The Reincarnation Dilemma

Is reincarnation biblical?

No, reincarnation cannot be reconciled with the Bible or the Christian faith in any way.

That is not to say that some have not tried. Some point to John the Baptist, who some at the time believed to be a reincarnation of the prophet Elijah (Matthew 11:14). However, when asked about this, John adamantly denied it (John 1:21). Rather, John came “in the spirit and power of Elijah” (Luke 1:17). In other words, he had a similar mission to Elijah’s and carried similar empowerment from God. Yet he was a completely separate and distinct person. Also note that when Jesus talked to Moses and Elijah on the Mount of Transformation (Matthew 17:1–13, Mark 9:2–13, and Luke 9:28–36), they were still Moses and Elijah. They retained the same identities they had in their earthly lives.

Reincarnation is a concept which comes from ancient Hindu texts such as the Upanishads. At its core is the law of karma, which teaches that we are rewarded or punished in future lives for the good or bad deeds we do in this life. Eventually the soul becomes “purified” and enters a vague state of bliss or Nirvana, which is often interpreted to mean that it simply ceases to exist.

Of course, even apart from the biblical considerations, there are a number of practical questions that could be asked. If we are continually being reincarnated into higher forms of being, then why is the world not getting better? We could also look at the devastating poverty that has come from refusal to kill animals that could be used for food. Furthermore, many horrible diseases have been spread by refusing to kill rats and other vermin.

According to the Bible, our human identity begins when God forms us in our mothers’ wombs (Isaiah 44:2; 49:1; Jeremiah 1:5). Once this life is over, then “it is appointed for men once to die, but after this the judgement” (Hebrews 9:27). Biblical Christianity centers on the once-and-for-all sacrifice of Jesus Christ for our sins (Hebrews 10:10-14, Romans 6:10, 1 Peter 3:18, Hebrews 7:27, 9:12, 9:26-28). Reincarnation offers a false hope to those who reject the Gospel, and for a Christian to embrace it would be saying that what Jesus did on the Cross for us is not enough.

The idea of karma has been compared to walking through a muddy field. The mud that sticks to your clothes is your karma. There is no grace or forgiveness, only continuing cycles of death and rebirth as you try in vain to pay off your debt through human effort. To understand the futility of this, I encourage you to watch this video:

The Gospel offers us something far better. It offers us grace and mercy from a loving God who passionately desires to have a relationship with us. If you have never received this gift, why not do it now?

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