Karma or What You Will
Sunday, 27 July 2008 by Unknown
Ironically, while desire to free itself from the yoke of a personal God, eastern mysticism merely exchanges one "external authority" for another. And the new authority, the law of karma, is a merciless master.
Karma is the iron-clad law of cause and effect that rules the universe. What a man sows, he reaps - if not in this life, then perhaps in the next, or the next. For the handmaiden of the law of karma is the doctrine of reincarnation, which holds that when a man dies, his soul passes into a new body and is reborn, complete with the good or bad karma he has accumulated up to that point.
Man thus lives out his existence in a virtually endless cycle of births and rebirths on a treadmill referred to as the "wheel of samsara".
You know, the leaning of the east towards the law of karma has resulted in the rejection of the poor and disabled in the streets, of especially India.
What does the Bible teach us?
"It is appointed to a man to die only once….."
Jesus said in John 3: "…..unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God…..that which is born of the flesh (physical birth) is flesh and that which is born of the Spirit (spiritual birth) is spirit. "
Nothing less than the birth of a new spiritual nature within us is necessary to resolve the dilemma of sin and make man acceptable before God.
There is no need for "bad karma". The precious blood of Jesus Christ shed on Calvary has made it possible for all those who would believe, to reestablish their relationship with God the Father. "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that we may not perish but have eternal life."
Which would you choose?
Eastern religions promote the eradication of the ego, but in trusting one’s self and rejecting God, the opposite effect is attained. You find that you are made to rely on self, believe in self, heal self, all about self. There certainly is no humility in that.
Humility, is coming to the cross of Christ and asking Him to release you from all your burdens, this He will do at once, for all time. By faith, all your sins can be blotted out with the precious blood of Christ.
Rev 3:20: "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him…."
Jesus is knocking at the door of your heart. Invite Him in today. Turn away from self and turn to God.
Postscript:
There was a discussion about how Christ was uniquely qualified to be the mediator between God and man: He was the one perfect individual who had ever lived (He still lives), and thus had no sin of His own to pay for. A Transcendental Meditation teacher who was part of the discussion reasoned "I see it!! Jesus didn’t have any ‘bad karma’ of His own to pay for, so He took all our ‘karma’ on Himself on the cross!" He may not have used the correct words, but he sure grasped the heart of the gospel. You know, he gave his life to Christ
Karma is the iron-clad law of cause and effect that rules the universe. What a man sows, he reaps - if not in this life, then perhaps in the next, or the next. For the handmaiden of the law of karma is the doctrine of reincarnation, which holds that when a man dies, his soul passes into a new body and is reborn, complete with the good or bad karma he has accumulated up to that point.
Man thus lives out his existence in a virtually endless cycle of births and rebirths on a treadmill referred to as the "wheel of samsara".
You know, the leaning of the east towards the law of karma has resulted in the rejection of the poor and disabled in the streets, of especially India.
What does the Bible teach us?
"It is appointed to a man to die only once….."
Jesus said in John 3: "…..unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God…..that which is born of the flesh (physical birth) is flesh and that which is born of the Spirit (spiritual birth) is spirit. "
Nothing less than the birth of a new spiritual nature within us is necessary to resolve the dilemma of sin and make man acceptable before God.
There is no need for "bad karma". The precious blood of Jesus Christ shed on Calvary has made it possible for all those who would believe, to reestablish their relationship with God the Father. "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that we may not perish but have eternal life."
Which would you choose?
Eastern religions promote the eradication of the ego, but in trusting one’s self and rejecting God, the opposite effect is attained. You find that you are made to rely on self, believe in self, heal self, all about self. There certainly is no humility in that.
Humility, is coming to the cross of Christ and asking Him to release you from all your burdens, this He will do at once, for all time. By faith, all your sins can be blotted out with the precious blood of Christ.
Rev 3:20: "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him…."
Jesus is knocking at the door of your heart. Invite Him in today. Turn away from self and turn to God.
Postscript:
There was a discussion about how Christ was uniquely qualified to be the mediator between God and man: He was the one perfect individual who had ever lived (He still lives), and thus had no sin of His own to pay for. A Transcendental Meditation teacher who was part of the discussion reasoned "I see it!! Jesus didn’t have any ‘bad karma’ of His own to pay for, so He took all our ‘karma’ on Himself on the cross!" He may not have used the correct words, but he sure grasped the heart of the gospel. You know, he gave his life to Christ