Praise God that karma is not real because if it was, we would all be doomed.
Karma is a very popular subject in the modern day. The belief in karma is rooted in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. Within these beliefs, karma is defined as “the sum of a person's actions in this and previous states of existence, viewed as deciding their fate in future existences” (Oxford Languages). As one can imagine, in no way is karma biblical.
Karma is a belief that if you do good things, good things will happen, and if you do bad things, bad things will happen. Within the belief of karma, the ideology is that people who are well off, successful, and healthy are the ones who do right; whereas, those who are impoverished, unhealthy, and sick are those who do bad things or have done bad things in a past life.
Within popular culture, karma is becoming increasingly accepted. As much as I like Taylor Swift’s music, I do not endorse her promotion of the idea of karma. She has mentioned many times, including in her song, “Karma,” that she got to where she is today because of karma. This has caused many people to also accept this way of thinking and believe in karma. As Christians, we do not need to accept or endorse karma.
It is dangerous for popular celebrities, such as Taylor Swift, to endorse these false ideologies because her fans will flock to whatever she believes. In the same way, within false religions, individuals flock after the idea of karma because it is taught to them throughout their lives. Karma gives the illusion that one has control of the outcome of their actions or can somehow manipulate their life to be one of goodness, success, and prosperity, yet there is nothing to warrant this kind of thought.
If anything, it tends to be a fake kindness or generosity being exerted by those who practice karma. They are only doing good things and being nice to get good things back. Despite this not happening, individuals continue to do this because they are trying to manipulate their lives to be a certain kind of way. From a biblical perspective, people should want to do good things because it is what God wants—even if nothing nice is returned.
Is Karma Right?
Nothing within karma is biblical and, in fact, it simply is not true. If we look at the main concept of karma, we see that it teaches if a person does good things, good things will result. Moreover, if you do bad things, bad things will happen in your life. However, if you look at this belief, you see it is not true. All of us do bad things (Romans 3:23), yet bad things do not always become the result.
In addition, we do good things, yet good does not always result. When we look at Jesus, we see that He is the exact opposite of karma. When we were still living in our sins, Jesus died for us (Romans 5:8). As you can see, we are sinners, doing bad things and rebelling against Him, yet Jesus does not return evil upon our heads. Instead, He returns grace, love, and salvation. From this very fact, we can see that karma is not right.
You might do something nice for someone, yet they might be mean to you. From the viewpoint of karma, that person should have done something nice back since you were already nice to them. In the same way, maybe you said a harsh word to a spouse, a friend, or a parent, only to have them reply in love. As one can see, there is no solid proof or evidence for karma. Rather, karma is a concept created by false religions that has recently grown in popularity due to pop culture.
Is Karma Biblical?
As previously mentioned, karma is not biblical. Jesus loved us and left Heaven for us though we were living in active rebellion against Him. If karma was true, God would have destroyed the human race a long time ago. Not to mention the truth that nothing in the Bible supports karma. The word “karma” is not found in the Bible nor is a concept related to it found within Scripture.
This is something that deserves special attention. How can a Christian endorse karma if the Bible does not support it? Karma is not found within Christianity because it is not biblical. You will only find a belief in karma within Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. These are all false religions that deny the divinity and saving grace of Jesus. As Christians, we cannot support this type of thought.
By following after karma or teaching that it is true, we will only do a disservice to Jesus. As believers, our responsibility is to help others come to know the gospel (Matthew 28:18-20). If we are choosing to preach karma over Christ, we will be undermining the Lord’s Name. Even though many people refer to karma as a “her” or some kind of force, it is not real.
Karma is not a “her” nor is it an active force in the world. It is a made-up concept that holds no ground. Even those who follow Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism should be able to see how karma does not add up. If you do good things, good things do not always result, and if you do bad things, bad things do not always result. As it is, sometimes our good is repaid with evil, and our evil is covered with grace.
Should Christians Believe in Karma?
Following along in the belief of karma is not biblical, therefore, the answer is no—Christians should not believe in karma, nor should they promote the concept itself. Promoting and endorsing the concept of karma will lead people away from the truth of Jesus.
If you believe that doing good things will result in positives and bad things will result in negatives, then you will never come to fully understand or appreciate the saving grace of Jesus. The Lord saved us, not by anything that we did, but rather by His love, mercy, and grace (Titus 3:5). He didn’t descend from Heaven to redeem us because we were “good” and doing good things. Rather, He left Heaven because He knew we needed a Savior—Himself.
Jesus came to the earth to die for our sins out of love (John 3:16-17). Ever since the fall of mankind, we have been disconnected from God. Due to Adam and Eve’s disobedience, they suffered a broken relationship with the Father. Only through Jesus’ death on the cross could this broken relationship be healed, and this is exactly what Jesus did. None of us have done anything that could be worthy of salvation, yet this is what Jesus has given us.
Praise God that karma is not real because if it was, we would all be doomed. Using the argument of karma, we would all be condemned to a life of misery and a fate of hell based on the bad things we have done. As it is, we are not condemned because through placing faith in Jesus, we have been completely forgiven. No longer are our sins held against us. Instead, they are completely forgiven and we are declared righteous through the blood of Jesus.
Not that we are righteous, but rather, we are declared righteous because of the Lord’s work. The more we look at these truths and facts, the more we will see that karma is not in agreement with a Christian worldview. It is not true, it is not biblical, and it does not bring people closer to God. Instead of believing in karma or following its rules, everyone needs to believe in Jesus and follow Him. Only in Jesus is there real peace, protection, and love.
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