WATCHWORD:
24 For Christ has entered into heaven itself to appear now before God as our Friend. It was not in the earthly place of worship that he did this, for that was merely a copy of the real temple in heaven. 25 Nor has he offered himself again and again, as the high priest down here on earth offers animal blood in the Holy of Holies each year. 26 If that had been necessary, then he would have had to die again and again, ever since the world began. But no! He came once for all, at the end of the age, to put away the power of sin forever by dying for us. 27 And just as it is destined that men die only once, and after that comes judgment, 28 so also Christ died only once as an offering for the sins of many people; and he will come again, but not to deal again with our sins. Hebrews 9:24-28
Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven. Matthew 18:21-22
Meditation:
Karma and God?
“Does karma exist with God? In cases of anger and revenge, should they be forgiven?” Interesting questions.
I may have an answer, but first, I would point out that when it comes to religions of the world, we run into differences because of translations, language, semantics, definitions, understandings, traditions, habits, etc., all of which have contributed to divisions in what we might call “religion.” There are belief systems that we might call idol worship.
It is well-known that there are more than 50,000 ‘brands’ of Christianity, and each one affirms they got it ‘right’. Differences may be based on whether it’s liturgical or non-liturgical, or a literal understanding of Scripture, all the way to superficial matters, but the spirit of “churchiness” seems to pervade them all. Very early on we saw a significant divide between the Sadducees and the Pharisees on the issue of the Resurrection.
More than 40 years ago, JB Phillips wrote his classic, Your God is Too Small, and coined the phrase, ‘God-in-a-box’, where he speaks of how we have made the Almighty much too small. Some churches appear to be saying “here, jumped through our particular hoop, sign on our particular dotted line, then we will introduce you to God. But, if not, sorry, there is no God for you.”
Okay, so what does that have to do with karma and if the concept exists with God. My friend is correct in asserting that 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 your life that you will have after reincarnation. Which suggests a short answer to the basic question — the Bible rejects the idea of reincarnation, so, therefore, Christianity does not support the idea of karma.
I can hear the argument: “Reincarnation and Resurrection are the same thing, it is only a matter of semantics.” No, No, No. Not even close! Reincarnation is like a “do-over”, trying to be better each time you die and return as another person, or, possibly, another species, maybe a cute little Shitzu or a friendly Golden. (Stop it, Stan!)
The Bible makes it clear that we are destined to die once, meaning that humans are only born once and only die once. There is no endless cycle of life and death and rebirth, an idea inherent in the reincarnation. A second point is this, in our Christian belief, after death we face judgment. There is no second chance, like in karma, through reincarnation, to live a better life. As believers, we get one shot at life and living it according to God’s plan, and that’s it! Sorry!
In the second question, there is a reference to forgiveness, and for that I refer you to no less an authority than Jesus the Christ, and His answer when Peter raised the same question in Matthew 18:21-22, listed above: seventy times seven. Amen.
Recipe for Spiritual Success:
Every day you need to get a full dose of the Word and mediate on scripture, and if you discipline yourself and remain consistent, your faith will grow and mature. Remember that God, the Word, and your faith, is a recipe for success. — Stephanie Williams, Daily Meditation of Scripture.
Closing Prayer:
Precious Heavenly Father, we know there is only one way to You, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. We are committed Lord, to loving You and to loving our neighbor in the same way that we love ourselves. In our everyday life, Lord, we seek to act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with You. Sometimes our efforts fall short and in Your great love You forgive us, You pick us up and You point us in the right direction of Your will. It is with great gratitude, Lord, that we express our love for You, each minute of every day that you have given us. It’s in the name of Jesus Christ I offer these prayers. Amen.
