The wealth of man, his spiritual endowments, his position of power and authority, his well-being in life, his environment and the challenges of life are specifically meant to assist man to win the Crown of light in the race of life.
I Corinthians 19:24 says: “Do you know that in a race all runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.”
Apostle Paul here, is challenging all human kind to run the race of life with focus and to compete with passion against all odds, to receive the eternal reward. To achieve this, man must wear off his Karma, for him to receive the crown of glory at the end of his sojourn on earth.
The word karma is not recorded in the Bible. But the Bible does talk a lot about reaping and sowing.
Reaping is the result of what we have sown. Reaping can be a good thing or a bad thing.
Galatians 6:7: “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.”
Man’s good deeds are recorded separately, and these do not go with negative karma but assist man to ascend to higher plains. Karma in a simple language is, reaping the good or evil that man sows, either consciously or unconsciously. This shows that there is always a record of one’s misdeeds either done secretly or publicly. If a soul fails to accomplish his destiny before death, he will come back to the earth and the Karma he has acquired in the past will be brought to bear.
Some antagonists of Karma say that Karma opposes trust in Christ. That Karma emphasis on doing good, but Scripture says no one is good. We all have fallen short. Sin separates us from God and we all deserve Hell for sinning before a holy God. They concluded that Grace is the opposite of Karma.
This teaching is like the postulations in some Christian sects that grace have negate the laws, therefore, man is no longer under the laws. Such verses as these were used in support of their position:
Ephesians 2:8-9: “For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift not from works, so that no one can boast.”
Many Christian sects’ belief that Karma is not Biblical, and that it came from Hindu religion, therefore not acceptable as it is the opposite of GRACE.
Whereas, the scriptures are clearer on the deeds of man and the repercussions of such deeds. Let’s look at few of these:
1. Job 4:8: “As I have seen, those who sow iniquity and sow trouble reap the same.”
2. James 3:18: “And a harvest of righteousness is grown from the seed of peace planted by peacemakers.”
3. 2 Corinthians 5:9-10: “Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.”
4. Matthew 26:52: “Then said Jesus unto him, put your sword back in its place,” Jesus said to him, “for all who draw the sword will die by the sword.”
5. Galatians 6:9-10: “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.”
6. Matthew 7:12: “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.”
7. Galatians 6:7: “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.”
8. Psalm 7:16: “His mischief shall return upon his own head, and his violence shall come down upon his own pate.”
9. Proverbs 26:27: “Whoso diggeth a pit shall fall therein; And he that rolleth a stone, it shall return upon him.”
10. John 3:36: “He that believeth on the Son hath eternal life; but he that obeyeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him. (The Son of God, Jesus compressed the 10 commandments into two for all to follow.)
11. Matthew 25:46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
12. 1John 1:9: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (Why confesses our sins? Is because we have gone wrong)
13. Psalm 28: 3-4: “Do not drag me away with the wicked, with those who do evil, who speak cordially with their neighbours but harbour malice in their hearts. Repay them for their deeds and for their evil work; repay them for what their hands have done and bring back on them what they deserve.”
14. Hebrews 9:27: “Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment,”
15. Proverbs 11: 27: “Whoever seeks good finds favour, but evil comes to one who searches for it.”
The Holy Angels of God concluded thus:
“The GRACE OF GOD can do all things.
The law is that a man reaps what he sows. But the mercy of God can lessen the weight of man’s adverse rewards of his wrong doings. Save this, man is expected to run his karma completely.” GABRIEL
This means that man’s wrong doings are recorded and if he fails to realise this and repent, the grace of Mercy may elude him. All the above scriptural texts show that there is a record of good and bad deeds of man, this is referred to as karmic accumulation.
TYPES OF KARMA
There are three types of karmas being recorded on the log book of every individual soul in his past births or incarnation and in the present birth:
(1) Stored karma: – The karmas of the past births the soul had gone through in different incarnations. The left-over of these karmas are stored for the individual soul and is called the stored Karmas.
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(2) Previous karma: – The karmas created by the soul in the previous birth, the immediate past incarnation just before this present one is called the previous karmas.
(3) Present karma: – The karmas now being created in the present birth is called the present karmas.
You may think that you’re a good person, but sincerely, you’re not. It is guaranteed that at one point or another you treated someone bad. Karma is something that follows you for many lifetimes. We must undergo the consequences of our own actions. Good and bad, you must have its consequences or reaction. No doubt about it, it is certain and no hiding place.
Man creates Karma for himself in three different ways:
1. By your physical actions.
2. By your words (utterances).
3. By your thoughts.
What is Karma?
KARMA – is an action of a living individual / human being which allows him to experience its consequences, in coming future.
Imagine yourself blowing a handful of powder or ash from your palm. The powder will revert to you as a reaction of your breath with the wind. This means that what you throw, will revert to you.
Karma (car-ma) is a word meaning the result of a person’s actions. According to the theory of Karma, what happens to a person, happens because he caused it with his actions, words and thoughts. It is an important part of many religions. Karma makes a person responsible for his own life, and how he treats other people. The process of action and reaction on all levels—physical, mental and spiritual—is karma.
If I say kind words to you, and you feel peaceful and happy, or I say harsh words to you, and you become ruffled and upset, the kindness and the harshness will return to me, through others, at a later period. Consequently, what I give is what I get back.
Karma is considered one of the natural laws of the mind, just as gravity is a law of matter. Just as God created gravity to bring order to the physical world, He created karma as a divine system of getting what man deserves, this is self-governing and infinitely fair. It automatically creates the appropriate future experience in response to the current action. It is equivalent to Newton’s law of ‘every action must have a reaction’. When we think, speak or act we initiate a force that will react accordingly. This returning force maybe modified, changed or suspended, but most people will not be able to eradicate it.
This law of cause and effect is not punishment but, it is wholly for the sake of education or learning.
A person may not escape the consequences of his actions, but he will suffer only if he himself has made the conditions ripe for his suffering. Ignorance of the law is no excuse whether the laws are man-made or universal. It is self-operating, just and fair.
WHAT CAN BE DONE TO PREVENT THE ACCUMULATION OF KARMA IN THE LIFE OF MAN?
Rev. Raven E. Aurlineus identified some laws of cause and effect, that are also known as laws of Karma, that may empower man to overcome karmic accumulation, and bring about positive changes in life. These include:
1. The Great Law or Law of Cause and Effect.
– “As you sow, so shall you reap”. If you are kind, loving and affectionate, the universe shall treat you in the same way.
2. The Law of Creation
– Life doesn’t just HAPPEN, it requires our participation. We are one with the Universe, both inside and out.
What you surround yourself with is what will happen in your Life.
3. The Law of Humility.
– What you refuse to accept and live with, will continue for manifest in you.
If what you see your fellow man as an enemy, or someone with a bad character trait, then you yourself is not focused on a higher level of existence. This will continue as an impression in your subconsciousness, and you will link everything bad that happened in your environment to this.
4. The Law of Growth
– “Wherever you go, there you are”. For you to GROW in Spirit, it is you who must change – and not the people, places or things around us.
The only factor we have control over is ourselves, therefore as we change who and what we are, our lives and environment adapt to the changes.
5. The Law of Responsibility
– Whenever there is something wrong in your life, there is something wrong in you. You mirror what surrounds us, and what surrounds you mirrors you; this is a Universal Truth.
We do not get what we do not deserve.
6. The Law of Connection
– Even if something we do seems inconsequential, it is very important that we get it done as everything in the Universe is connected. Each step leads to the next step.
Someone must do the initial work to eventually get a job fully done. Neither the first step nor the last are of greater significance, Past-Present-Future are all connected.
7. The Law of Focus
– You cannot think of two things at the same time.
Focus on Spiritual Values cannot be attained with focus on lower thoughts such as greed or anger or self-covetousness.
8. The Law of Giving and Hospitality
– If you believe something to be true, then sometime in your life you will be called upon to demonstrate that truth. That is putting what we CLAIM to have learnt, into actual PRACTICE.
9. The Law of Here and Now
– Looking backward to examine what was, prevents us from being totally in the HERE AND NOW. Old thoughts, old patterns of behaviour, old dreams, prevent us from having new ones.
10. The Law of Change
– History repeats itself until we learn the lessons that we need to change our path.
11. The Law of Patience and Reward
– Rewards of lasting value require patient and persistent toil.
True joy follows doing what we’re supposed to be doing and waiting for the reward to come in on its own time.
12. The Law of Significance and Inspiration
– You get back from something whatever YOU have put into it. Every personal contribution is also a contribution to the Whole, but lack lustre contributions have no impact overall, nor do they work to diminish it. Loving contributions bring life to, and inspire, the Whole.
CAN MAN’S KARMA BE COMPLETELY ERASED?
The holy angels of God answered this question thus:
“God is good and by being God, He has the sole authority and prerogative of rights to do as it pleases Him. He made the law and He only can alter it, if He pleases.
Karma can be erased, not by the efforts of man, not by his good deeds but only by the special and express order of God to the elements in charge of records of life. There is no other means whereby man can gain this privilege.” Michael, Raphael.
WHAT ARE THE CONDITIONS FOR THE REDUCTION OF KARMA IN THE LIFE OF MAN?
The Holy Spirit communicated through the holy angels and explained thus:
“Reduction of Karma can be achieved when God delights in man or in a group of people.
Also, sincere efforts of man, constantly monitored by the angels of God in careful adherence to His laws and precepts can cause a good report to be written by the observers concerning such soul, which can lead to God’s command and mercy for reduction of Karma.
Another opportunity for reduction of Karma is when such karma is revealed before a new born is 21 days on earth; a worthy intervention on behalf of such soul can lessen the gravity of his or her karma.
All these are prerogative of God to do as He pleases.” Michael, Raphael.
Again, some will ask, where does the grace of atonement of sins offered by the blood of Jesus Christ comes in?
Without confession of sins of man, and repentance by man, forgiveness of sins cannot be realised. To plead the blood of Christ or to appropriate the virtues in the blood of Jesus Christ shed on Mount Calvary, without the conscious effort of man to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ, the full grace of the ultimate sacrifice by the Son of God, cannot be bestowed on man.
Karma in the life of man can only be reduced when man realises his shortcomings and sought for a renewed relationship with Christ. Then the grace of God and His mercy will be available for man to overcome sins thereby reducing his karmic accumulation.
The word KARMA, though not seen in the Bible, but its meaning and interpretation are well expressed and entrenched therein. Therefore, to condemn the existence of Karma is to live in self-denial of the truth and the repercussion of evil deeds.
The Bible says – “You reap whatsoever you sow.”
“He that kills with the sword shall die by the sword.”
“Do unto others what you would they do unto you.”
These are the laws of action and reaction – cause and effect, which explains the word KARMA.
Karma is real and its effects sure.
Let us pray: May God’s Word be a lamp for your feet, a light unto your path; may you be endowed with His knowledge to do that which is right; may your eyes be opened to see things spiritual and wonderful in Christ Jesus; may your supplication come before your Heavenly Father by and through the solemn covenant of the blood of Jesus Christ shed on Calvary, this day and forever more. Amen
