Five Reasons the Gospel is Better than Karma
Earlier, I wrote an article called Five Reasons Karma is a Bad Idea. This article, which shows why the gospel or the good news of Jesus Christ is better than karma in every way, is a follow up to the earlier entry. To recap, the first article showed that karma is bad for human spirituality and flourishing because it leads to pride, fear, guilt, complacency, and uncertainty, each negative result profoundly troubling in its own way.
The gospel, on the other hand, is the most profound good that has ever dawned upon humankind. Its blessings and benefits are innumerable, and it shines through the dark clouds that karma produces.
Below is a brief overview of how the gospel counters the harmful results of karma.
The Gospel Disspells Pride
Karma produces pride because any blessings or spiritual achievements are the result of one’s own effort. If good things happen to you in this life, it’s because you did much good in a past life, and so you deserve every ounce of blessing. It also gives you reason to look down on others who aren’t as well off, since they didn’t do as much good as you did.
“All blessings are undeserved gifts given to us by our loving Father in heaven.”
But the gospel gives no place for pride. According to the gospel, we are saved not by our own effort or merit, but by God’s sheer grace alone (Eph. 2:8). All blessings are undeserved gifts given to us by our loving Father in heaven (Matt. 5:45; James 1:17). This truth leads us away from pride toward humility and gratitude, which are immensely good and purifying for the soul.
2. The Gospel Disspells Fear
Karma produces fear because the burden for achieving a better reincarnation in the cycle of rebirth is put on the individual. Each person is solely responsible for how they move up and down the chain. But this is an incredibly heavy burden to bear; the thought of doing enough good to outweigh all of our sins can be daunting.
“He did all the good necessary for our salvation, and His death and resurrection guarantee for us the best possible rebirth of all.”
But the Gospel takes away the fear and burden from us because it tells us that Jesus took on that burden for us. He did all the good necessary for our salvation, and His death and resurrection guarantee for us the best possible rebirth of all (Matt. 11:28-30; John 3:16). First John 4:18 adds,
There is no fear in love; instead, perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves punishment. So the one who fears is not complete in love.
3. The Gospel Disspells Guilt
Karma produces guilt because it says every bad thing that happens to us is our fault. We deserve every bit of pain and suffering we experience because they are the just desserts of our past actions, in this life and previous lives. There is no forgiveness in the system of karma.
“The guilt and shame and Adam and Eve felt in the garden after they sinned, the same guilt and shame they passed down to us, is forever removed by Christ on the cross.”
The good news of Jesus Christ, in contrast, is founded upon the idea of forgiveness. The gospel is good news precisely because we can be forgiven simply by putting faith in saving, atoning sacrifice Jesus made for us on the cross. Romans 8:1 famously declares that there is no condemnation for those who put their faith in Christ because the law of Spirit and life has set them free from the law of sin and death. The guilt and shame and Adam and Eve felt in the garden after they sinned, the same guilt and shame they passed down to us, is forever removed by Christ on the cross. He cleanses us from all unrighteousness and makes us as white as snow (Isa. 1:18; 1 John 1:9).
4. The Gospel Disspells Complacency
Karma produces complacency in those who feel they’ve done enough good for a lifetime. There are many in the world today who feel they have no sin in their lives because they don’t commit any obvious, egregious crimes, such as murder, theft, or adultery. Since they don’t have any sin and they live as a “good person” in their estimation, they become morally complacent in the false security of having stored enough good karma for this life and the next.
“Having received so much mercy and forgiveness from God, how could one remain complacent?“
The gospel removes complacency and false security in two ways. First, it opens our eyes to the prevalence and severity of sin. Jesus says in the Sermon on the Mount that even angry or lustful thoughts are as worthy of condemnation as major crimes like murder and adultery (Matt. 5:21-30). The Apostle Paul says that our very flesh is sinful and wars against our Spirit-born nature (Rom. 7:14-25). Sin is inescapable and it is serious.
Second, the gospel puts us in debt to God, a debt so immense that we could never repay it, not even after multiple lifetimes (Matt. 18:21-35; Rom. 11:35). Having received so much mercy and forgiveness from God, how could one remain complacent? Jesus calls us to live passionately for Him (Rev. 3:16) and to strive for perfection just as God is perfect (Matt. 5:48).
5. The Gospel Disspells Uncertainty
Karma produces uncertainty because it’s impossible to know what the threshold is for qualifying for a positive rebirth. How many good deeds are enough to outweigh one’s bad deeds? Even if someone were far above the neutral line, there would be no way for him or her to know that. Thus, out of fear or a desire to “be on the safe side”, a person might continue to perform as many good deeds as possible, hoping to clear the cut-off line by a good margin.
“But the gospel of Jesus Christ gives promises and assurances that are as solid as stone and as certain as the rising of the sun.”
But the gospel of Jesus Christ gives promises and assurances that are as solid as stone and as certain as the rising of the sun. Romans 10:9 states, “If you declare with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” No ifs, buts, or maybes. In John 18:9, Jesus declares that He will never lose a single soul that is given to Him. And Ephesians 4:30 tells us that those in Christ are literally sealed by the Holy Spirit for the day of salvation. As the old hymn goes:
“Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine! O, what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God, born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.”
