The Benefit of Lots of Sonlight

by Hexon J. Maldonado

Many people do not realize that being in sunlight is vitally important to being physically healthy. This is because Vitamin D “is made from cholesterol in your skin when it’s exposed to the sun. That’s why getting enough sunlight is very important for maintaining optimal vitamin D levels.”[i] Despite this, it is reported that “more than 40% of American adults have a vitamin D deficiency.”[ii] This is partly due to poor diet but is also partly related to not getting enough sunlight. And not getting enough sunlight can have significant negative effects on the body’s overall health.

For example, low levels of Vitamin D reduce the amount of serotonin produced in the brain which can lead to feelings of depression and can lead to “mitochondrial dysfunction, which leads to a decrease in [energy] production.”[iii] Not getting enough sunlight can lead to weight gain as sunshine “supplies the important nutrient nitric oxide, which keeps your metabolism running smoothly and discourages binge eating.” Adults who do not get enough sunlight can experience muscle and bone aches because “nutrients like calcium and collagen” are not functioning properly due to a lack of Vitamin D. They can suffer from insomnia due to low levels of Vitamin D, and even become more susceptible to illness. “When sunlight hits your eyes it activates your autonomic nervous system, which signals the release of immune cells. Having immune cells readily available to fight off viral and bacterial infections is what allows us to encounter pathogens without getting sick.”[iv]

Yet, most people enjoy the physical benefits of sunlight without realizing they are even benefiting from the sun. They do not see the effects sunlight is having on and inside their bodies at the cellular level and so many do not realize how important sunlight is to them. If they are healthy, they think it must be because they are eating right and exercising. If they are not healthy, they need to improve their diet and exercise. In other words, because we cannot see or feel the positive impact sunlight has on our bodies, we tend to undervalue and underappreciate sunlight and, thus, tend to neglect the importance of spending time in it.

The same can be said about God’s Word. Christians will often go through life not reading their Bibles daily and life will be hard. Life is riddled with trials and tribulations. Around every corner is a new obstacle. Life does not go as planned. Dreams are often unfulfilled. And so, they will get into God’s Word. They will read and memorize scripture. Engage in regular Bible study, and life is still hard. It is riddled with trials and tribulations. Around every corner is a new obstacle. Life does not go as planned. Dreams are often unfulfilled.

Then what’s the point? Why soak up copious amounts of God’s Word when we don’t see or feel the positive effects of being in the light of God’s Word? But like sunlight, spending lots of time in the light of God’s Word, immersing ourselves in God’s Word, can have enormous positive effects at the spiritual level, which also cannot be easily seen just as we cannot easily see the positive effects of sunlight at the cellular level—but it is happening. Thus, here are seven reasons we should bask in the light of God’s Word at every given opportunity.

Knowing and Enjoying God

The 17th century French philosopher, Blaise Pascal, said, "All men seek happiness. This is without exception. Whatever different means they employ, they all tend to this end. The cause of some going to war, and of others avoiding it, is the same desire in both, attended with different views. They will never take the least step but to this object. This is the motive of every action of every man, even of those who hang themselves." Without a doubt this is true. Even among those who commit suicide, do so because they believe they would be happier dead than alive. Yet, we look around at the world and we see misery everywhere. This is because men and women are seeking their happiness in all the wrong places. They are seeking their happiness in the things of this world, things which are temporal and fleeting. Thus, another great thinker, the 18th century minister and theologian, Jonathon Edwards, said that “the enjoyment of God is the only happiness with which our souls can be satisfied. To go to heaven, fully to enjoy God, is infinitely better than the most pleasant accommodations here.”

Edwards is basing his assertion on passages of scripture like Psalm 16:11, “in your presence [God] there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” Psalm 21:6, “For you make him most blessed forever; you make him glad with the joy of your presence.” What both Edwards and the psalmist understood is that there is nothing more perfect and more complete than God. Thus, to gaze upon God, to gaze upon his beauty, is to gaze upon and experience perfect and complete joy. This is the reason people will stand and stare at an exquisite piece of art for hours or stand in front of a large tropical fish tank for extended periods of time or look at a portrait of a tranquil landscape scene and not want to put it down. Because when we find something that brings us joy, happiness, and peace, we want to keep enjoying it for as long as we can.

There is nothing more joyful, more peaceful, and more happy than God. And God perfectly revealed himself in the person of Jesus Christ. To know the joy and peace and happiness of God is to know Christ in all his fullness. Jesus, the Son of God, is the Word of God (John 1:1). He is the fullest and most complete expression of who God is. Thus, if you want more joy, peace, and happiness in life, then immerse yourself in the words of God; immerse yourself in the Word of God.

Knowing God’s Will for Our Lives

Many Christians spend much of their time wondering what God’s will is for their lives. They can lose sleep over this, wracked with anxiety. All the while God’s will for their lives is made plain in scripture. “The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law” (Deut. 29:29). The “things that are revealed” in God’s Word “belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law,” that we might know what God desires of us and strive to live it out.

God’s Word tells us that everything we need to know for “life and godliness,” that is, for living life in this world and for preparing for the next world, for progressing in our sanctification, comes “through the knowledge of Him who called out of darkness into his marvelous light” (2 Peter 1:3). Whether you are struggling in your parenting, in your marriage, with your coworkers or with friends and family, whether you are struggling with managing your finances, managing your temper, or managing your time, God’s Word provides all the answers you need.

In the end, it all boils down to this: “For this is the will of God, your sanctification” (1 Thess. 4:3). That’s it. That’s what God’s will is for every believer, to pursue becoming more like Christ, to strive to “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” and strive to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Matt. 22:37-39). This may seem over simplistic, but doing the right thing, making wise decisions, often comes down to asking ourselves, ‘In this moment, in this decision, what will bring the most glory to God? What will be most pleasing to God? What will be the most loving thing to do for the other person?’

Becoming Like Christ

Scripture tells us that Christ left us “an example, so that you might follow in his steps” (1 Pet. 2:21), that God redeemed us in order “to be conformed to the image of his Son” (Rom. 8:29), and the apostle Paul exhorts believers to “be imitators of me, as I am of Christ. (1 Cor. 11:1). Christians are called to live as Christ lived, speak as Christ spoke, serve as Christ served, and love as Christ loved. But we cannot live like Christ if we do not first learn to think as Christ thought. We must have the mind of Christ. And the only way to do that is to immerse yourself into the stories and teachings of Christ, to learn what the apostles understood and learned from Christ, and to know what the Old Testament scriptures said about Christ and how they pointed forward to him.

It is no secret that successful Hollywood actors, when they are preparing to play the role of an historical figure, will often read biographies on the historical person. They may visit museums to learn about them or may even visit their hometown, all in an effort to get inside the head of the person they will be portraying on the big screen. They do this because they understand that if they are going to accurately portray this person, they must get inside their mind. They must learn to think like the person if they are going to act like the person. How much more important to get inside the mind of Christ, our Lord and Savior, who bled and died for our redemption. To live like Christ, we must think like Christ. To think like Christ, we must immerse ourselves in the Word of Christ.

Having Our Souls Nourished and Our Faith Strengthened

When Jesus had been fasting in the wilderness for forty days, the devil comes to him saying, ‘You know what you need? You need bread. You look hungry, so you should command these stones to become bread.’ Jesus responds by citing Old Testament scripture, “Man does not live by bread alone but by every word which proceeds from the mouth of God” (Deut. 8:8; Matt 4:4). In other words, living—real living—does not come from physical food but by feeding on God’s Word. And Jesus is God’s Word. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” and “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (Jn. 1:1, 14).

Jesus did not just speak words from God—he is the Word of God. He is the perfect and quintessential self-revelation of the invisible God. He is, as Jesus said, “the bread of God…who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world…This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever” (Jn. 6:33, 50-51). Real living and real life, strength to carry on and push through the struggles of this world, peace and joy in the midst of suffering and pain, consistent happiness within the eye of life’s storms, comes from feeding on Christ. Not from feeding on his flesh, as Roman Catholics mistakenly think, but prayerfully coming to Christ through his Word. Feeding on his Word daily and immersing yourself in the light of Christ.

Being Encouraged by the Past

Scripture tells us that “whatever was written in former days [the OT] was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope” and that “these things happened to them [OT people of God] as an example, but they were written down for our instruction” (Rom. 15:4; 1 Cor. 10:11). As we read through the scriptures and we see the trial and struggles they dealt with, and how God brought them through, these stories give us hope and encouragement. When we struggle with clinging to our faith in a world of ridicule, we are encouraged by Noah, who build a boat the size of an aircraft carrier in the middle of nowhere because God told him to. When we struggle with trusting God in the midst of life’s storms, we are encouraged by Peter doing what made no earthly sense when he stepped out of the boat onto the water, believing that if he kept his eyes on Christ, he could do the impossible. When we are struggling with God meeting our needs, buried in medical bills, wondering how we’re going to put food on the table, we find hope in the story of Jesus feeding five thousand people with two fish and five loaves. When we struggle with grievous sins over and over again, our spirits are uplifted by the redemption we read in Psalm 51 and the story of Jesus restoring Peter after he had denied Christ three times (John 21:15-19). God’s Word is filled with thousands of years of stories designed to remind us of the amazing faithfulness, goodness, love, and mercy of God. Immerse yourself into God’s Word and be encouraged.

Being Prepared for Spiritual Battle

When Jesus did battle with the devil in the wilderness, three times the devil came at him with a different tactic, and three times Jesus repelled him by quoting Deuteronomy. Jesus sets the example of what is to be the believer’s weapon of war—God’s Word. The truth of God’s Word is the one thing Satan cannot defend against. This is because “the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword” (Heb. 4:12), and Satan has no defensive weapon which can stand against it. For this reason, when the apostle Paul reminds us that we are constantly in a state of war “against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Eph. 6:12), he exhorts us to take up “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Eph. 6:13, 17). In other words, since the Word of God is the offensive weapon we are to wield against the devil, the world, and our own sin, we cannot use scripture as a weapon of warfare if we do not know scripture. The psalmist encapsulates this point well when he wrote to God, “I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you” (Ps. 119:11). If you struggle with sin, if you struggle with temptations, if you struggle with killing the old self which dwells within you, then store up God’s Word in your heart. A soldier cannot expect to use his weapon in combat effectively if he does not train with and handle his weapon regularly.

Knowing the Truth and Being Set Free

In the opening words to his gospel, John the disciple, says of John the Baptist, “He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light. The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world” (1:8-9). Jesus will then later say to his Jewish audience, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." (Jn. 8:32). Jesus, the Word of God, the Son of God, is the Light of the world, the truth that sets men free. Thus, only as we spend time in the Son’s light can we be set free from the lies of this world, the lies of false teachers, and the lies we tell ourselves. And the more time we spend absorbing the Son’s light, the easier this becomes. For all “Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness” (2 Tim. 3:16). Everything we need to know the truth, to dispel the lies, and to be truly free is found in the pages of God’s Word. It is for this reason that Paul heavily leaned on God’s Word as the source of his authority. “For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God” (2 Cor. 10:4-5). Previously, in his first letter that he wrote to the church in Corinth, he reminded them that he did not come to them “with lofty speech or wisdom” but armed only with the Word of God and the Gospel of Christ (1 Cor. 2:1-2).

Hence, spend as much time as you can absorbing and basking in the light of God’s Word, taking in lots of Son-light, pouring over Scripture, knowing that even if you cannot always see or feel the benefits of it, the benefits are taking place on a spiritual level. Whether you realize it or not, your soul is being nourished, your faith is being strengthened, your spirit is being encouraged, and you are being guided and instructed by the Holy Spirit through God’s Word.

Photo by Kasuma

[i] Ryan Raman, “How to Safely Get Vitamin D From Sunlight,” Healthline, April 4, 2023, https://www.healthline .com/nutrition/vitamin-d-from-sun.

[ii] Ibid.

[iii] Brooke Nelson, “6 Signs You’re Not Getting Enough Sunlight,” The Healthy, August 10, 2023, https://www. thehealthy.com/nutrition/not-getting-enough-sunlight/

[iv] Ibid.

Encouragement for Small Churches and Small Pastors

by Hexon J. Maldonado

Today, there are approximately 380,000 churches in the United States with an average church size of about 65 members. And in a nation like the United States, where success is largely defined by size, money, and influence, this can often be discouraging to small congregations. They can wrestle with feelings of inadequacies, wondering to themselves, ‘What is wrong with us?’ ‘Is something wrong with us?’ ‘Are we not friendly?’ ‘Is God not pleased with us?’

The same can be said of pastors who shepherd small churches. They look around at the landscape of churches and everywhere they see large, bustling, and bursting churches filled with people who are loving God, growing in their faith, and making an impact on the world for the glory of God, and they feel small. They wonder to themselves, ‘What am I doing wrong?’ ‘What am I missing?’ ‘Should I be doing something else?’ ‘Did God not really call me into pastoral ministry?’

However, being a large, bustling, and bursting church is not always a sign the church is doing something right. It is not aways a sign of spiritual growth among the people. It is not always a sign God is pleased with the church and that he is blessing the church—think Joel Osteen, Benny Hinn, Paula White, and any number of super-mega churches which preach false theology, the prosperity gospel, and a host of other dangerous and heretical teachings. Undoubtedly, the pastor of those churches and their congregations believe they are doing things right. God must be pleased with what they are doing. Just look at how God is blessing and growing their church hand-over-fist. Sadly, these pastors are modern-day Pharisees and their churches modern-day synagogues. To them Jesus said, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God” (Lk. 16:15). The Pharisees thought they were on the right track because the people loved and respected them. They were wealthy and lived well. But these external indicators of success which are “exalted among men” are an “abomination in the sight of God.”

History is replete with examples of men who did much for the kingdom of God and for God’s glory, men we still read about, men whose ministries, from the outside looking in, do not seem like much of a success. Yet, we still read about these men and are inspired their stories. One thinks of Adoniram Judson who, in February 1812, at the young age of 23 and with his young bride of 22, sailed across an ocean to bring the gospel to the people of Burma. During his 37 years of ministry in Burma, Judson suffered horrific trials and personal suffering. In June 1824, he was accused of being a spy and was placed in prison for seventeen months under the most tortuous conditions. All the while, his pregnant wife walked two miles each way daily to care for him and tend to his needs. One year after his release from prison, his wife, at age 36 died. And six months later his daughter died.

Judson then struggled with doubt, wondering “if he had become a missionary for ambition and fame, not humility and self-denying love.”[i] The Lord eventually pulled him through that struggle and he continued on, but not without more struggles and trials. He remarried in April 1834, and had eight children with his second wife. It was a wonderful marriage and she was a great helpmate to him in the ministry. However, in 1845, while on their way back to the United States for the first time in 33 years, she became ill and died, leaving him with eight children. To everyone’s amazement, while in the United States, he married for the third time in June 1846. The Lord granted them four very happy years, until Judson’s death in April 1850.

Amid all these years of struggle and suffering, it was six years before Judson saw his first convert. And after twelve years his church grew to a whopping number of 18. Yet, we continue to read about him because of his amazing faithfulness to persevere under the most grueling circumstances, because of his commitment to serve God and reach people with the gospel. Today, there are over 200,000 confessing Christians in Burma (now Myanmar), and Christianity is the second largest belief system in the country.

We can think of Primitive Baptist Churches who officially date back to 1827, yet remain among the smallest congregations in the U.S. This is largely due to the fact that they have held fast to their biblical convictions of teaching and practicing those things they see clearly taught or practiced in the New Testament. For this reason, while they are Calvinistic in soteriology, they also practice foot washing, use wine in the Lord’s Supper, only permit men to teach the Bible, do not have Sunday school classes or youth ministries, and do not use musical instruments in worship. All this because they do not see these things in the New Testament. While this is not an endorsement of Primitive Baptist theology, one must applaud them for not changing with the times, for holding to their biblical convictions, and not simply jumping on the latest bandwagon.

In the end, it is not really that difficult to grow a large church, simply keep the sermons to under 30 minutes (15 minutes is best), offer the best modern worship experience possible (hire professionals musicians if needed), do not preach on any topic that may offend, provide the most entertaining Sunday school and youth ministry experience possible, and provide a Bible study directed at every possible social-economic class imaginable—college group study, senior’s study, women’s study, men’s study, young professional’s study, young married professional’s study, African-American study group, Hispanic-American study group, couples with children’s study, couples without children’s Bible study, so on and so forth, ad nauseam.

Pastors and churches who adopt this approach to ministry will grow large and fast, will be bustling and bursting with all kinds of activity, but will most often be a mile wide and an inch deep. Over the years, I have had many conversations with Christians who came to the church I was ministering at from nearby large “Bible-believing” churches. These Christians attended these “Bible-believing” churches for years, yet somehow had never heard of the Doctrine of Justification by Faith Alone and have never been taught the biblical roles and responsibilities of husbands and wives. I have met Christians who have attended large “Reformed” churches for years, but never heard the word Reformed used by their pastor or in their church and have no understanding of the sovereignty of God over all things. Often in these churches, because the pastor personally holds to Reformed theology, he considers his church to be a Reformed church, yet a majority of the church members have no idea what Reformed Theology even means.

Ultimately, it is not difficult to grow a large, bustling, and bursting church. What is difficult—extremely difficult—is to faithfully and unashamedly preach the whole counsel of God and practice biblical church worship and church polity, and then trust God with the results. What is difficult is to resist the urge to buy in to the latest church movement in order to appear successful. What is difficult is to be faithful to scripture and to worship and serve God in the way in which he has prescribed and not look to the surrounding megachurches to see what they are doing so we might do the same and worship the Lord in that way (Deut. 12:29-32). What is difficult is to fully, accurately, and forcefully proclaim all of God’s Word in a culture where “people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths” (2 Tim. 4:3-4).

What must ever be remembered by small churches and small pastors is that the goal is not to keep up with the Joneses. The goal is not to be successful in the eyes of the Evangelical world, but to ultimately hear the words: “Well done, thou good and faithful servant! Well done!” (Matt. 25:21). Thus, let us run the race with endurance, “looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith” (Heb. 12:2). Let us keep our eyes fixed upon the prize, “forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead.” Let us “press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:13-14).

Photo by Virooshan Theva

[i] John Piper. “He Died a Thousand Times—and Lived.” Desiring God.org. <https://www.desiringgod.org/ articles/ he-died- a- thousand- times-and-lived>

Burial or Cremation: Does It Matter?

by Hexon J. Maldonado

Photo by Diogo Palhais

I recently completed preaching through 1 Corinthians. After walking through 1 Corinthians 15, where Paul spends an enormous amount of space dealing with the reality and importance of the future bodily resurrection for all believers, many questions were raised among some of our church members regarding those who do not have a body. What about those who have been blown to smithereens from some massive explosion? Not only that, but what about the simple fact that the human body decomposes so that the only thing left are bones? What body is to be resurrected on the last day? Paul’s answer is that God is able to give each person a body as he has chosen (v.38), and that body will be a glorified body—a body that is similar to this body in some ways and dissimilar in other ways. With regards to our resurrected bodies, there is both continuity and discontinuity.

However, all of this raises the question: if God does not need a body to start with in order to raise us from the dead, then does it matter whether we bury our dead or cremate them? Afterall, cremation is much less expensive and complicated. What to do with the jar can be much less confusing than where to purchase a burial plot? One can take the jar home and set it on the mantle or scatter the ashes at sea. When grandma or grandpa dies, his or her jar of ashes can be brought home and set on the mantle next to the other one. With cremation, one does not run the risk of buying a burial plot, only to move to another state ten years later due to unforeseen circumstances.

Very likely, all these reasons are what has contributed to the rise in the percentage of Americans choosing to cremate their loved ones rather than bury them. In 1975, 5.69% of Americans chose to cremate their loved ones. As of last year (2023), 60.5% of Americans chose to cremate their loved ones rather than bury them. At this current trend, by 2045, 81.4% of Americans will be cremating their loved ones.[i] But are finances and convenience the only reasons more Americans—and more Christians—are choosing cremation for themselves and their loved ones over burial? And does it really matter? Does God care whether we have ourselves cremated or buried? Afterall, God does not need a body in order to give us a body in the resurrection.

Old Testament Practice

Throughout the Old Testament, we consistently see the patriarchs and prophets practicing burial as opposed to cremation. When God speaks to Abraham about his future, he says to him “you shall be buried in a good old age” (Gen. 15:15).[ii] God is very specific as to what will happen to Abrham once he dies—he will be buried. When Sarah dies (Gen. 23), Abraham immediately asks the locals for a place to bury her. The thought of cremating her never crossed his mind. It is not as though Abraham would not have known about cremation as a way of putting the dead out of sight (Gen. 22:4). The Pre-Canaanites practiced cremation for the dead as early as 2500 BC,[iii] and the Greeks introduced the practice to the Western world as early as 1000 BC.[iv] Yet, consistently, we see the patriarchs in the Old Testament seeking to bury their dead and not burn them. We see this with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph, Sarah, Rachel, Rebekah, and Leah (Gen. 25:9; 35:19, 29; 49:31; 50:14, 26).

We also see God specifically commanding that when someone is put to death for a crime and hung on a tree, their body is not to be left hanging, rather the people “shall bury him the same day” (Deut. 21:23). If God commands that a criminal be given a burial, how much more those who are not criminals? God does not tell the people of Israel to do what they want with the criminal’s body, and he certainly does not grant them permission to burn the body. Instead, he commands the Israelites to bury him. For this reason, many first century rabbis believed God had clearly commanded burial over cremation.[v] Jews still follow this practice today.

What is worth noting is that God does command certain individuals be burned and not buried. Burning someone’s body instead of burying them was reserved for those guilty of committing some of the most heinous sins (Lev. 20:14; 21:9; Josh. 7:15, 25). For this reason, not having one’s body buried was considered by the Israelites to be the height of humiliation. Thus, David goes and takes down the bodies of Saul and Jonathan, whom the Philistines had left hanging in the open for days, and buried their remains (2 Sam. 21:10-14). The Psalmist, writing after the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonians, laments the fact that many in Jerusalem have been slaughtered and “there was no one to bury them” (Ps. 79:3, cf.; Jer. 8:1-2; 16:4, 6). Not being buried was a horrible thought in the mind of Old Testament saints.

New Testament Practice

Throughout the New Testament, we continue to consistently see the practice of burying those who die. In the Gospel of Matthew, a man who desires to follow Jesus, says to him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father” (8:21). After John the Baptist is beheaded, we read that “his disciples came and took the body and buried it” (Matt. 14:12). When Jesus tells the story of Lazarus and the rich man, he tells us that the “rich man also died and was buried” (Lk. 16:22). Lazarus, whom Jesus rose from the dead was buried (good thing, too). Stephen was buried (Acts 8:2). Even Ananias and Saphira were given a decent burial (Acts 5).

Throughout both the Old and the New Testaments there seems to be this “biblical insistence upon proper burial, as well as its general opposition to cremation,” which bears “testimony to the continuing significance of the human body after death.”[vi] The saints in both the Old Testament and the New Testament understood that the human body had value, not just during life on earth, but even after death. The human body has inherent value. We burn things that have no value. We carefully store things that have value, even if they are no longer useful.

Extrabiblical Literature

According to Tacitus, the first century Roman historian and senator, the Jews were a very peculiar people in that, contrary to the practice of the Greeks and Romans, they would “bury rather than burn [their] dead bodies.”[vii] This is particularly telling when we consider that the region in and around Jerusalem was very rocky, it would have made much more sense to burn dead bodies rather than bust rock to dig a hole or cave, but burial was the only thing that made sense in light of their belief that men and women are made in God’s image (Gen. 1:27), and their belief in a future bodily resurrection (Matt. 22:23-32; Acts 23:6). Whereas the Greeks believed our bodies are a prison that traps our soul, the Jews believed that our body is part of what it means to be made in God’s image.

So also, within the early church we see theologians like Tertulian and Augustine making the argument that while cremation is nowhere explicitly forbidden by Holy Scripture, being buried in the earth is to be preferred and practiced by Christians.[viii] The early church believed and understood that our bodies are a temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:19), and rightly understood from Scripture that Christians who stop breathing are not dead but are only asleep. This is the biblical language that is consistently used in the New Testament to talk about Christians who have died. The New Testament uses “fell asleep” or “fallen asleep” eleven times, and in each instance refers to believers whose souls have departed. When speaking about unbelievers who have died, the New Testament uses other language, such as “struck down” (e.g., Herod in Acts 12) or “breathed his last” (e.g., Ananias and Saphira). It is for this reason the early church would bury their dead next to church buildings and would call these places coemeteria (Latin for cemetery), which literally means “resting place.”[ix] The saints are not dead; they are merely asleep and waiting for the Lord to wake them upon his second coming. Thus, in the mind of the early church, it seemed cruel to burn someone who was merely sleeping, and it also appeared to be a practical denial of the bodily resurrection.

For these reasons, the early church (as late as the 4th century) would celebrate the death of the saints by wearing white robes and singing praise songs as they carried the body of their loved one to their final “resting place.” However, by the 8th century, the church was being influenced by her secular surroundings and began wearing black to funerals and taking a more somber and mournful approach.[x] Since the 8th century the church has continued to come under the influence of secularism more and more. This is reflected in both our society’s and the church’s increasing acceptance of cremation as opposed to burial. The more we devalue the God of creation the more we devalue this body that is made in the image of our Creator.

In the Image of God

When God created man in his image and likeness (Gen. 1:27), it means more than just being made a spiritual being. We know this because God does not make man a spiritual being and then create for him a body. Rather, we see that “God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and [then] the man became a living creature” (2:7). That is, to be made in the image of God is to be made both body and spirit. In other words, being made in the image and likeness of God means that the “physical design of man was not chosen at random by God, but in some way is representational of the characteristics of God. But this point must not be pressed too far. Suffice it to say that the phrase, ‘Let us make man as our image, after our likeness’, is to say that God made man as a representative that in some say is also representational.”[xi] It is for this reason there must be a future bodily resurrection. Jesus did not come into the world simply so save our soul, but to save our body and soul—to save the whole of who we are. It is also for this reason that unbelievers will be cast into hell in both body and soul (Rev. 20:12-13).

It is not just our spirit that makes us who we are. A common misconception is that the real us, who we really are, is our spirit, and our body is simply the case that houses the real us. Our bodies are as much a part of who we are as our spirit. Our body and spirit go together, they belong together, and together they fully make us who we are. Thus, viewing the body as insignificant once our spirit departs from it, simply because we no longer have a use for it in this world, is like taking your great-grandmother’s wedding dress that she made and formed with her own hands and was married in back in 1925, and burning it simply because there is no longer a use for it. It’s outdated. It’s old. No one is ever going to wear this dress again, so let’s just get rid of it by burning it. No one in their right mind would do that. Even though this one-hundred-year-old wedding dress is no longer useful, is worn and frayed and a bit tattered along the edges, most would carefully and respectfully store it because it still has value. It has value because it was carefully made by someone you love dearly and respect greatly. David understood this when he wrote: “For you [O God] formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made” (Ps. 139:13-14). God did not just speak you into existence like the birds and the fish, he carefully knit your body together, making you a unique work of art that is extremely valuable to him, that is a reflection of himself. And even when this body is worn and frayed and a bit tattered along the edges, even when we are done with this body and no longer have a use for it, it should still have value to us and to our loved ones because of our great love and respect for the one who made it—the one who “knitted me together in my mother's womb.”

[i] “Cremation Rate in the United States from 1975 to 2023, with a Forecast for 2027 and 2045,” Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/251702/cremation-rate-in-the-united-states/.

[ii] Unless otherwise noted, all scripture quotes are from the English Standard Version of the Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Publishing, 2008).

[iii] William Devlin, “Cremation: Custom of Burning the Bodies of the Dead,” Catholic Answers, https://www.catholic.com/encyclopedia/cremation.

[iv] “Cremation: Funeral Custom,” Brittanica, https://www.britannica.com/topic/cremation.

[v] G.A. Turner, “Cremation,” The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1979), p. 813).

[vi] J.B. Payne, “Burial,” The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1979), p. 560).

[vii] Ibid., p.556.

[viii] R.A. Peterson, “Burial, Christian,” Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 1984), p.195.

[ix] Ibid.

[x] Ibid.

[xi] Hexon J. Maldonado, “The Image of God in Man,” https://www.hjmaldonado.com/articles/the-image-of-god-in-man.