Today, cremation has become increasingly widespread across many cultures and religious traditions. For Christians, however, it often raises an important spiritual question: Is cremation considered sinful, and what guidance does the Bible offer?
Cremation and Scripture
Scripture does not directly address cremation, but it includes passages that are often referenced when discussing how the body is treated after death. Throughout biblical history, burial was the customary practice among the Israelites. This is seen in accounts such as Abraham purchasing a burial place for his wife Sarah (Genesis 23:19) and Joseph’s remains being returned from Egypt for burial in Canaan (Joshua 24:32).
By contrast, the burning of bodies appears in the Bible primarily in contexts of punishment or disgrace (Joshua 7:25; 1 Samuel 31:12). These examples, however, describe specific circumstances and do not establish a clear theological ruling that condemns cremation as inherently sinful.
