, in Judaeu-Christian history there was always respect for the body. The hope of Christians also includes the resurrection of the body--it is not Christian to look forward to eternity as disembodied spirits.
When a person has a choice as to how to dispose of his body, which method of disposal best fits the Christian hope? My cemetery plot faces east under the shadow of a blue spruce tree ready for the Great Resurrection Day!
Grace&Peace,
Tom
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