A conversation with a young man named Miguel revealed the dilemma
faced by many who have grown up in a Christian household: he appreciates the
moral training he received, but not the guilt that came along with it. What to do?
For Miguel, that guilt came with the personal nature of
God. To violate moral laws involves not
just his own personal disappointment in regards to his bad behavior, but God’s disappointment
as well. He explained that he’d rather
not be beholden to an outside authority, that it felt better to him, at least
for now, to decide on his own whether his actions were good or bad, and adjust
his behavior accordingly. Miguel learned
about other religions and decided it would be better to just believe in an
impersonal moral force like “karma”, and improve his moral character on his
own, without all the guilt, he reasoned.
He isn’t alone. Billions of people believe in karma,
formerly in some religions, and informally in other religions in which the idea
of morality is based on a sort of “balance scale” in which one’s good deeds
must outweigh the bad. It just seems
less arbitrary and more like something we can control ourselves as we try to
keep our own balance scale of morality from tipping too far in a bad direction.
I would argue that the idea of “karma” is partly true when
it comes to a biblical understanding of morality. Romans 2 tells us that “God ‘will repay each
person according to what they have done.’
To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and
immortality, he will give eternal life. But
for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there
will be wrath and anger.”
I believe this is similar to karma in a couple
respects. First, it is automatic. God is not working hard to keep track of our
good and bad deeds like a military school demerit system. When he thinks of us, He knows all, good and
bad, without effort. He’s not “making a
list and checking it twice”. He doesn’t
need a list. Lists are for imperfect,
forgetful people; God is perfect and remembers all without fail.
Second, a biblical view of morality can and should serve to
put a “check” on our behavior much like the idea of “karma”. I don’t believe it is God’s intention to
hover over us, making us feel like little children who would immediately go
astray were it not for close parental supervision. 2 Timothy 1 tells us “For the Spirit God gave
us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.” God’s intention is for us to become
Christ-like, growing in wisdom and stature toward a maturity that includes the
ability to be self-disciplined, to be filled with a power and love that
overflows from the Holy Spirit hidden in our hearts.
“Karma” is limited, however, in helping us to understand
that some of what is simply called “bad karma” is actually the discipline of a
loving Father, “for what children are not disciplined by their father?” (Heb. 12) With a believe in “karma”, we miss
out on the positive aspects of a loving relationship and valuable lessons God
desires to have with His children.
Finally, “karma” is closer to the simple reward/punishment
motivation that turns so many people off when they falsely attribute it to
Christianity. Karma might say we need to
add more to the good side of the scale to outweigh the bad, though we can never
be sure how good and bad balance each other out. The Gospel tells us that the good we do, we
ought to do, simply because it is good and honors God. We can’t use it to “balance out” the bad
things we ought not to have done. For
this reason, when it comes to salvation, we are spiritually bankrupt and we
need a Savior. When it comes to living a
life of integrity after having been saved, we can do good to love and honor God
simply because He gave us one.
Thanks, Miguel, for allowing me to record our
conversation! It can be seen on my
YouTube channel HERE at https://youtu.be/boNkIIoP6Sc
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