The Bible of course, has never taught karma.. which is understood in Hinduism and Buddhism. It's the belief that a person’s actions determine the conditions of their future lives through reincarnation. That won't happen.
God says, "it is appointed for man once to die" in Hebrews 9:27.
That highlights the inevitability of physical death for every human, and the certainty of divine judgment that will soon follow, emphasizing the need for spiritual preparation today!
Hebrews 9:27 kjv: "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment".
Hebrews 9:27 niv: "Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment".
Scripture rejects both reincarnation and the idea that salvation or eternal destiny can be earned through human effort. Will power ain't enough, but there is power enough in the name of Jesus.
Yes, the Bible presents something altogether different to us all: a holy God who rules sovereignly over all His creation, a moral universe where actions carry consequences, and a Savior who offers kind mercy to us sinners who could never save ourselves.
May I say it again: Hebrews 9:27 states this plainly, "And just as it is appointed and destined for all men to die once and after this comes certain judgment,"
There is no endless cycle of death and rebirth over and over again. Each person lives only one earthly life here, and then they stand before a holy, fiercely righteous God (perfect). Human destiny is not shaped by karmic energy.. the force, or "cosmic balance," but by the righteous judgment and the sovereign mercy of the living God.
At the same time, Scripture repeatedly teaches us the principle of sowing and reaping. All of our choices matter. Sin bears consequences too, and righteousness bears fruit for God's glory. What have your iniquitous patterns been like thus far? Job observed this reality when he said, “Those who plow iniquity and sow trouble reap the same” (Job 4:8). Proverbs 11:18 adds, “The wicked earns deceptive wages, but one who sows righteousness gets a sure reward.” The Apostle Paul in Galatians 6:7 also declares with solemn clarity, “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.”
Yet even here, biblical truth differs sharply from "karma." The law of sowing and reaping operates under the mighty hand of a personal, sovereign God, not under an impersonal energy force. I need energy to work all day, but I hate how the world misuese that term!
Scripture never teaches that people mechanically earn future blessings through moral performance while here. God Himself governs justice, mercy, rewards, and judgment according to His perfect omniscience.. with wisdom and righteousness.
Ecclesiastes 12:14 says, “For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.” The Judge is not karma at all -- he is an all knowing, all-powerful Person. The Judge is God.
This distinction becomes especially important when speaking about salvation with others. Karma says people ultimately receive what they deserve. The gospel says none of us truly want what we really deserve. Jesus went to the cross in my place--it was substitutionary. Paul in Romans 6:23 tells us, “For the wages of sin is death.” Mr. Isaiah 64:6 humbles every human heart when he says, “All our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment.” Filthy rags and I won't elaborate too far--it's gross! Even our best efforts cannot erase our guilt or those unseen (by man) sins that we didn't even recognise we were doing before a perfectly holy all-seeing God.
That is why Christianity is not a religion of self-salvation. Eternal life is not achieved by balancing moral scales. Can earn salvation, not today, not tomorrow, and not on any other day!
It is received as a gift of grace through faith in Jesus Christ. If it's not recieved freely, then you don't have salvation. Paul in Ephesians 2:8–9 proclaims, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
The cross of Christ at Calvary stands in direct opposition to the world's karma. Karma says you must bear the full weight of your own deeds here. The gospel declares that Jesus Christ bore the judgment sinners deserved. Paul in Second Corinthians 5:21 reveals the glory of this great exchange: “For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.”
This is the wonder of free grace from God. He does not merely give people what they have earned. In Christ, He offers forgiveness to all who are guilty, and mercy to the undeserving, and eternal life to all who repent and believe in Jesus.
Still today for you and me, the principle of sowing and reaping remains deeply true in the Christian life. Paul writes in Galatians 6:8–9:
“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.”
A farmer does not plant thorns and expect to gain wheat. In the same way, what a person plants, tends, and cultivates in thought, in word, and in conduct eventually bears some sort of fruit. Have you produced smelly, bad, rotten fruit?
A life sown to bitterness, to the world, to lust, to greed, to pride, or to rebellion just produces sorrow and destruction. A life fully surrendered to the Holy Spirit produces love, holiness, peace, and eternal reward. Paul in Galatians 5:22–23 describes the Spirit’s fruit as “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.”
Your kids need to be thoroughly taught about these! Even then, all believers can understand that every good thing (gift) ultimately comes from God’s grace.
"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." James 1:17 niv
Paul in Philippians 2:13 says, “For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” Smart Christians do not boast in themselves. Any genuine righteousness in us is evidence of God’s free gift and transforming work.
Jesus Himself acknowledged the moral consequences of stupid human actions independent from His will. In Matthew 26:52 He warned, “All who take the sword will perish by the sword.” In Luke 6:37–38 He taught that mercy, forgiveness, and generosity often return blessings: “For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”
What do these truths reflect of God’s intelligent moral order in this world? They don't reflect karma. They are expressions of divine wisdom and justice governed by a living God who sees the hearts of every human.
The Bible’s teaching about relationships also reaches far deeper than mere reciprocity too. I once heard that the Golden Rule is this: He who gets all the gold rules. Not so fast in Matthew 7:12 Jesus tells us something better:
“So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.”
Christ was not teaching a "become the top boss," or a self-help principle or some social philosophy. He was calling people to Himself, to wise service and active, sacrificial love. The world says, "Get all you can, can all you get and then sit on the can." The world says, “Treat people as they treat you. Get em back.” Jesus says, “Treat people the way you would want to be treated.” The difference is profound.
Remember the old neg-versions? False religious systems often phrase such morality negatively:
-
Confucianism: “Do not do to others what you do not want them to do to you.”
-
Buddhism: “Hurt not others in ways that you yourself would find hurtful.”
Good things to say -- and I wish those two guys always put out the truth! But Jesus speaks taking it beyond that -- positively and proactively. He calls His followers not merely to avoid harming others, but to actively pursue love, kindness, mercy, and goodness toward others. Serve, help and win them.
Jesus' teachings flows from the very heart of our Heavenly Father God. When we see Jesus we see the Father is what He explained to his disciples. Jesus later summarized the entire Law with two commands: love God fully and “love your neighbor as yourself” (sure, cuz you already do love yourself, Sport. Matthew 22:37–40).
Then, on the night before the cross, He raised the standard even higher:
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another” (John 13:34–35).
The measure is no longer mere human fairness at all. The measure is the self-giving love of Christ Himself.
And yet even this command drives us back to the Father's grace. Left to ourselves, we are too selfish, too proud, too depraved, too broken, too sinful to love this way consistently. God's Golden Rule is not some ladder by which people work on and climb up into heaven. It is the fruit of a regenerated, transformed heart. Only those who have been forgiven by Christ (born agian spiritually) can truly begin to love as Christ loved.
The appeal of karma is certainly understandable in this world gone creepy and mean. People long for real justice. They see so much of false justice. Where did capital punishment go for murderers and rapists when there is real evidence? Children keep getting trafficked and raped too!
Deep down, humanity knows that evil should not go unanswered and goodness should really matter. Scripture agrees with that longing, but it points us beyond lame karma to something infinitely greater: the righteous judgment of God and the redeeming grace of Jesus Christ. He will soon set things right on earth!
The Christian hope is not that we can purify ourselves through endless effort or future lives. Our hope is that Christ died for sinners and physically rose again from the dead. Through Him, guilty people can be reconciled to God, made into new creations, and given eternal life.
As Second Corinthians 5:17 declares:
“If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”
And that is the great difference between karma and the gospel. Karma says, “Earn your way.” Jesus says, “It is finished” (John 19:30).
As the hymn writer Augustus Toplady wisely wrote:
“Nothing in my hand I bring,
Simply to Thy cross I cling.”
Or as Charles Spurgeon once said:
“Grace is the opposite of merit. Grace is not only undeserved favor, but favor shown to the one who has deserved the very opposite.”
The gospel does not minimize justice. It fulfills justice at the cross while extending mercy to all who trust in Christ. Sadly many won't.
To be a good parent, opt to live pure, live honest, live considerate, live holy, and authentically godly.
To be a godly father is far more than simply helping yourself to (righteous or sinful) pleasures and thus bringing children into this world. Most men can biologically father a child, but a godly father reflects the heart of the heavenly Father who is kind and giving. From the very beginning, fatherhood was entrusted by God as a sacred stewardship to us guys. After creating Adam and Eve, God commanded them ..us people to “be fruitful and multiply” (Genesis 1:28). Yet God never intended fathers merely to provide materially or biologically. He calls us to lead spiritually, to love sacrificially, and to model Christ faithfully, starting within the home.
A godly father takes responsibility for his actions or nonactions, for his words, or for his silence. He first walks closely with God himself. Before he can lead his children spiritually, he must personally know the Lord.
You can't be a good leader until you are a good follower of God ..who is good. Children quickly recognize whether Christianity is genuine or merely some lame religious routine. If a father treats God as optional, his children will often do the same. But when they see a father treating his parents rightly, praying sincerely, repenting humbly, worshiping joyfully, and obeying Scripture seriously, they witness living faith instead of empty talk. Proverbs 20:7 says, “The righteous who walks in his integrity—blessed are his children after him!”
A godly father deeply loves and honors his wife consistently no matter what he feels like. One of the greatest gifts a father can give his children is to faithfully love their mother. Children learn much about marriage, security, tenderness, and forgiveness simply by watching how Dad treats Mom at home and out of the home. Ephesians 5:25 commands, “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.” A father who speaks the truth with gentleness (not his truth, my truth or their truth -- God's truth), and shows patience, and asks forgiveness when he wrong.. and honors his wife .. he teaches his children powerful truths that no "preachy sermon" alone could ever communicate.
A godly father understands that providing financially is very important, but it is not enough. First Timothy 5:8 makes clear that a man should work hard and provide for his household, yet Scripture also places upon fathers the responsibility of spiritual leadership. Deuteronomy 6:6–7 teaches us that God’s Word is to be taught diligently to children throughout daily life. A faithful father prays alone for with his children and prays with them. He talks with them about Scripture, encourages obedience to Christ, and helps shape their hearts, not merely manage their outward behaviors.
Godly fathers recognize that children learn more from what they observe than from what they are told. Little eyes watch everything. A father may say honesty matters, but if he lies casually, his children absorb hypocrisy. He may speak about worshiping God, yet if sports, entertainment, money, or comfort always take priority, children learn what truly rules his heart. Paul told believers, “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1). Every father is already leading by example, either toward Christ or away from Him.
A godly father also serves others selflessly. Jesus said of Himself, “The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve” (Matthew 20:28). Fathers reflect Christ when they quietly help others without seeking applause. Children who grow up watching their father serve widows, help neighbors, care for the hurting, and give generously often carry those same values into adulthood. Compassion is more often caught than taught.
Consistency is another mark of godly fatherhood. Children thrive where there is stability, honesty, and trustworthy character. A father who is unpredictable in discipline, harsh in anger, or careless with promises creates confusion and insecurity. Ephesians 6:4 warns fathers not to provoke their children to anger, but to bring them up “in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” Godly discipline is never cruel, impulsive, or vindictive. It is loving correction designed to shape wisdom, self-control, and godly character.
A godly father also guards his own heart carefully. Addictions, lust, drunkenness, uncontrolled anger, and worldly compromise damage not only the man himself but often generations after him. Ephesians 5:18 calls believers not to be controlled by wine or sinful desires, but to be filled with the Holy Spirit. A father who runs to Christ in weakness teaches his children where true strength is found.
At the center of godly fatherhood is humble submission to God’s authority. The world admires self-rule and independence, but Scripture honors men who willingly bow before the Lord. Even Jesus lived in joyful submission to His Father’s will (See John 5:19; 8:29). A godly father understands he is not the ultimate authority in his home. He himself lives under the authority of God’s Word.
And finally, a godly father leads like a smart shepherd. Not foolishly with pushy domination, pride, or selfish control... but with courage, wisdom, integrity, humility, and agape love. He goes first in real repentance. First in earnest prayer. First in selfless service. First in zealously seeking God (yes with red-hot spiritual passion). Joshua declared, “As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD” (Joshua 24:15). That is the heartbeat of a godly father. Care for your family -- don't neglect them or treat them tough when that is so uncalled for.
A good dad will lead his family toward Christ, and away from sin, and repeatedly into truth. He protects his home from all physical and spiritual danger. He shepherds rather than manipulates or hyper-controls. He listens and hears, as well as instructs. Act like a man.. men! That's what God in the Bible says to us. He becomes the kind of man his children can trust and safely follow because he himself is closely following Jesus the Chief Shepherd.
No earthly father does this perfectly. Every Christian father falls short in many ways. Yet the hope of the gospel is that God uses imperfect men who humbly repent, trust Christ, and depend daily upon His grace. A godly father is not a flawless man. He is a forgiven man who loves God sincerely, walks in humility, and continually points his family toward Jesus Christ.
“As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him.” Psalm 103:13
And perhaps no earthly picture of fatherhood is greater than this: a man whose children can more easily understand the love of their heavenly Father because of the grace, truth, strength, and tenderness they consistently experienced in Him.
