Karma has become increasingly relevant, especially in mainstream media. Due to its popularity, many Christians have become aware of this false belief. Though talk of karma is more prevalent today, it does not mean it is okay for Christians to believe in it. A belief in karma has no place in a Christian's life.
What is karma?
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines karma as "the force generated by a person's actions held in Hinduism and Buddhism to perpetuate transmigration and in its ethical consequences to determine the nature of the person's next existence" (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/karma). It is an important part of Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism. This belief teaches that if a person does good things, they will obtain rewards. However, if they do bad things, they will be punished. In other words, you will get good karma if you do positive things and bad karma if you do wrong. What you do will be returned to you. Within the religions of Buddhism and Hinduism, the goal is to attain good karma. To do this, they will make nice gestures for the sole purpose of earning good karma. In this way, they are not doing good things for the right reason.
Is karma real?
The Bible is the perfect, flawless, inerrant Word of God. Everything written in it is to instruct, guide, and help us (2 Timothy 3:16-17). If you study the Bible, you will quickly find no occurrences of the word "karma." This is because karma is not a biblical concept, nor is it true. Just because someone does something terrible does not mean it will result in a negative outcome. This is shown to us through Jesus coming to die for our sins (John 3:16-17). We had done nothing good to warrant salvation, yet Jesus left Heaven to pay our sin debt.
If karma were real, only terrible things would happen to us because we all sin and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). However, as it is, bad things do not always happen to us. Sometimes we have good things to happen, and occasionally bad things to happen. Neither the good nor the bad is caused by karma.
What biblical principles advise against belief systems like karma?
Throughout the accounts in the Bible, many people believed in false beliefs. While karma is not a specific belief described in the Bible, the same condemnation stands. God tells us not to believe in false gods or idols (Exodus 20:3-5). Karma can be classified as a false god and an idol because people are placing karma above God.
Israel always went astray from God, serving and worshiping other gods. Instead of following the true God of the Bible, they followed the work of their own hands. Believers in the modern day are making the same mistake when they choose to worship karma rather than God.
How can we spot karma in our everyday lives?
Look at how you go about your everyday life. Are you doing things to get good things returned to you? Did you open the door for someone to be genuinely nice or to try to win good karma? Start looking at these things in your everyday life, and they will help you decipher whether you are living with a karma mindset.
When you do something nice, you should do it for the sole purpose of being nice. The Lord wants us to do good things and bring glory to Him through it. Jesus says that by our fruits, others will recognize us (Matthew 7:16-20).
Fruits are the good things that we do for Jesus. If a tree is good, it will bear good fruit; if it is terrible, it will bear bad fruit. As Christians, we don't do good things to win good karma. We do good things because it is a natural outpouring of the Holy Spirit's work.
How do we guard our hearts against karma?
Karma has a way of hardening our hearts. This is why we must guard our hearts against karma, which we do through Bible reading, prayer, and spending time with other believers. By reading the Bible, you will learn more about God and listen to His gentle whisper.
Prayer is the blessing of getting to talk with the Lord directly. Going to Him, being honest with your struggles with karma, and repenting of these practices can all strengthen your heart. Put on the whole armor of God, and you will protect yourself from all the flaming arrows of the devil (Ephesians 6:10-18).
Connecting with other believers can help guard your heart because they can hold you accountable. Let them know that you are struggling with letting go of karma, and they can help you. Through the help of other believers, they will also be able to pray for you. Daily strengthening of your heart will keep it safe from the attacks of false beliefs.
As Christians, what should our stance be on karma?
Karma is wrong, unbiblical, and dangerous. Believing in karma does not align with a Christian worldview. Since God condemns false beliefs, false teachings, and idols, Christians should not believe in karma. If a person continues to believe in karma, it will impair their relationship with Christ.
Once our relationship with Christ is impaired, we will struggle in all areas of our lives. While many people may think karma is "harmless," it can lead a person to start following a false religion, such as Hinduism or Buddhism, and it could also cause a person to drift away from Jesus.
How can I focus more on Jesus?
When we reflect on these things, we see that Jesus is the One we should be following—not karma. Instead of focusing on how you can earn good karma, following Jesus and doing all you can to glorify Him is good. Trying to earn karma is useless because karma is not accurate. It is more beneficial to spend time serving the Lord and helping others get to know Him. Only through focusing on Jesus will we be able to glorify Him in all that we do genuinely.
How can I replace the concepts of karma with biblical truth?
If you find it hard to give up karma, remember where your allegiance lies. Your allegiance lies with Jesus. God does not want us to bow down to any idol, including karma. If you choose to practice karma, you will be going against the Lord and disobeying Him.
With the Lord, you can rest in the truth that you don't have to earn good karma to experience salvation. All that is required is to place faith in Him. The Bible tells us, "If you declare with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved" (Romans 10:9).
Believing in karma is not part of the life that God has for you. God has a far greater life in store, but it is only found in Him.
Bible Verses Which Disprove Karma
"Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment." - Hebrews 9:27
"So we make it our goal to please him, whether at home in the body or away from it. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that we may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad." - 2 Corinthians 5:9-10
"Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy. Those who go out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with them." - Psalm 126:5-6
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