Introduction
Cultic and occultic
organizations are spreading their religious views about reincarnation. Americans are susceptible to
reincarnation. The Christian response
and answer to the alleged evidences of reincarnation is credible, true and
believable. The definition of
reincarnation is apparently important for our understanding of it. There is a difference between reincarnation
and the Hindu doctrine of transmigration.
Transmigration is known as the doctrine of cyclic rebirth in different
forms. The Eastern belief of
transmigration appeals to the Eastern mind.
Transmigration occurs with what is known as the law of karma. Yet reincarnation is coming back on earth in
a different human body. The Western mind
finds the Eastern thought of transmigration more difficult to apprehend, and
believe. Reincarnation from the Western
mind is a redefinition of transmigration.
Transmigration is tainted with Eastern concepts, and portrayed as
new. The doctrine of reincarnation is an
ancient doctrine described in a way that makes it attractive. Essentially,
reincarnation and transmigration are to be understood as the same thing, but it
manifests itself in “the Eastern mind and the Western mind.”[i]
The question arises is reincarnation true? if resurrection
is a reality. If reincarnation is true,
then resurrection is false. If
resurrection is true, then reincarnation is false. Resurrection and reincarnation cannot both be
truth. Either one is true or none is
true. The Christian Bible explicitly
teaches the atonement, resurrection of Christ and eternal torment[ii]
not reincarnation. The atonement and
resurrection of Christ has already been established from the divine Word.
Did Christianity teach it?
Advocates of
reincarnation like to say that Christianity has taught it in the past. There is no evidence for this position. Advocates of reincarnation also like
to say that it solves the problem of evil.
Within the first life of the person, there is evil. There is no life before the first life. Since there is evil within the first life,
there was no previous life to explain the evil in it. Reincarnation does not solve the problem of
evil. Some say that evil is eternal. But this complicates the problem of
evil. It does not solve it.
Elijah: A Case
of Reincarnation?
Advocates of reincarnation
will use Elijah as proof of reincarnation.
The Bible teaches that Elijah was taken up into heaven, “As they were going along and talking, behold, there
appeared a chariot of fire and horses of fire which separated the two of them.
And Elijah went up by a whirlwind
to heaven” (2 Kings 2:11 NASB). The New Testament declares, “By
faith Enoch was taken up so that he would not see death; AND HE WAS NOT FOUND
BECAUSE GOD TOOK HIM UP; for he obtained the witness that before his being
taken up he was pleasing to God” (Heb. 11:5 NASB).
Does Born Again Mean Reincarnation?
Advocates
of reincarnation will refer to the New Testament language of being born again. They will say it refers to
reincarnation. When the New Testament refers
to being born again, it is not referring to reincarnation. Rather, it is refers to regeneration. When a person is regenerated it does not mean
they are reincarnated. Christ was the
first person to declare the absolute necessity of being regenerate. Regeneration comes before faith. In order to enter the kingdom of heaven, a
person must be born again. Regeneration
enables and changes the heart to actually believe. This simply means that a person who is born
from above will have spiritual life in this existence. Regeneration is spiritual resurrection. John 11:1-46 refers to the death and physical
resurrection of Lazarus. Non-born again
people are like Lazarus. Unregenerate
people are spiritually dead. But it is
Christ who calls the dead to life, “Lazarus, come forth” (John 11:43 NASB). The
resurrection of Lazarus supports the Reformed understanding of spiritual
resurrection and physical resurrection. The
work of the Holy Spirit is accomplished upon the spiritually dead (Eph.
2:1-10). Non-born again people are
regenerated from the will of the Living Father through His Living Son by His
Living Spirit. The Spirit of holiness
recreates the heart. He quickens the
human being from spiritual death to spiritual life. With regeneration there is an inclination for
God in the heart of the believer. God
planets a true desire
in the human heart for Himself. This
desire would be wholly absent if God did not plant it there. Regeneration is God’s divine act in the
salvation of the soul. Thus Ezekiel 36:26 says, “Moreover, I will
give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the
heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh” (NASB). Also 2
Timothy 1:9 says, “who has saved us and
called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His
own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity…” (NASB).
Exposing Recall
In reincarnation there is
recall. First, there is hypnotic
recall. There are presumptions and
manifestations from hypnotic recall that are utterly unbiblical. Second, there is intuitive recall. The person has unclear impressions and
recollections. But impressions and
recollections can be wrong. People can
be deceived from their own minds. Third,
there is spontaneous recall.
There was a case of Bridey Murphy.
This case seemed like a sure support for reincarnation. But this person never existed at all. This person read books and actually learned
Gaelic from her grandmother at a young age.
When hypnosis took place, she recalled these things. This case was thought to be proof for
reincarnation but in actuality it was not.
Fourth, there is psychic recall.
This information is clairvoyant in nature. Psychics tell a person they have lived
before. The spirits tell the person what
life they lived. Then the person begins
to believe the information about living a past life. But the spirits are wicked and must not be
believed. In short, recall is not logical or
trustworthy. It does not explain,
indirectly or directly, reincarnation.
Rather, recall only demonstrates it is not a sound argument.[iii]
Who purges from sin?
Advocates
of reincarnation claim it purges us from sin.
The Christian Bible teaches that Christ Himself, and He alone, purges or
cleanses His people from their sin. 2 Peter 1:9 proclaims that believers are
actually purged from their sins: “But he
that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten
that he was purged from his old
sins” (KJV). Also the author of Hebrews 1:1-3
declares,
God, after He spoke long ago to
the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days
has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom
also He made the world. And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact
representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat
down at the right hand of the Majesty on high…
(NASB).
The divine Lord Jesus Christ purged His
people from their sins. It was not
reincarnation. Reincarnation could never
actually accomplish this. Rather, it was
and is the Incarnate King. He alone has
the power to cleanse from sin. Anything
apart from Christ Himself who claims to cleanse people from sin is a
counterfeit. The divine Lamb of God
cleanses His people from their sin. He has
the divine ability to accomplish purging from sin.[iv]
God Alone Forgives and Cleanses From Sin
Moreover,
the divine Word provides His own with assurance of the forgiveness and the
cleansing (Ps. 51:2) from sin when His people repent, “but if we walk in the
Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and
the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses
us from all sin….If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to
forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:7, 9
NASB). Christ’s blood cleanses His
people from dead works, “how much more will the blood of Christ, who through
the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead
works to serve the living God?” (Heb. 9:14 NASB).
The All-Sufficient Redeemer Paid It All
There
is no need to enter the process of reincarnation. Rather, Christ Himself paid the debt that His
people could not pay, and gained everlasting redemption. The author of Hebrews 9:11-12 declares,
But when Christ appeared as a
high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more
perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation; and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through
His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal
redemption (NASB).
Scripture declares, “but He, having
offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, SAT DOWN AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD… For
by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified” (Heb. 10:12, 14 NASB).
Only by the actual blood of Christ are sins remitted. There would be no remission of sin unless His
blood was shed. It was the Just for the
unjust, the Righteous for the unrighteous, the Holy for the unholy, the Good
for the bad and the Sinless for the sinner. Isaiah 53:4-5 NASB declared,
Surely our griefs
He Himself bore, and our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him
stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our
transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our
well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed.
The atonement of Christ is vicarious. He paid the debt for His elect only. He is the actual Savior and Redeemer. The gospel of the all-sufficient atonement of
Christ is denied by reincarnation. His ultimate
sacrifice was offered once and for all.
Therefore, reincarnation is not necessary and must be rejected.[v]
Suffering In Vain
Reincarnationists
suffer for the sins of their previous life but people do not know the sins that
are suffering for. This denies that
Christ alone provided atonement for sin of His people. The suffering of sinners for their sin will
not avail before God the Father. Only
the sinless God-man could bear the sins of His people and make sufficient
atonement for them. Full disclosure is
not provided for the reincarnationist of their past lives. Their suffering is in vain. First, a sinner cannot atone for his own
sins. Second, the suffering is in vain
since the past sins of the past lives are not manifested in the present life. How can the law of karma perfect me if I
repeat the same sin and are being punished for the same sin?[vi] John 9:1-3 demonstrates that Christ Jesus did
not hold to the law of karma, “As He passed by, He saw a man blind from birth.
And His disciples asked Him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that
he would be born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was neither that this man sinned,
nor his parents; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him”
(NASB). Note well: this man did not sin or his parents. Rather “…it was so that the works of God
might be displayed in him.”
The
Christian Bible addresses this matter to Christians, “Therefore, my beloved
brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord,
knowing that your toil is not in vain
in the Lord” (1 Cor. 15:58 NASB). Moreover,
“holding fast the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I will have reason
to glory because I did not run in vain
nor toil in vain” (Phil. 2:16
NASB).
At Home with the Lord
The
destination of a Christian is heaven not cyclic rebirth. Consider these verses from the Christian
Bible: “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is
gain…But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart
and be with Christ, for that is very much better; yet to remain on in the flesh
is more necessary for your sake” (Phi. 1:21, 23-24 NASB). “we
are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to
be at home with the Lord” (2 Cor. 5:8 NASB).
“They went on stoning Stephen as he called on the
Lord and said, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!" (Acts 7:59 NASB). “And He said to him, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be
with Me in Paradise” (Luke 23:43 NASB).
Reject Reincarnation
Reincarnation
does not answer the problem of evil. It
does not deal with sin correctly. Christianity
has no favoritism towards reincarnation because it is simply untrue. It is contrary to the divine Scriptures of
the Old and New Testament. It is not
just nor does it accomplish justice. It
does not purge us from our sin. Rather,
it is foreign to the justice of God and it is alien to the Christian gospel of
the bodily Risen Redeemer. It is
militantly opposed to the heart of the Christian gospel. Therefore, it must be rightly rejected.
Fearing Death?
Jesus
Christ vanquished death; He conquered it.
Death is unnatural to life. Do
you fear death, or perhaps what may come after death? Christ has victory over the grave. All before Him were thieves and robbers. Christ has shown Himself to be the Living
One. And, in terms of after death, where
He is we shall be also! May the
Christian sing, “Jesus lives, and so shall I.
Death! Thy sting is gone forever!
He who deigned for me to die, lives, the bands of death to sever. He shall raise me from the dust: Jesus is my Hope and Trust.”[vii]
Turning to the Risen Christ
Now
we shall turn to the certainty of the bodily Risen Christ. “Now God has not only raised the Lord, but
will also raise us up through His power” (1 Cor. 6:14 NASB).
[i] Walter Martin. The Riddle Of Reincarnation
(Vision House Publishers: Santa Ana, California, 1977), 5-7. This endnote includes the entire paragraph.
[ii] The Bible teaches the doctrine of eternal
hell. This scriptural doctrine is
unpopular today. But it is still
true. Hell is taught in Matt. 8:12,
25:41, 46 and Rev. 19:20. Those who
reject the gospel are sent to hell. The
reality of the doctrine of eternal hell, which was taught by Christ Himself,
shows that reincarnation is not true.
Therefore, reincarnation must be rejected, and the scriptural doctrines
must be believed.
[vi] Martin, 26.
Dr. Martin states, “Yet this so-called karma law of justice seems to be
turning me over forever on some kind of reincarnational cosmic spit, until at
length I arrive at the place where I have some kind of absorption into
something. This philosophy is classic
monism, in which there is only one reality and in which evil is negated. But Scripture tells us that evil is real and
is the opposite of the eternal God. Evil
exists by His permission, but it is real….One of the questions the
reincarnationists have difficulty answering is, “Why can’t I remember my past
so that I can profit from it in the present, and won’t have to suffer for it in
the future?” This very reasonable
question never seems to get a satisfactory.” (p. 27).
[vii] Trinity Hymnal Baptist Edition, (Georgia: Great
Commission Publication, 2000), 596.
