Q: What is the biblical preference cremation, or burial? Thank you.
A: This a question that more and more people across the world are grappling with now.
According to provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2023, there were 2.98 million deaths in the United Sates and the projected deaths for 2025 are estimated at 3.09 million. There has been a big upswing in the number of cremations. Back in 2011, about 45% of people opted for cremation after death and by 2020, that number increased to about 50%. In some states, it is already at 70% and expected to be about 75% by 2030.
There are a number of factors that are driving the increase in the number of cremations worldwide. Cost is a huge factor. For example, here in the U.S. it is about $7,000 to $10,000 for a burial, whereas cremation, burning the body to ashes, is somewhere between $2,000 and $3,000. Another factor is the shortage of burial sites in some places. As an example, due to the shortage of burial sites in my home country, Trinidad and Tobago, when my mom passed in January of 2025, cremation became the sole option. Thirdly, it may be more convenient to cremate than to bury, especially if someone dies while you are traveling or in another country. It is cost-prohibitive to transport the body back to your home country. Finally, there are some who have raised environmental concerns. Consider the millions of acres of land used for cemeteries. In densely populated cities across the world land is becoming a premium. For instance, 99% of the people who die in Tokyo are cremated.
Here is the main point, or as the Apostle Paul often says, “the sum of the matter,” this is not an issue of salvation. There are Bible examples of both burials and cremations; I will offer a couple shortly. There is no Scripture that explicitly commands or forbids burial over cremation or vice-versa. So, if your family opted to cremate your loved one, do not worry about his/her salvation or theirs.
Turning now to the Bible, there are some instances of people who were burned to ashes, cremated, that would be considered a bad thing, as a form of judgement for them being ungodly. In such cases cremation was considered to be a form of judgment for being ungodly. Other instances, cremation would be considered a good or positive thing, which brought some form of peace or closure for the situation or the family. Let us look at an example of each case.
Cremation/Burning to Ashes as Bad or Negative
In 2 Kings 23:16 (ESV) the Bible says, “and as Josiah turned, he saw the tombs there on the mount. And he sent and took the bones [these are of the pagan priests] out of the tombs and burned them on the altar and defiled it, according to the word of the Lord...” This was in response to the Israelites engaging in idol worship and Josiah’s campaign against their sins.
Cremation/Burning to Ashes as Positive or Bringing Peace/Closure
Here is a more positive example in 1 Samuel 31:10. After King Saul and his sons, including Jonathan, were killed by the Philistines in battle, the Philistines took their bodies and hung them on the walls of Beth-shan, as a trophy of their victory. Out of respect for the dead, the loyal soldiers of Jabesh-gilead went by night (1 Samuel 31:12-13) and recovered the bodies of King Saul and the princes and cremated them.
Burial in the Bible
Now, let us look at some examples of burial in the Bible. If you look at the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, the Bible says that they were all buried in the Cave of Machpelah (Genesis 23:17–18; 25:9-10). The Cave of Machpelah, also called the Cave of the Patriarchs, is located near the ancient city of Hebron in Israel. In the New Testament we read in Acts 8:2 (ESV), “Devout men buried Stephen and made great lamentation over him.” Stephen, a deacon in the early church and the first Christian martyr, was stoned to death. Even Judas, who denied Christ, was buried (Matthew 27:3–8). It is the same area that became known as the Field of Blood and is the site of a Greek Orthodox monastery today.
For the believer in Christ burial or cremation after death is not something that rest heavily on our minds or burdensome. Why? Because the Bible says, “Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his [Jesus’] voice and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment," (John 5:28-29 ESV).
If a person has been cremated and they have not been buried, that does not prevent them from being resurrected. In some instances, the martyrs who were buried after death were dug up and their bones were burnt and scattered, hoping that somehow this would confound God. For example, in 1415 the Council of Constance declared John Wycliffe a heretic, decades after his death, and ordered his body be exhumed and burned. But this is not a problem for the Lord. Others were burned at the stake primarily during the Roman Empire's early persecutions (under Emperor Nero). They were involuntarily cremated. God is going to be able to resurrect all of those people.
I want to reiterate again that cremation or burial is not a salvation issue. God is going to make all things new irrespective of how the body is deposed of after death.
Note: ESV-The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016).
