REINCARNATION
Definition of reincarnation.
Reincarnation means literally “to come again in the flesh.” This is different than Jesus’ “incarnation” when he came “in the flesh” once and for all (1 John 4:1-2). Reincarnation means that after death, the human soul inhabits another body and returns to live another life. There are many forms of reincarnation. The most common practices of reincarnation come from Hinduism and Buddhism, and are based in the law of karma: what one sows in this life is reaped in the next. Every action in this life has a reaction or consequence in this life or in the next.
Symbol for reincarnation.
Reincarnation is not biblical.
Reincarnation is not a Christian doctrine. The biblical arguments against reincarnation include the following.
God created human beings and all other things.
Christians believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God that has divine authority in whatever it teaches. According to the Bible, God is eternal and was never created (1 Timothy 6:16). God created human beings (Genesis 1:27) and all other things (John 1:3; Colossians 1:15-16). Everything else exists only because God created it from nothing.
This includes Adam and Eve, the first human beings, and all other human beings after them (Genesis 5:3; Psalm 139:13-16; Ecclesiastes 7:29). All humans since Adam begin at conception (Psalm 51:5; Matthew 1:20). Therefore, there can be no preincarnate existence of your soul.
The soul is disembodied in intermediate present heaven.
God teaches through the Bible that, upon death, the soul leaves the body and goes into the spirit world where it awaits resurrection. The apostle Paul explained: “We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:8 NIV). In addition, contemplating death, Paul explained further, “I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far” (Philippians 1:23 NIV). The “souls” of those Christian martyrs were conscious in the intermediate present heaven. “When he [Christ] opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained” (Revelation 6:9 NIV). Jesus promised paradise to the repentant thief on the cross that very day of his death, saying: “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43). Even Moses and Elijah, who had been dead for centuries, were consciously engaging in conversation about Jesus’ death on the Mount of Transfiguration (Matthew 17:3). Even the disembodied souls of the lost are conscious. For the beast and false prophet who were thrown alive into the Lake of Fire (Revelation 19:20) were still conscious “a thousand years” later (Revelation 20:10). There is no indication anywhere in Bible that the soul after death leaves its body, reincarnates, and inhabits another body. It simply goes into intermediate present heaven to await the resurrection.
The resurrection transforms and unifies the body and soul.
Reincarnation is the belief that, after death, the soul passes on to another body. But the Bible teaches the opposite: after death, the same physical body is made immortal at the resurrection. Instead of a series of bodies that die, resurrection makes alive forever the same body that died. Instead of seeing personhood as a soul in a body, resurrection sees each human being as a soul-body unity. While reincarnation is a process of perfection, resurrection is transformation into perfection. Reincarnation is an intermediate state, while the soul longs to be disembodied and absorbed in God; but resurrection is an ultimate state, in which the whole person, body and soul, has an eternal loving relationship with God.
The differences between resurrection and reincarnation:
| Resurrection
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Reincarnation
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| Happens once
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Occurs many times
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| Into the same body
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Into a different body
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| Into an immortal body
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Into a mortal body
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| A perfect state
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An imperfect state
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| An ultimate state
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An intermediate state
|
Therefore, the Christian doctrine of resurrection is contrary to the doctrine of reincarnation (John 5:28–29; 1 Corinthians 15; Rev. 20:4–15).
People die only once.
According to the Bible, people die only once and then face God’s judgment (Hebrews 9:27). But according to reincarnation, people die and live many times.
Judgment is final.
Not only do people live and die once, followed by judgment, but the judgment is final and the final destination is the eternal new heaven and new earth for Christians or eternal hell for those who reject God and Jesus. Once one goes to one’s destiny, there is a “great gulf fixed” that no one can cross (Luke 16:26). The apostle Paul described the judgment as “eternal destruction” (2 Thessalonians 1:9), and Jesus described the judgment as “everlasting fire” (Matthew 25:41). If the judgement lasts forever, then there is no possibility of a reincarnation into another body. Instead, each body resurrects and receives the final judgment of salvation or damnation (John 5:28–29).
Jesus rejected reincarnation.
When asked whether a blind man’s sin or his parents’ sin before his birth was the cause of his blindness from birth, Jesus replied: “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, … but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him” (John 9:3). Jesus’ reply eliminates any belief in earlier life sins or prior life sins and reincarnation karma. Jesus also emphatically stated that the 18 people that died when the tower in Siloam fell on them did not die because they were more guilty of sin than others (Luke 13:4–5). This is true whether one is referring to sins in early life or an alleged prior life.
Grace contradicts reincarnation.
Reincarnation is based in the doctrine of karma: whatever one sows in this life, one reaps in the next life. Karma is an unchangeable law with no exceptions. Sins cannot be forgiven; they must be punished. If a person is not punished in this life, the person must be punished in the next life. However, according to Christianity, grace, mercy, and forgiveness are possible. Jesus forgave his enemies who crucified him (Luke 24:34). Christians are to forgive as Christ forgave Christians (Colossians 3:13). Forgiveness is contrary to karma and eliminates any need for reincarnation. Salvation is a gracious “gift” from God (John 4:10; Romans 3:24, 5:15–17; 6:23; 2 Corinthians 9:15; Ephesians 2:8; Hebrews 6:4), which is received by faith. Instead of working to merit God’s favor, God gives the Christian believer grace or unmerited favor and pronounces said person righteous. God’s justice is satisfied because Jesus was punished for the sins of the whole world by his crucifixion. God did not ignore our sins Jesus paid (Romans 3:25; Hebrews 2:17; 1 John 2:2; 4:10). God’s demand for justice was satisfied by Jesus’ sacrifice of his life to bear our guilt as our substitute. Jesus’ payment of this penalty contradicts karma doctrine and eliminates the need for reincarnation.
Conclusion.
Based on the above, the doctrine of reincarnation, based on karma, contradicts the Christian biblical doctrines of creation, soul, body, death, resurrection, judgement, and heaven.
Resources for reincarnation.
This reincarnation website page is based upon the following resources:
Norman Geisler, Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1999), 639-644.
Erwin Lutzer, One Minute After You Die: A Preview of Your Final Destination (Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1997), 20-22.
Lee Strobel, The Case for Heaven: A Journalist Investigates Evidence for Life After Death (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2021), chapter 9.