The Karma Trap
The Karma Trap
Since we have been declared righteous by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. (Rom. 5:1)
One night at a family dinner, Linda pulled her sister aside. “Patricia, I’m concerned about some e-mails you sent me recently. The messages seem very New Age—like you’re buying into this philosophy of karma and good deeds as the solution for the world’s problems rather than trusting in God and His grace.”
“But Christianity holds to many of the same principles. Jesus said that you reap what you sow, right? That’s karma.”
“Jesus was talking about the consequences of your choices,” Linda said, “not a principle of the universe. God is in control, not us. He loves us so much, and He knows that we could never be good enough to save ourselves by our works. Our only hope is in a God who can forgive and save us from our sin and its consequences. He gives us much better than we deserve.”
New Age thinking is subtle and can sound similar to some of the truths of Christianity. But Christianity holds out a hope the New Age movement can’t offer—the peace, assurance, and hope found in Jesus, not in ourselves. As you encounter New Age philosophies, beware of the nuances that say we can control our lives and eternities and that sin isn’t serious. Sin is a reality, and it is so serious that God sent His only Son to die in our place to take away sin’s power. “He made the One who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Cor. 5:21). Praise God that He has given us a personal relationship with Him through Jesus, and be mindful of ways you can use the truth of Scripture to break down the lies of New Age thinking.