Interfaith Dialogue Topic #1: Karma

This article is representing a protestant Christian perspective as part of an interfaith dialogue discussing the question: "How do you view karma, the thought that your actions in some way determine your experience, in your spiritual path?" Other perspectives from different faiths are presented by Unknowing Mind (Buddhist) and Sojourner (Pagan)

The concept of Karma seems to have saturated contemporary American culture. Earl has merged the concept with redneck mores, and in misleading billboards insurance companies mangle the concept beyond recognition. Perhaps this is betraying an underlying desire or expectation for justice in our culture. As a Christian scholar I do not consider myself an expert on this topic of karma. But given the infinite spiritual scope of the Book in which I do claim some kind of expertise, an interesting question arises: What, if anything, do the Christian Scriptures say about this concept of karma? I should also make one additional disclaimer: much of what I am about to express has been shaped by various professors and commentaries that I have studied. Clearly this is not a strictly academic piece or I would attempt to cite those sources, but we are all indebted to those who have taught us.

For a moment, picture yourself in the ancient near-east. You are an Israelite, your world revolves around the challenges of ancient agriculture, the realities of ancient local politics, and the glimmer of hope you glean from your tri-annual journeys in festival to YHWH. For you the known world ends with the Philistines to your west, the Egyptians to the south, the Mesopotamians to your "north" and the mysterious desert to your east. The "wild - west" of the Israelites was across the Jordan River to the east, and beyond was the world of the rising sun. I took us on this brief journey into this alien world simply so we could get our minds around one concept: for the Israelites wisdom was nearly synonymous with the east.

It does not surprise me to find parallels in ancient Israelite wisdom literature and some of the teachings that arise in the Far East. There is particularly a strong parallel between the eastern concept of karma and the concept from biblical principle that "you reap what you sow." Though perhaps more interesting are the bounds and limits that the Scriptures place around these teachings of wisdom. Most interesting of all are the exceptions the Scriptures give to these general principles of wisdom, and the critique those exceptions bring to the concept of karma.

Parallels between Karma and Wisdom

A brief caveat should be made at this point. While I will demonstrate some parallels between the concept of Karma and biblical wisdom, they are not identical in their scope or definition. The Scriptures are deeply concerned about ethical and moral goodness and badness. These principles are defined by theological terms: wickedness and righteousness. Righteousness means to be relationally faithful to the agreements one makes, whether with God or with other people. Wickedness means the opposite: to be crooked in how one relates with other people and God.

Biblical wisdom points out the truth that the world was originally created to be good to those who are righteous (bless them) and to be bad to those who are wicked (curse them). This was to occur not in a context of reincarnation, since the Scriptures never mention that concept, instead focusing on the miracle of resurrection, but primarily it was to be experienced in this life and by one's descendents.

There are many examples of this principle in the wisdom literature of the Old Testament. Here are two brief passages that are demonstrative of the genre:
Many are the woes of the wicked, but the LORD's unfailing love surrounds the man who trusts in him.

[NIV Psalm 32:10]
The fear of the LORD adds length to life, but the years of the wicked are cut short. The prospect of the righteous is joy, but the hopes of the wicked come to nothing. The way of the LORD is a refuge for the righteous, but it is the ruin of those who do evil. The righteous will never be uprooted, but the wicked will not remain in the land. [NIV Proverbs 10: 27 - 30]

This principle can even be seen in the New Testament writings of the Apostle Paul:
Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. [NIV Gal 6: 7 - 9]

Thus, the Bible teaches that in general those who do bad things gain bad consequences in this life, and those who do good things gain good consequences in this life. God created the world originally with that basic design in mind.

Biblical Limits on Wisdom Literature

While biblical wisdom literature does imply that the righteous will be blessed and the wicked will be cursed, there are limits to that principle. The Scriptures recognize that we live in a fallen and broken world. Our evil impacts the suffering of others, and sometimes in this temporal existence, there is no clear explanation for why a particular kind of suffering exists. We have polluted the moral world system God originally created, and at times in this world injustice seems to at least temporarily flourish. The Bible reserves much of the ultimate blessing and cursing individuals receive for the eternal realm of the resurrection.

In the biblical story of Job we find a man who is caught up in horrific circumstances that happen to him primarily because of a kind of cosmic wager going on in heaven. His friends try to quote to him the contemporary wisdom. Perhaps his unrighteousness is coming back to get him? But Job holds to his integrity, refusing to acquiesce to primary culpability in his current situation. While not a perfect man, he asserts that he has done nothing that would merit the kind of suffering he is now facing. In the end, God confirms his perspective and disagrees with Job's friends: "My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer and not deal with you according to your folly. You have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has." [NIV Job 42:8]

Jesus obviously is the example of the righteous sufferer par-excellence. In the book of Isaiah it reads: He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth. [NIV Isaiah 53:9] This Old Testament passage was taken as a prophetic foretelling concerning Jesus by many of the early Christian writers. Jesus' unjust death being executed through the cruel Roman method of crucifixion clearly was not something that he personally deserved as the concept of karma would imply. Religious leaders involved in his execution used contemporary wisdom to mock him: "He saved others," they said, "but he can't save himself! He's the King of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, 'I am the Son of God.'" [NIV Matthew 27: 42-43] The resurrection of Jesus from the dead clearly demonstrates that God was vindicating him. God proved by bringing Jesus back from the dead that the suffering Jesus faced was not due to any moral defect (which in fact, Jesus had none) but instead was on the behalf of others. In that amazing act God clearly traced the limits of wisdom and outlined the border of grace.

A Brief Philosophical Critique of the Concept of Karma

In the end, the unique biblical concept of grace runs counter stream to most wisdom, especially any sense of karma. Perhaps that is why the apostle Paul states in reference to the crucifixion of Jesus: "For it is written: "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate." Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? .... For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength.' [1Cor 1:19 - 25]

Indeed, that is the most amazing aspect of the good news about Jesus. Because of Jesus' death we can receive forgiveness for our bad choices. We can thereby avoid the ultimate and eternal negative results of our negative actions simply by accepting that Jesus took those results upon himself for us. This does not mean that we never face any consequences for our behavior in this life, but it does mean that the worst of possible consequences, a destroyed relationship with God, can be avoided by anyone who places their trust in Jesus. Thus, the costly bill of our unrighteousness, injustice, hate, and evil has been paid by Jesus in his death. This reversal of "karma," or rather this folly of pure love is available to anyone who will trust in Jesus.