Karma vs The Bible

A guy deliberately cuts you off on the highway, and then you see the police pull him over. Did the driver pay for his sinful deed with “instant karma”?

The western understanding of karma is the belief of inevitable consequence; that whatever you do is eventually returned to you.

The deeper, eastern doctrine of karma, is that the circumstance you are born in, is due to how you lived in a past life. It is seen as a cycle of reincarnation. The caste system is based on this.

This means that individuals born into poor families are their own fault, even though they may never know what they did to deserve such a life.

Reincarnation is seen as sort of a corrective system to “balance the universe”. This doctrine also includes a rule in certain cultures of non-interference, where they believe if you help the poor and suffering, you may hinder their karmic path.... that if you relieve their suffering now, they’ll only need to suffer again in their next life.

Regardless of how deep a person’s views are about karma, it is the concept that people will get what they rightly deserve.

Karma is good then, right? After all, it is a pacifying thought to many that the people who wronged them will receive what they deserve....that bad people get punished, and good people get rewarded.

There are a couple of extremely important questions you should considered before coming to such a conclusion.

 

  1. Is the doctrine of karma biblical?
  1. Do you really want what you deserve?

 

The idea of karma is completely incompatible with Christianity.

Hebrews 11 says that believers suffered and died horribly for their faith in God without ever receiving rewards during their lifetime on earth. Verse 13 says they embraced the promises of God and “....confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. And verse 35 says believers were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection.”

So these suffering servants were not rewarded with “good karma” while they lived here on earth; and since they were strangers and pilgrims, they did not come back to earth as someone else, but instead went home.

The doctrine of karma and reincarnation is in direct opposition to the finished work of Jesus Christ.

When Jesus died on the cross, He said, It is finished. (John 19:30) The sin-debt had been paid. Jesus came to earth to take away sin. His work of redemption is the only work acceptable to God. This is because sin is a violation against an eternal, holy God. No amount of reincarnated lives could ever pay such an infinite price for even one single sin against Him.

Either reincarnation is true, or resurrection is true. You can’t have both.

1 Corinthians 15:21 reads: But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. Jesus was raised from the dead, and those who received Him will also be resurrected!

Do you really want what you deserve?

The biblical definition for “good” is moral excellence, or perfection. If your “goodness” is measured by the standard of the Ten Commandments, how would you do? Would you be seen by God as “good”?

Have you ever lied, stolen, used God’s name in vain, dishonoured your parents, lusted after anyone, hated anyone? Well that’s just six. If you are honest, you know that you had broken the commandments of God.

If you had failed the test (like the rest of us had), and you reject Jesus Christ and His finished work, you won’t be going to Heaven, but God’s wrath remains on you (John 3:36). But there is hope.

Romans 3:22 says the righteousness of God is  through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe.

God imputes His righteousness to those who put their faith in Jesus Christ. Repent and put your trust in His finished work!

Without Jesus, you don’t have life. Receive Him today and you will truly have everlasting life!

1 John 5:12 reads, Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.