Works-based Christianity is similar to the principle of Karma, which is the "law of the deed," a centuries-old worldwide belief that if you do good things, good will come back to you, and if you do bad things, bad will come back to you. It is believed that suffering is a result of a person's past wrongdoing. It can be rectified through living many lives in various forms as necessary to achieve union with God and attain god-consciousness. This belief is the complete opposite of Jesus' command to "do to others what you would have them do to you" (Matthew 7:12 NIV). Karma has been around since the beginning of Creation. The three friends of Job operated under it. They tried to convince him to repent so God could start blessing him again.
The belief in karma resulted in a cruel caste system that relegates those who have not been successful in getting closer to reaching god-consciousness to live in poverty and subservience to others. Wealth, good health, lighter skin color, and a higher-class position are directly attributed to personal success in moving closer to god-consciousness. Under the karma belief, if someone gets hurt or sick, they are being punished for a past wrongdoing.
Karma goes hand in hand with reincarnation, which is essentially a belief that a soul/spirit takes on a physical body, and when it dies, it begins a cycle of rebirth in a life form that could be different than the one it left behind. The rebirth can occur hundreds or thousands of times if a person does not live a good enough life and fails at working out their salvation. The next life is determined by how they lived their previous life. Each lifetime is punished for past mistakes that the person may not even know they made. The ultimate goal is to reach a spiritual level where they escape from the endless circle of birth, death, and rebirth.
Reincarnation may seem to be a comfort, but it is quite the opposite, as it is a hopeless cycle that perpetuates the problem of evil, offering no forgiveness and making it impossible to escape the cycle of rebirth. Karma fuels pride and leaves no room for grace or mercy, and opens the door for judging others.
The Disciples of Jesus also operated under the karma principle.
"As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" "Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life." (John 9:1-3 NIV)
They were convinced that the blindness was the result of past sin. Jesus made it clear that it is wrong to draw a black-and-white conclusion when one sees someone suffering. He said there was no connection between sin and the man's blindness.
In another instance, Jesus was approached by people who told Him about some Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. Jesus responded to them and said,
"Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish." Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them - do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish." (Luke 13:1-5 NIV)
The people who approached Jesus thought they were better than those who suffered horrific deaths. He told them not to pass such erroneous judgment and let them know that how or when a person dies is not an indication of their status before God, and that if they did not repent of their sins, they would also perish.
Eternal Salvation
As with all other religions, karma is based on self-effort to obtain god-consciousness and or eternal life. Every human being on the planet needs God's kindness, mercy, love, and grace, and He provided the way to find it without having to earn it, through the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross. It is the free gift of God's merciful grace that sets Christianity apart.
Grace and mercy are at the heart of the Gospel. According to the Bible, salvation is a gift from God, not something that can be obtained in any other way. It is only Christianity that presents salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. God's love comes free of charge with no strings attached. Only Christianity dares to proclaim that God's love is unconditional.
"And you were dead in your trespasses and sins in which you previously walked according to the ways of this world, according to the ruler who exercises authority over the lower heavens,[a] the spirit now working in the disobedient. We too all previously lived among them in our fleshly desires, carrying out the inclinations of our flesh and thoughts, and we were by nature children under wrath as the others were also. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love that He had for us, made us alive with the Messiah even though we were dead in trespasses. You are saved by grace! Together with Christ Jesus He also raised us up and seated us in the heavens, so that in the coming ages He might display the immeasurable riches of His grace through His kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God's gift – not from works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:1-9 NIV)
Christianity is the only religion that teaches that God came to humanity and that no one can earn their way to Heaven. The Triune God does the work of salvation by seeking and drawing people to Jesus, and once they repent of their sin and receive Him as Lord and Savior, He converts them and begins working within to "do his will" for "his good pleasure" (Philippians 2:13 ESV). Obtaining perfection is only found in Jesus. Sanctification is by grace alone.
Karma Theology
Throughout history, Karma theology has penetrated church beliefs and enslaved people to serve God based on legalistic performance so they can earn His approval, receive rewards, blessings, healing, and obtain a victorious life.
The church doctrine of predestination teaches that God has the moment-by-moment existence of every person completely planned out for them, so whatever happens, whether good or bad, it is ordered by Him. That view is known as fatalism and is not biblical. The word "ordered" implies direct responsibility and blame for everything bad that happens, and human beings are just puppets in God's grand scheme of things. This is also what is implied when a person says God' allowed' it and indirectly accuses Him of causing suffering by saying such things as; "It was God's will"- "God is testing me" - "Everything happens for a reason"- "It was meant to be"- "It was fate"- "It was their time," etc.
The Bible says those who place their trusting-faith in Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior are predestined to spend eternity with Him. Those who reject Him are predestined to spend eternity separated from Him. Plain and simple, life is what you make it. It is a self-fulfilling prophecy, determined by every choice made and the consequences that follow.
Many correctly teach that God's grace sets people free from legalism. However, there is a growing belief that God will give different rewards and varying degrees of happiness in Heaven based upon a 'merit' system of works done on Earth and how a person works out their Christian life to achieve obedience to His commands. It is believed that the better a person behaves or serves the Kingdom, the greater their rank and job responsibilities in the heavenly Kingdom, and they will also be rewarded with a 'deeper' relationship with God. Although there are no Scriptures that explicitly declare these beliefs, there is the insistence that the Scriptures imply them.
The traditional teaching of historical orthodox Christianity is that the only reward a person gets when they release all claims to their life and receive Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior is eternal salvation. When the Christian comes to the place of knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that their salvation is based upon what Jesus has done and not what they do, or do not do, for Him, they will never worry about not being faithful. The 'merit system' of heavenly hierarchies is antithetical to Christianity. Jesus' words that the "first shall be last and the last shall be first" turn this belief upside down as the top 'performers' actually become the bottom 'performers' and those at the bottom go to the top (Luke 22:26-27 NIV).
"We love him, because he first loved us." (1 John 4:19 NIV)
Saved by the Faith of Jesus
In the Bible, Jesus is often referred to as God's "free gift" (Romans 5:15 NIV). A person is free to reject that gift just as they are free to reject the offer of friendship and love from another. That is their choice, just as it is their choice to sin because they are free to do so. However, they are not free not to sin because they are a 'sinner' by nature. It is God alone who deserves all acclaim for them, and not stopping to sin. All glory has to be God's for faith because otherwise, it is not faith; it is the success of works and not grace.
No one can work their way to God or maintain their salvation by doing good works. Continuous good works that result from genuine conversion demonstrate that the Holy Spirit lives within a person whose faith is alive and not dead. Those who are Christians naturally stay (abide) in Jesus because He is a good God. They will never hear Jesus say, "I never knew you; depart from me" (Matthew 7:23 ESV).
Every human being is "destined to die once, and after that to face judgment" (Hebrews 9:27 NIV). Those who repent of their sin and receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior are destined to see Him as He is and spend eternity with Love Himself! Jesus is the one who saves a person, and they cannot save themselves.
Salvation is conditional because it is based upon a person repenting of their sin and receiving Jesus as Lord and Savior. It is based on the faith of Jesus, not our belief in Jesus, because His faith is the only valid basis for, and the conclusion of, our believing. Jesus is the Author and Finisher of the one faith. There is no other faith besides His by which a person can become a Christian. Jesus is the only source of the finished and perfected saving faith that is in every Christian.
“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless, I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20 KJV)
In Greek, the verse reads, ‘zo en sarki’ (I live in flesh), ‘en pistei zo’ (in faith I live), ‘te tou Huiou tou Theou’ (that from the Son of God).” Paul was saying that his physical life on Earth is lived in the faith of Jesus. The word “Son” is a genitive noun, which means He owns all “the faith.” The word “in” (Gk: “en”) denotes rest. The Christian lives their life on Earth before God in the finished and perfect faith of Jesus! Salvation is all about God’s grace and not a person’s works!
Some words in the Bible have no English equivalent because the Greek and Hebrew languages are significantly different from the perspective of Western culture. Hence, it is vitally important for every Christian to learn word meanings and the grammar used so they can understand what the writers were saying in the historical context, so that a modern way of thinking or word definition causes no misunderstanding. This is why the discipline of biblical Hermeneutics is so important for proper study/exegesis of Scripture. Relying on English commentaries or interpretations of English translations of the Bible may not accurately reflect what was written in the original languages and instead reflect the translator’s personal beliefs or understanding of God.
As an example, on the Cross, Jesus said, referring to those who were crucifying Him, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34 NIV). The word ‘forgive’ is in the aorist tense, which is a completed action that took place at a point in time. It does not need, nor can it be done again, or even undone. When Jesus died on the Cross, all sins were forgiven, past, present, and future. A person appropriates God’s forgiveness by repenting of their sin and receiving Jesus as Lord and Savior. When they do that, they instantly become holy and blameless in His sight, and they are “predestinated” “for adoption to sonship” (Ephesians 1:5 NIV ).
One of the essential elements of Greek grammar is the genitive possessive case of nouns, which can denote ownership. The word “of” is often used in English translations to make the verse easier to read; however, some translators use a different preposition instead, such as “in,” which can be interpreted as indicating something that needs to be done.
“Before the coming of this faith, we were held in custody under the law, locked up until the faith that was to come would be revealed. So the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith (Gk: ‘ek pisteos’). Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian.” (Galatians 3:23-25 NIV)
The word “faith” used is in the genitive case, meaning that the faith belongs to, and not by, someone, as it points to the origin and source, who is Jesus, and His faith, which is perfect, finished, and complete in the Christian. Jesus is the possessor of the faith, and He is their source of justification, and they are set free from the Law of death.
There is only one Faith - God’s faith manifested in the birth, life, death, burial, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus. It is only in Him that the Christian “lives, and moves, and has our being!” (Acts 17:28 NIV). Everything they have was received from Jesus because they were baptized and fully immersed into Him when they put on Jesus. He is their identity, and they died, were buried, and raised with Him.
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:8-10 NIV)
Grace and faith are gifts from Jesus to those who repent and receive Him as Lord and Savior.
“Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid. For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God. I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.” (Galatians 2:16-21 KJV)
The words "faith of Jesus Christ" and "faith of the son of God" are 'pistis Christou' and 'posters Ieesou Christou' in Greek. Various translations note a grammatical issue regarding whether the Greek is in the subjective genitive – "Jesus' faith" – or the objective genitive – "faith in Jesus." Unfortunately, many translations often include incorrect interpretations because they disagree with the literal meaning, such as the subjective genitive of "pistis Christou." If the words were actually "faith IN Jesus Christ," then the question arises why were the words "unto all and upon all them that believe" added, which makes them unneeded because they are redundant.
"For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith." (Romans 1:17 KJV)
The righteousness of God is revealed "from faith to faith" (Gk: 'ek pisteos eis pistin' ). The meritorious cause of salvation is the faith of Jesus and not anyone else. The righteousness of God is "from faith to faith" because the faith of Jesus must endorse human faith/trust, or no one will be saved. Jesus did everything – He kept the Law, was baptized, and died for all of humanity. Until a person believes in Jesus as the promised Messiah, their works are of no value.
