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Sender's name: Lonnie C McFarland

Is their anything wrong with a Christian giving there body to science for the furtherment of medicine after their death? Or even cremation? Does one have to be buried in the earth?

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One of the striking things about the Bible is the lack of burial instructions. Unlike other ancient religions that at times have elaborate burial instructions, nothing of the sort is found either in the Old Testament or the New Testament. Whether one is buried, cremated, or otherwise matters not.

According to the New Testament, our body will be replaced with a new body:

"Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For indeed in this house we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven, inasmuch as we, having put it on, will not be found naked. For indeed while we are in this tent, we groan, being burdened, because we do not want to be unclothed but to be clothed, so that what is mortal will be swallowed up by life (2 Cor 4:16 - 5:4)."

This passage likens our body to a temporary dwelling, a tent. It will be torn down. Once is wears out and is destroyed, we will have no more use for it. So why not let it do go for someone else? It is no longer you once you die.

John Telgren

P.O. Box 452

Leavenworth, KS 66048

Web: epreacher.org/ask

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