Question:
Should Christians be embalmed as the practice is today? Should Christians have implants as are done today? And what about cremation, is it Christian?
I am only seeking God’s will on these subjects, a “Thus saith the Lord.” I don’t think Christians today are going deep enough into the spiritual. Your comments please.
Answer:
We find nothing in the Bible that can be used as an argument either for or against embalming as it is practiced today. Nor does the Bible give us any guidance on the subject of implants, or cremation. From God’s standpoint, there is no need to preserve the physical body beyond the end of one’s life because God, who created us, can as easily remake us when He wishes.
The Bible teaches that all believers will be resurrected at the return of Christ, to be judged and rewarded according to what they have done. When we speak of the resurrection of the body to life, it would probably be more accurate to say the reconstruction of the body. In many cases, the deceased body has been lying in the grave for hundreds or thousands of years, and would be totally disintegrated. But this presents no problem to God.
The resurrection of Jesus from the dead is proof positive that we also may be resurrected if we meet the criteria God has established. Our chief concern today should be: Are we living up to His standards so that we can merit a resurrection?
If one can live a longer, more productive life by having an organ of his body replaced or by receiving a blood transfusion, we find nothing in the Bible to prohibit it. During the days of Jesus and the Apostles, when they had Holy Spirit power, they could heal without the need of the cumbersome methods used today. That power will soon be restored, and the “inhabitant will not say, ‘I am sick’ ”; (Isa. 33:24). This is the ideal, but until that time we must depend upon the natural laws God has set in motion and the expertise of the medical profession.
“first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish” (Matt. 23:26), to lay up good thoughts in one’s mind (“good treasure,” Matt. 12:35), and to love the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind and strength (Mark 12:30-31). Again He said that that which comes from inside a man’s heart is what defiles the man (Mark 7:21-23). Truly these teachings are not central in the majority of churches today.