Should Christians Believe in Karma?
Many Christians wrongly believe in karma, saying that the principle of sowing and reaping and karma is the same. Is it really? Let's talk about that.
Karma Vs. Bible Truth
Karma is a belief in Hinduism and Buddhism, something that is not mentioned in the Bible no matter what translation, version, or language you use.
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The Merriam-Webster dictionary says Karma is "the force created by a person's actions that is believed in Hinduism and Buddhism to determine what that person's next life will be like" or "the force created by a person's actions that some people believe causes good or bad things to happen to that person".
Simply put, karma teaches people to believe that they will always get what they deserve: if they do good, good things will naturally come their way. If they do bad, bad things will inevitably come, and so on and so forth.
While the idea of having good come round again for the good things we do and having bad come round again for the bad things we do sounds like the sowing and reaping principle of Galatians 6:7, it really isn't: Karma insists on receiving the returns of what we do today in the afterlife, something like "if you're a bad man today you'll be a dirt-eating fly in the next life."
That sounds ridiculous, really.
The Bible gives us just one simple explanation to say what we deserve:
"As it is written: 'There is none righteous, no, not one...' For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God ... the wages of sin is death ... " (see Romans 3:10, 23; 6:23)
The Bible simply says that all of us deserve nothing good for what we've done and how we've lived. Karma says we can do good and receive our due after this life, but the Bible says there's nothing we can do in this life to make us worthy of receiving goodness in this life and in the life to come.
What's more, karma says all of us will live again, to either a better or worse life based on what we do today. The Bible, however, says that we can only live if we believe in the Son of God (see Romans 6:23; John 3:16-17). Our actions can't win a better afterlife for us – only the blood of the Son can.
Our efforts Vs. God's goodness
Friends, karma teaches us to work our way to a perceived-but-false salvation. The Bible, on the other hand, tells us that we are saved only by the grace of God, not by what we can do.
"But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in sins, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and He raised us up and seated us together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, not of works, so that no one should boast." (Ephesians 2:4-9)
So, should Christians believe in karma? Of course not. Let this final exhortation tell you why:
"For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds, casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is complete." (2 Corinthians 10:4-6 emphasis mine)
