The idea of Karma is found in many religions, chiefly Hindu & Buddhist. Karma is actually foundational to both systems of belief, and can even be found in Wiccan & other "new age" type of religions.
But karma is not just exclusive to those systems of belief. Many Christians & people of other religions who believe in God or a "god" also subscribe to the belief known as karma. You hear it in the way they talk
For instance ever heard someone ask the question:
"Why does good things always happen to bad people? And bad things happen to good people?"
That, folks, is karma. I think most of us are guilty of thinking that way at one time in our life. Some of us are there right now & that's why I feel that now is the time for me to address the "Law of Karma" in relation to Christianity.
To get a true perspective of karma you first have to look at it through the perspective of God the Father. The perspective we currently have of karma is through the eyes of man, and unfortunately man's eyes never have the best perspective.
Let's take a look at some of the things from God's word, so that we can get His perspective on it. But before we do, let me remind you what "The Law of Karma" says. The "Law of Karma" says if you do good, good things will happen to you & if you do bad then bad things will happen to you.
Here's what God's word says:
"As it is written: There is none righteous. No. Not one." - Romans 3:10Ok. If karma is true, then we're all screwed. If good things happen to good people, & bad things happen to bad people then in God's eyes we're all bad (sinners) people and we all deserve death. If karma is true then it's a merry-go-round that we can NEVER get off because we're all bad people, and we should expect nothing but the worst from God.
"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." - Romans 3:23
"The wages of sin is death..." Romans 6:23
It's a good thing for us that karma is not a true "law" as some believe it to be. God the Father made a way for us to get off of this merry-go-round & it's summed up in one little word called "Grace."
The Apostle Paul writes in Ephesians 2:8-9
"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast."
It's by placing our faith in Jesus (the gift of God (See John 3:16)) that God's grace is extended to us. It's Jesus that pulls us off of this merry-go-round of works that Satan spins with his lie called "karma."
Karma is a lie because in order for karma to be true it would have to be a law established by God, which simply can not be found in the word of God.
Instead what we find is the law of grace. The Apostle Paul says it like this in II Timothy 1:9 (NLT):
"For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was His plan from before the beginning of time- to show us His grace through Christ Jesus."
From BEFORE the beginning of time....GRACE. Not karma. Wow. Enough said.
Thanks be to God for his GRACE and not KARMA...and you are right...nuff said!! TFS
ReplyDeleteGalations 6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.
ReplyDeleteIs this article stating that through Grace there is no consequence for sin and no reward for goodness?
No, we will be judged and our gain will be heaven or hell according to our free will choices and will be judged in the end for Heaven or hell for eternity as there are no second chances. karma is a reincarnation belief of a better or worse life after death in a better or worse body. We as Christians do not believe in reincarnation which is what Karma refers to. We
DeleteAs for Gralatians 6:7 AND 8 (don't forget verse 8) Karma is a reality in the world but we are not of the world. We can cancel out the sowing and reaping of the world by sowing to the Spirit and reaping all the comes from Eternal Life. I am glad I do not reap what I have sown but reap what Jesus sowed on the Cross.
Delete@Anonymous - This article is stating that there is no such thing as karma. The consequence for sin is death (Romans 6:23). Always has been & always will be.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing the above scripture. I really wished you would have also shared Galations 6:8, which says, "For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting."
We have to put things into context. Paul is talking about the difference between sowing to the flesh (pleasing self & man) & sowing to the Spirit (pleasing God).
Is it important to do good works? Yes, it is. Everyone should do good works, especially Christians.
And that's the thing about doing good works: Anyone can do them. Don't matter if you believe in God or not. Anyone can do them.
However, not just anyone can please God without the grace of God which only comes through Jesus Christ.
Does grace take away the consequence of sin? No, it doesn't. Grace takes away the sin, itself.
As far as being rewarded for goodness goes, if your doing good works only for a reward, then your good works are only of the flesh & will reap corruption. They are selfish & self-centered. Your reward is your own pat on the back.
Sowing in the Spirit is different. The reward is in the sowing, not in the reaping. As long as there's a great harvest, who cares? All the grain goes to God, anyways.
If you re-read my post, you will see i also included verse 8 :-)
ReplyDeleteI also thank you for your enlightened response
There are consequences to sin and blessings with righteousness.
The "world" calls this Karma
Hence, reward for goodness as stated in Luke 6:38 where Jesus spoke Give and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over shall men give into your bosom. For the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.
Selfish? I ask you, why would someone want to serve a God that didn't reward His children with His many intangible blessings such as peace, joy, contentment and love? Call me selfish because I wouldn't.
your reward will be heaven or hell according you the acts you perform of your free will
Delete@Anonymous - I apologize. When I was responding I glanced at your scripture reference & seen only verse 7. For whatever reason when I originally read it, it wasn't registering that you had verse 8 already included.
ReplyDeleteFor every decision that an individual makes there is an outcome. Sometimes the outcome is good, sometimes the outcome is bad. You can call those outcomes "consequences" & "blessings" if you like, but these labels more often than not are subjective from the point of view of the decision maker. The decision maker may decide to do something bad (sin)& get the desired outcome that they are looking for (blessing). This is why the Bible warns us in 2nd John 1:10-11 not to wish "Godspeed" to those who do evil, because we partake in their evil deeds.
We have to look at things from God's point of view, not the point of view of the decision maker.
From God's point of view there's only one consequence for committing fornication, which is a sin. That consequence is death. There is only one consequence for stealing. That consequence is death. There is only one consequence for lying, adultery, using the Lord's name in vain, etc...That is death. My point is there's only one consequence that greatly concerns God and that is us spending eternity apart from Him in a lake of fire.
As far as Luke 6:38 goes we have to take it in context of what Jesus is actually talking about. If you start at Luke 6:27 & read through verse 38 what you see is Jesus actually talking about loving our enemies. In verse 38 He's specifically addressing the issue of giving to our enemies. He's not talking about giving to homeless, orphans, & others in need. He's being specific. Too many people have taken this scripture out of context & turned it into a prosperity message.
You ask me "why would someone want to serve a God that didn't reward His children with His many intangible blessings such as peace, joy, contentment and love?" - Pagans, Muslims, Hindu, Buddhist, and many, many others do it everyday. Their gods do not exist, yet they serve them. Unfortunately I can't answer for them the reasons why they do. I can only speculate.
I serve God out of love, because He first loved me. It's because of His love that I am blessed. It's because of His grace (not karma) that I can know Him personally. God the Father can bless me as He pleases. I'm not after his gifts or blessings. The real blessing is knowing Him. The true reward is being able to spend eternity with Him.
There's too many "christians" out there seeking the gifts rather than the Gift Giver. They are "missing the mark," which is what the word "sin" actually means.
With all that being said, I stand by my statement that "As far as being rewarded for goodness goes, if your doing good works only for a reward, then your good works are only of the flesh & will reap corruption. They are selfish & self-centered."
Is not the reward for righteous living eternal life?
ReplyDeleteIs not serving the true God and being swept away by His Spirit a reward?
Would we still serve a God that didn't heal, deliver, or make his presence known?
These are also selfish and self centered
No, eternal life is a product of grace through faith in Christ granted to us by God. Righteous living has nothing to do with it.
ReplyDeleteSwept away by His Spirit? That language is foreign to scripture. We serve God because he saved us, not because we expect a reward.
Whether or not God saved us, He would still be worthy of praise. Furthermore, God does not promise healing. He owes us nothing, not even making His presence known.
None of your statements are based in Biblical truth, so none of them can be answered.
Thank you poopdog for your input :-) There are rewards for serving God are in scripture.
ReplyDelete1.(Making his presence known) James 4:8 Draw nigh to God and he will draw nigh to you. Clease your hands ye sinners purity your hearts you double minded.
2.(Swept away by his spirit) The day of pentecost Act2:1-21
God is the same yesterday today and tomorrow and his rewards/blessings(whatever you want to call them) are throughout the bible for deliverance and healing.
My final word is...No matter how it is labeled, What goes around comes around, You reap what you sow, or karma. The basic principle holds true.
Anonymous - I couldn't let it rest. I have to say something because, even though I don't know who you are, I love you enough to tell you the truth: There is no karma.
ReplyDeleteWE DESERVE HELL. Period. Nothing more, nothing less. All have sinned & fall short of the Glory of God. There is non righteous, no, not one. The wages of sin is death. The Bible is VERY clear on this. We deserve HELL.
But then there's grace, which says, "Even though you STILL deserve hell, I'm going to forget about your sin & give you heaven."
We don't earn heaven. We can't earn heaven. It's a gift of God's grace.
As far as His blessings here on the earth, we do not deserve them, either. The only thing we deserve is the curse & everything that comes with that.
But it's because of God's grace, mercy, & love that He blesses us. It's only because of His grace that we can experience His presence & glory in our lives. It's only because of His grace that we see miracles happen around us, we see prayers answered, favor given, wisdom granted, joy being made full, peace running over, etc., etc., etc.
It's grace - not karma. The concept of Karma is not of God & it's teaching has no place in the church or in the body of Christ. It's a lie of the devil.
I started off this blog by saying that there's 2 words that I hate hearing Christians use: Karma & Luck. Here's the reason why.
Whenever something "good" happens in their life they're quick to give the glory to either "karma" or "luck" and not to God. The sad thing is neither karma or luck is real. God is. Give HIM the glory that He deserves!!
Eric, very well said. I had the same conversation with a christian on facebook who would post his "Daily karma" and I explained that this was eastern mysticism and not Christianity. Obadiah 15 is an example of what goes around comes around. Anonymous; How does the "good gifts gospel work with people in other countries like Iraq or China where they are thrown in prison and beheaded?
ReplyDeletewe should serve Jesus because he was kind to us, not for rewards on earth. This is a man center gospel and not Christ centered.
Now THATS a response !!! Well done Eric Johnson!!
ReplyDelete@ Jordon..I hope you showed the grace that has been given to you and didn't "behead" the unenlightened christian on facebook.
ReplyDeleteIf there is no such thing as karma then how do you expalin this verse in exodus 34:7 "visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation." This explains the example of the seriously ill infant who could not have sinned. Maybe she couldn't have sin, but she may have had an ancestor 3 generations back who was a really hard-core sinner. And it's that ancestor's sins that have been visited on her. Sounds like karma to me,
ReplyDeleteBehind every sin [cheating, lying, stealing, jealousy] there is another person at the end of it, hurt, in pain, having to pick up their life, needing more help than the person requiring the grace. I hope a sinful person does reap what they saw in this life time, so they know exactly what they did, so they stop hurting others and become better people. Without it they would never know.
ReplyDeleteYou all might enjoy this response as it relates to this discussion.
ReplyDeletehttp://couragewithgrace.org/2012/04/28/is-karma-biblical-2/
Aside from the grammar issues, this is a great article. Very well done.
ReplyDelete