Recently I posed the question to my friends “Do you believe in Karma?” 64% said no, while 36% replied yes. Now, I will be honest and tell you that not all 1200+ friends on Facebook replied; but out of the ones that did, this is result I got. The 2nd question I asked was “What is Karma to you?” Revenge or Reincarnation? 0% answered that question. It leads me to wonder if my friends don’t really understand what Karma actually is.
The reason I asked the questions is that someone was talking about their car getting hit, and the “minister” of music replied “Maybe Karma will get them!” Seriously, here we have a seasoned Christian hoping bad on someone! How can you even begin to think that is a right thought as a Christian. Now I am not saying that I am perfect, I am far from it—however, hoping that “Karma—in this instance—revenge—or what goes around will come around—will harm the person for their lack of responsibility.”
Now I know what you are thinking, “If this isn’t what Karma is, then what exactly is it?”
Many Christians tend to think that Karma means “what you sow you reap!” Basically, they are talking about a person who was living an immoral lifestyle and said that Karma would eventually catch up with that person. I promise that if tell people I don’t believe in Karma, they will look at me funny! Then if I told them that the Bible does teach that you reap what you sow in Galatians 6:7—they would tell me they are one and the same. Though on the surface they may appear to be equal, the idea of Karma is totally incompatible with Christianity and the teachings of Christ.
What Karma Is
Karma is a theological concept found in the Buddhist and Hindu religions. It is the idea that how you live your life will determine the quality of life you will have after reincarnation. However, the Bible completely rejects the idea of reincarnation: Hebrews 9:27 states, “Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment…” This Bible verse makes clear two important points which, for Christians, negate the possibility of reincarnation and karma. First: man is destined to die ONCE. We don’t get a second chance. There is no cyclical being born and dying until we are enlightened enough to make it to Nirvana—the concept of heaven within Buddhism. The second point that is made is that after death we face judgment. This means there is NO second chance to live a better life—once it’s over, it’s over. The fat lady has sung her last! You get one shot at life and living it according to God’s plan, and that is it. Further, Christianity knows nothing of reincarnation. We don't have multiple chances to get it right if we don't do it in this life. And when we die we don't come back as an insect or a cow. Nor do we become a different person. In other words, I was never an Egyptian Pharaoh in a previous life.
The Buddhist will tell you “We don't believe in a god because we believe in humanity. We believe that each human being is precious and important, that all have the potential to develop into a Buddha - a perfected human being. We believe that humans can outgrow ignorance and irrationality and see things as they really are. We believe that hatred, anger, spite, and jealousy can be replaced by love, patience, generosity, and kindness. We believe that all this is within the grasp of each person if they make the effort, guided and supported by fellow Buddhists and inspired by the example of the Buddha. As the Buddha says: “No one saves us but ourselves, No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path, but Buddhas clearly show the way.”
Next time you talk about Karma, I hope you remember that you can't believe in a God of justice and a god of karma! They are incompatible!
So do you want to really live by Karma?
Personally I’d rather live my life by God’s grace. The Bible does not teach karma. It teaches grace. Grace is where you get what you don't deserve. Grace is unmerited favor. It is love and mercy bestowed upon us by God because He desires us to have it. As you can see, very different to karma. More like polar opposites. It was grace, not karma, that rescued the Baby Moses from death. It was grace that allowed Queen Esther to plead for the survival of her people. Grace helped Nehemiah rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. Grace appeared face to face with Saul on the Damascus road.
Grace reached out to you and me while we were sinners deserving death and took our place. And it disappoints me that we have forgotten. It disappoints me we are more inclined to look for karma than we are to look for grace.
In the book, Bono: In Conversation with Mishka Assayas, Bono commented, “I'd be in big trouble if Karma was going to finally be my judge... I'm holding out for grace. I'm holding out that Jesus took my sins onto the Cross...”
If the world knew the magnificence of God’s grace they would be holding out for it as well. Because I've got a feeling society doesn't need more karma but a whole lot more grace.
If there was more grace there would be less road rage.
If there was more grace there would be less divorce.
If there was more grace families would talk to each other.
If there were more grace there would be less racism.
If there were more grace there would be less violence.
If there were more grace there would be more kindness.
Getting what you deserve is horrible because if we're honest, we all deserve a rotten life. Getting what you don't deserve is some kind of wonderful. And it is all around us. If we opened our eyes we would see grace working on the planet each and every day.
I encourage you to next time think “I hope God’s grace gets that person” instead of “Maybe Karma will get them!”
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