The theological idea of karma is present in both Buddhism and Hinduism. It is the notion that your post-reincarnation quality of existence will be determined by your life choices. You will be rewarded with a happy rebirth if you live an altruistic, compassionate, and holy life during this one. On the other hand, you will experience an unpleasant rebirth if you lead a life filled with selfishness and wickedness. Stated differently, what you seed in this life is what you harvest in the next. The concept of karma stems from the religious notion of rebirth. Since the Bible disbelieves in reincarnation, it is in opposition to the concept of karma.
“Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment,” according to Hebrews 9:27 This passage in the Bible clarifies two key aspects that, to Christians, rule out the concepts of karma and reincarnation. The first thing it says is that we are “destined to die once,” which means that people only have one birth and one death. The reincarnation hypothesis is based on the false assumption that there is an unending cycle of life, death, and rebirth. Second, it says that we face judgment after death, which implies that there isn’t a second chance to live a better life—unlike in reincarnation and karma. You only have one chance to live your life in accordance with God’s plan, and that is it.
The Bible makes frequent reference to sowing and reaping. “As I have seen, those who plow evil and those who sow trouble reap it,” declares Job 4:8. “Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy,” according to Psalm 126:5. “Consider the ravens: They have no storeroom or barn, they do not sow or reap, yet God feeds them,” says Luke 12:24. Furthermore, you are far more valuable than birds! The act of reaping the fruits of your activities occurs in this life, not in a future one, in each of these and all other allusions to sowing and reaping. The allusions clearly indicate that the fruit you harvest will be proportionate with the deeds you have undertaken, and this is a present-day activity. Furthermore, the deeds you commit to in this life will determine your reward or penalty in the hereafter.
This afterlife is not a continuation of this life or a rebirth into a different body on Earth. Either eternal happiness with Jesus in heaven—who gave His life so that we may dwell with Him forever—or endless agony in hell. This ought to be the main goal of our time here on Earth. “The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life,” the apostle Paul said in Galatians 6:8–9. If we persevere in doing good, we will eventually reap a crop, therefore let’s not become tired in doing good.
Last but not least, we must never forget that it was Jesus’ death on the cross that won us everlasting life, and that our trust in Jesus is what grants us this life. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast,” is what Ephesians 2:8–9 teaches us. Thus, it is clear that the Bible’s teachings on life, death, and the sowing and reaping of everlasting life are irreconcilable with the ideas of reincarnation and karma.
📌FOR FURTHER STUDY
📖 The Lost Teachings of Jesus: Missing Texts Karma and Reincarnation