But
don't I get more chances? I’ve heard a lot about reincarnation. After I die,
won't I come back again and have more opportunities to trust Jesus?
Many of the eastern religions, like Hinduism and Buddhism, teach that souls are
reincarnated time after time. But Christianity denies that. The Bible says
"...it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes the judgment"
(Hebrews 9:27). There is no second chance between death and the judgment of God
on our lives. Our relationship with Jesus at the time of death will remain the
same for eternity‑if we are united with Him through faith, we will be united
with Him forever, and if we are separated from Him by unbelief, we win be
separated from Him forever.
The Apostle Peter gives us the same message when he writes "... the Lord knows
how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under
punishment for the day of judgment" (2 Peter 2:9).
Reincarnation is ultimately fatalistic. It is the inadequate solution to sin
offered by eastern religions that see the sinfulness of man but see no
deliverance from that sin by God. Rather than consign man to judgment at life's
end, they teach that man has many lives, in each of which he has the opportunity
to overcome sin by his own efforts and become perfect. But the Bible teaches us
that all men are sinners and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). There
are no exceptions. This means none can deliver himself from God's judgment,
since none can make himself perfect.
Think of it this way for a moment. An effect cannot be greater than its cause in
the physical realm. It is that way in the spiritual world as well. Moral
perfection is greater, spiritually, than moral imperfection. The latter can
never give rise to the former. All the reincarnations you can imagine would
never be sufficient to lift one from imperfection to perfection through
self‑effort. Indeed, with every sin we make ourselves worse, not better.
The only real solution to our problem is not multiple lives in which we struggle
helplessly against the sin that holds us in its grip. It is for us to have a
Deliverer, Someone from outside ourselves who breaks into our fallen, sin‑filled
world and snatches us from the chains of sin. It is for us to be changed not by
our ourselves but by Another.
Jesus likens all people to trees‑good trees and bad trees. "...every good tree
bears good fruit; but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce
bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. Every tree that does not bear
good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire" (Matthew 7:17‑19). But
sinners‑and that includes all people‑are bad trees. Of ourselves, we cannot
produce good fruit. We can only produce bad fruit. How then should we become
good trees? By bearing good fruit? But that is impossible for us. The only way
for us to produce good fruit is for us to become good trees first, and that we
cannot do for ourselves. It must be done by Jesus. This is why the Apostle Paul
wrote, "Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things
passed away, behold, new things have come. Now all these things are from God.
who reconciled us to Himself through Christ..." (2 Corinthians 5:17‑18). What we
need is not a second chance‑a second chance in which we will only make ourselves
worse‑but the transforming power of Jesus Christ In our lives. Reincarnation
does not offer that.RETURN TO QUESTION PAGE
What
happens if my sins are too much for God to forgive? How can I be sure He will
really accept me if I believe in Jesus?
Remember what I mentioned earlier about Saul, who became the Apostle Paul? He
used to persecute and kill Christians because of their faith, but finally turned
his life over to the Lord Jesus. Your sins are no worse than his. Listen to what
he said: I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He
considered me faithful, putting me into service; even though I was formerly a
blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor. And yet I was shown mercy,
because I acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord was more than
abundant with the faith and love which are found in Christ Jesus. It is a
trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into
the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all. And yet for this
reason I found mercy, in order that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might
demonstrate His perfect patience, as an example for those who would believe in
Him for eternal life" (1 Timothy 1:12‑16).
"Come now, and let us reason together," God says, "Though your sins are as
scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they
will be like wool. If you consent and obey, you will eat the best of the
land..." (Isaiah 1: 18‑19). Nothing you can ever do is enough to make it
impossible for God to forgive you. The only way you can avoid God's forgiveness
is never to receive it‑to reject it an your life. The choice is yours. God has
promised, and He is faithful. "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and
righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1
John 1:19).
RETURN TO QUESTION PAGE
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