Resurrection and Cremation

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Question
How can we say we will have resurrected bodies if they have been cremated or decayed in the ground?
Answer
At the end of the day, the resurrection of Jesus is the firstfruits of our resurrection, and Jesus is raised bodily from the dead. Now, it's true his skeleton was there and his body was there in the grave, because that's the way they did it in those days, but whatever, it was the most extraordinary miracle for a completely dead skeleton with no spirit present or whatever, for that to rise from the dead requires the extraordinary miracle of the resurrection. And a God who can raise the dead can surely draw together the molecules or the bits of a person from anywhere and everywhere. You know, some people these days like to have the ashes scattered on a golf course if the person loved golf, or scattered at sea if they were a mariner, or something like that. Can God bring that together as a body again? Yes he can, because he's God. God can make and do with matter and with his creation whatever he wants to do. And this is the miracle of the Christian faith, it is that we belief there will be a bodily resurrection for all people. He will raise them from the dead like he will raise us from the dead. So, I don't think we need to worry about decaying bodies or whether we're cremated or whether we're buried at sea or whether tragically as happens these days body parts are thrown in different directions because of a bomb. We do not need ultimately to worry, however hurtful and painful these things are, because God is all-powerful. God is the miracle worker, and the resurrection is the greatest miracle.

Answer by Dr. Paul Gardner

Dr. Paul Gardner is Senior Pastor of ChristChurch Presbyterian in Atlanta, GA.