REINCARNATION & THE HOLY BIBLE [Part 1 Of 4]

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And now for something completely different: something serious for a change.

[From the STMcC archive; 2005, September.]

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"WATCH THAT YOUR KARMA DOESN'T RUN OVER YOUR DOGMA!"
~ Anonymous (The ancient Greek philosopher)

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INTRODUCTION

Before we really dig into the matter of reincarnation in the Bible, I think it would be prudent to say a few words about reincarnation in general because reincarnation is an exceedingly misunderstood subject. Even people who have studied it for many years often develop misconceptions about it. So, let's all get on the same page before we explore its connection with the greatest book on planet Earth, shall we?

WHAT IS "REINCARNATION"?

There once was a Country music supergroup called The Highwaymen (Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash & Kris Kristofferson) and the title track from their debut album, ‘Highwayman’, related the story of a soul that was reborn multiple times in a variety of settings. The song concludes with these lyrics:

I'll find a place to rest my spirit if I can
Perhaps I may become a highwayman again
Or I may simply be a single drop of rain
But I will remain
And I'll be back again, and again and again and again and again...
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This illustrates the single greatest misconception there is about reincarnation. What is described in the song 'Highwayman' IS NOT REINCARNATION! It is a separate concept known as Soul Transmigration. Soul Transmigration posits that a soul might return as a human being, an animal such as a dog, a cat, a (sacred) cow, or even as ostensibly inanimate objects such as rocks or raindrops. Reincarnation, on the other hand, implies the soul's return to Earth is strictly in the human form. There is no compelling evidence to support the former theory, and much to support the latter.

WHAT IS "KARMA"?

Karma, which is directly tied into the idea of reincarnation, is another very misunderstood subject. Although the word, which originates with Eastern mystical religions, strikes the average person as being mysterious, there is really nothing mysterious about it. Its equivalent can be found in The Bible in the idea that "whatever a man sows, that he will also reap." (Galatians 6:7) We live in a reciprocal world, and karma simply means that what we do will ultimately be done to us. Our benevolence and our malevolence both return to us in one form or another. Jesus even made the connection in relationship to sin and judgment: "If you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." (Matthew 6:14,15) "Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you." (Matthew 7:1,2)
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Karma simply means that we receive what we give, and we do not receive what we withhold.

WHAT IS "GOOD" AND "BAD" KARMA?

We often hear people speak of acquiring good or bad karma. In the ultimate sense, this is really a misnomer. The entire purpose of karma is to teach us lessons that we are required to learn. If we think of karma in simplistic terms like "good" and "bad" we will fail to comprehend the true spirit in which God created this universal law.

This is illustrated beautifully in The Bible, when the disciples of Jesus asked Him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" (John 9:2)

Note that the question alone shows that they had reincarnation and a connection between sin and physical ailments in mind - implying that the blind man may have sinned prior to this particular birth. But the response of Jesus raises the issue from the idea of mere retribution, to the spirit of Love. "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him." Jesus then proceeded to heal the man. In essence, Jesus was saying that the situation should be viewed, not as a punishment, but as a lesson, and an opportunity to experience the Grace of God. (Incidentally, this passage is often misused in an attempt to refute reincarnation.)

One rarely encounters true profundity in song lyrics, but on the album ‘Unforgettable' by Natalie Cole, there is a beautiful song called 'Nature Boy' which contains these words:

The greatest thing you'll ever learn
Is just to love and be loved in return
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I've studied The Bible intensely for sixteen years, and I believe that it could be boiled down pretty nicely into the above sentiment. But it must be remembered that "GOD IS LOVE" (1st John 4:8) and so we must learn to Love according to God's definition of Himself; not according to our human conception of love. But if the purpose of karma is simply to teach us this lesson, then in a real sense, ALL acts of karma should be viewed as "good."

WHY ISN'T REINCARNATION VERY EXPLICITLY STATED IN THE BIBLE?
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Reincarnation appears in The Bible in several very real, irrefutable ways. But according to Jesus Himself, it will be acknowledged only by "He who has ears to hear." (Matthew 11:15) The reason it is not specifically spelled out in The Bible is because it is not at all necessary that one believe in it. In fact, for many people who require a sense of urgency in order to compel themselves to live as they should, believing in reincarnation would not be helpful. Believing in reincarnation is certainly no prerequisite for Salvation. It is a universal law that works as other universal laws do, regardless of whether or not the individual has any knowledge of it. When a child throws a ball into the air, the ball comes down again even if he or she has never heard of Isaac Newton. So it works with or without our knowledge.

Furthermore, reincarnation is often transformed into a false god by many spiritually immature seekers. In that case, they would have been better off to have never discovered the law at all! The concept of reincarnation has often been misunderstood and misapplied, turning it into a stumbling block for many.

Understanding how one arrived at their present condition can be valuable if it helps one to turn aside anger and resentment. For that person, reincarnation is an aid to grasping the bigger picture. But what we will choose to do about our present circumstances is far more important than understanding how we arrived in these circumstances in the first place. The act of karma is understood at the soul level, even if it escapes our conscious recognition. For most of us, learning that reincarnation occurs is all we really need. Then it's time to let it go and get on with our living - learning to Love and being Loved in return.

AREN'T REINCARNATION AND THE SALVATION OF CHRIST MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE CONCEPTS?

NO! But because mainstream Christianity finds reincarnation incompatible with traditional Christian dogma, reincarnation is vehemently denounced as a blasphemous idea. We have indeed been saved by Jesus Christ. His magnificent, atoning sacrifice on the cross for the sins of mankind cannot be overestimated nor overappreciated! Jesus Christ was the Messiah, the Holy King, the Savior of the world. He has been given ALL authority in Heaven and on Earth. Thank God! (Matthew 28:18) Jesus removed all "consciousness" of sin for those who accept His gift. (Hebrews, chapters 9 & 10) We have no more reason to hold our sins against us. They have been atoned for and forgiven. And so have our neighbor's sins. We can KNOW that our sins are no longer a barrier between us and God.

So although our old sins should be released from our consciousness (so as not to crucify Jesus over and over again in our minds) this does not eradicate the necessity of our learning to Love as God defines it, because these are two separate issues. What if every believer in Christ immediately gained access to Heaven? We'd have a place full of forgiven people who are still sinning constantly; acting selfishly and egotistically because they still haven't learned to live a life of selfless Love! It wouldn't be ANYBODY'S idea of "Heaven." In fact, it wouldn't be much different from Earth. Make no mistake about it: we HAVE been forgiven our transgressions (past, present and future) through the sinless life and perfect sacrifice of Christ, but every one of us still has an awful lot to learn about Loving before we can all live together peacefully in a "Heavenly" state.

And that's why I call reincarnation, "The patience of God in action." He gives us plenty of opportunities to accept His Son, and learn to live as His Son urged us to. Do I think that we must reincarnate until we live a perfect life? Certainly not! If that were the case, we'd probably never get out of here. But Jesus did it - He lived a perfect life and He overcame the world on our behalf (John 16:33), but we must be living at some standard (determined by God) before we can leave our Earthbound lives behind altogether, and dwell permanently in a spiritual, Heavenly realm.

The best analogy that can be drawn is that of a school. We Earthlings are all in the same class - sixth grade perhaps. Just like in any classroom, some students are excelling and progressing faster than others. Those individuals can help tutor some of the slower learners, but we all have one teacher: Jesus Christ. Having fully mastered the curriculum Himself, Jesus is qualified to show us The Way, and if we follow His examples we are sure to learn the lessons. The Holy Bible is the class textbook. Karma is the grade on our tests. It is not necessary that the students score 100% on every test, but they must exhibit an overall understanding of the material taught in the course before they can graduate to the next grade.

Now that we're all on the same page with the word "reincarnation", we can explore references to it in our textbook, The Holy Bible.

~ Stephen T. McCarthy

Continued below in “Reincarnation & The Holy Bible [Part 2]”

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