Ask A Pastor: What Does The Bible Say About Reincarnation
This is an interesting question and raises a number of issues that, prior to being asked, I had no idea even existed. The most recent information I found is a couple of years old and seems to conclude that at that time, 40 percent of those asked in the United States believe in reincarnation. Of that number, 34 percent claim to be Catholic and 29 percent claim to be protestant. Those numbers are staggering to me.
Before I begin using Scripture to answer this question, may I ask you a question? Do you really believe the Bible if you dont? I mean, you cannot claim to be a follower of Jesus Christ and then disregard or discount what He has plainly taught in His Word. Every man doing that which is right in his own eyes is not the definition of godliness .
Lets start by defining terms. Reincarnation is the belief that at the death of a person, the soul leaves the body for some varying period of time only to take up a different body at some point and be reborn on Earth. Why is that necessary? Those who believe in reincarnation regardless of religion or denomination say it is to allow pre-existent spirits to receive physical bodies and try again. They are working on eternal progression and ultimate ascension or arrival to heaven.
Jesus Himself confirms these sayings. In Luke, Chapter 16, the rich man dies and falls into torment, while Lazarus is carried by angels into heaven. To the thief on the cross Jesus says, This day thou shalt be with me in paradise.
What Does The Bible Say About Reincarnation May 15 2020
Actualizado: ene 22
I would like to start this post with some questions: Do you believe there is life after death? Do you think you may have lived a prior life? Do you feel that what you are today, is the result of a creation by God, who made you after His image? Could it be that you are just part of a system where life is a never-ending circle? Most people over 90% regardless of their religious beliefs, are certain there is life after death. However, when it comes to the question of what happens to the soul when the physical body dies, neither Christians nor non-Christians have a definite answer. For thousands of years, reincarnation has been a popular belief for millions of people. To them, reincarnation means to be reborn into a different physical, or even inanimate, entity. It comes from pagan sources, not the Bible! A large number of religious sects posit reincarnation as the central tenet of their beliefs, but none corroborates the existence of an immaterial soul, an immortal version of ourselves that can live independently of the body where it resides. I believe this is what makes us unique in the entire universe we are made in the image of our extra-universal Creator . This means that we are like God in form and, like Him, we have a soul, which animals and inanimate objects do not have. Our soul is ours and its perfect as it is it remains forever in the same state.
What does the Bible say about this?
Was Reincarnation Removed From The Bible
Many people claim that a certain council took the teaching of reincarnation out of the Bible. Although the majority cannot name the specific council, they most frequently refer to the Second Council of Constantinople and the Council of Nicaea .
In reality, though, at that time there were already many manuscripts in existence spread throughout the Roman Empire, which makes it difficult to imagine how someone could have collected all the extant copies in order to have all of them corrected. Today there are many surviving manuscripts from the time before the councils, whose text accurately corresponds to the currently accepted text of the Bible.
There are also thousands of quotations of the New Testament in the writings of the Church Fathers from before the fourth century, which corroborate the reliability of the text of the Bible.
If reincarnation was really taken out of the Bible, it is not enough to assume that such passages were deleted from the Bible. The New Testament is interwoven with passages which speak about the fundamental Christian belief in Jesus resurrection and our own resurrection. All these passages referring to the teaching of resurrection , eternal life and eternal condemnation would have to have been inserted, because the teaching of the last judgment clearly contradicts the idea of repeated reincarnations, through which people get a second, third chance.
One passage in particular clearly excludes the doctrine of reincarnation:
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What Does God Say About The Old
OLDER ADULTS ARE WISE Wisdom belongs to the aged, and understanding to the old, says Job 12:12, reminding us of the value of speaking with older adults. 1 Kings 12:6 tells us that Solomon once sought the expertise of older men who helped him make important decisions about the kingdom of Israel.
Do Christians believe in cremation?
For most Christians today, the question of cremation is largely left to individual discretion. Many Christians choose cremation as an alternative to burial, while still retaining those aspects of their traditional funeral practices that allow them to honor the lives of their loved ones and glorify God.
What does the Bible say about holding onto the past?
Isaiah 43:18 -19 says, Forget the former things do not dwell on the past.
Why do people live in the past?
While some people live in the past because they dont want to deal with the present, others live in the past for fear of what may come in the future. You may be fearful of the future if: 1. You find yourself feeling very anxious about what may happen in the next few months and/or years.
Who invented purgatory?
Jacques Le GoffThe most prominent modern historian of the idea of Purgatory, Jacques Le Goff, dates the term purgatorium to around 1170 and in 1215 the Church began to set out the actual length of time in Purgatory required of souls. It is easy to see how this might have been a useful development for the Church.
What does the Bible say about getting old and the elderly?
What Does Scripture Teach About Reincarnation
No. The word reincarnation occurs anywhere in the Bible, nor is such an idea given in any other Bible verse. The teaching of reincarnation is based on the fact that there is an immortal soul inside a human being who lives even after death. * While the Bible does not teach so. It tells that man is made of clay and is destroyed after death. There is no such thing as a shadow inside him that comes out and wanders here and there. After death, nothing is left of a human being.Genesis 3:19 Ecclesiastes 9:5, 6.
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What Should We Do
If this brief summary of Gods purpose for all human beings sparks your interest, then please read more about it on this website. Think about what you are reading. Pray that God will help you understand it and believe it, for it is based on the one source of believable truththe Holy Bible, the Word of God.
For more information about what really happens after death, visit our Life After Death resource page.
About the Author
Tom Kirkpatrick
Tom Kirkpatrick holds a PhD in accounting from the University of North Texas, and is a retired CPA. He has taught accounting and business courses at the university graduate level, and has served in the financial management of Church of God organizations. He most recently pastored two congregations of the Church of God, a Worldwide Association, before his retirement in 2020.
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Bible Verses About Reincarnation
Is reincarnation Biblical? No, contrary to what others think Gods Word provides sufficient evidence that there is no reincarnation. Do not be conformed to the world. Christians dont follow Hinduism or any other religion. If you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior you will live in paradise forever. If you dont accept Christ you will go to hell and you will be there forever no reincarnation.
New Testament
1. Hebrews 9:27 And just as it is appointed for people to die onceand after this, judgment.
2. Matthew 25:46 And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life.
3. Luke 23:43 And he said to him, Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.
4. Matthew 18:8 If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it from you it is better for you to enter life crippled or lame, than to have two hands or two feet and be cast into the eternal fire.
5. Philippians 3:20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,
Old Testament
6. Ecclesiastes 3:2 a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot.
7. Psalm 78:39 He remembered that they were but flesh, a wind that passes and comes not again.
8. Job 7:9-10 As the cloud fades and vanishes, so he who goes down to Sheol does not come up he returns no more to his house, nor does his place know him anymore.
We will depart as we came
Bonus
Wrap Up On What Does The Bible Say About Reincarnation
Consider the consequences of those who believe in reincarnation. Since there is no future judgment after this life, there is no need to be saved. If there is no need to be saved, there is no need to believe in Jesus as Lord . If there is no need to be saved, then there is no ultimate reason to live according to Gods teachings found in the Bible. People may then choose right and wrong according to the ethic of their choosing, leading to various forms of morality and immorality.
In contrast, Scripture reveals we live one life on this earth followed by eternity in the afterlife. To be with God for eternity in the afterlife, we require salvation through Jesus Christ to be made right with God . As followers of Jesus Christ, we then seek to know His teachings found in the Bible and live according to His ways. This includes a life known for loving God and loving people and focused on making disciples of all nations .
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The Bible Does Not Teach Reincarnation
The Bible does not teach reincarnation. As a result, there is no mainstream Jewish or Christian group that affirms reincarnation. On the contrary, the Bible teaches several ideas that stand in opposition to the Eastern religious doctrine of reincarnation:
The Bible rejects reincarnation because it describes another destiny for human beings. Since Old Testament times and continuing into New Testament times believers have affirmed another truth that stands in direct opposition to reincarnation: resurrection. After a human dies, the soul of that person returns to God but the decaying body remains on earth, but the body will one day be resurrected.
Resurrection teaches that after you die, your body sleeps for a time. Your soul continues to live in either Paradise or Hades, but your body remains on earth until the first or second resurrection. The first resurrection is the Resurrection of the Just and the second resurrection is the Resurrection of the Wicked. The Book of Daniel summarizes this teaching: And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.
And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment.
Major Problems With Reincarnation
That seems harsh, a person may say. Wouldnt you want a bunch of do-overs to finally choose Christ as your Savior?
To that person, I would want to show a number of reasons why reincarnation is actually a distasteful concept, even to those grieving loved ones whom they wish to see again, myself included.
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Eternal Heaven + Eternal Hell = True Humanity
People who believe in reincarnation often say that its not fair to have just one lifetime to make an eternal choice between good and evil.
However, if we look at it objectively, it really doesnt matter whether our choice is made in seventy seconds, seventy years, or seventy centuries. There is no ratio between eternity and any finite time period. Once a period of seventy billion years is over, it will still be like nothing compared to eternity. And if every choice we make except the choice to re-merge with the Divine or enter a blissful nirvana is only temporary, then those choices are not real, no matter how long they take to make. They are only a temporary illusion.
Only what is eternal is truly real.
This means that for our humanity to be real, we must be able to make choices that last forever.
And for our freedom of choice to be real, we must be free to choose not to do what God designed us to do. So we must be free to choose not to love God and not to love our fellow human beings. We must be free to reject the light of truth that God offers us, and cling to our own particular darkness and falsity.
This is why God allows evil and falsity, and allows an eternal hell. Without it, none of our choices are real. Without it, we are not humans, but rats in a maze or pre-programmed robots who merely do what we are trained or programmed to do.
What The Bible Says About 60 Years
The age of sixty is also mentioned in: Leviticus 27:7 : for a person sixty years old or more, set the value of a male at fifteen shekelsand of a female at ten shekels. Leviticus 27:3 : set the value of a male between the ages of twenty and sixty at fifty shekels of silver, according to the sanctuary shekel.
What does the Bible say about past lives?
We simply have no information to go on, other than we existed before mortality. Hence, we lived past lives. Nevertheless, the Bible does contain information, other than those verses previously referred to, that support the idea of our having lived before we were born into physical bodies.
What does the Bible say about the afterlife?
The Bible presents the afterlife as having only two optionseternity with God or apart from Him. Hebrews 9:27 notes, it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment.. The soul lives on, but it is not reincarnated.
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Christian View Of Reincarnation
Many apologists in the reincarnation camp claim that their belief can be found in the Bible. They contend that their proof texts from the original manuscripts of the New Testament were either altered or removed to suppress the thinking. Nevertheless, they claim that vestiges of the teaching remain in Scripture.
John 3:3Jesus replied, I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.
Supporters of reincarnation say this verse speaks of rebirth into another body, but the notion is pulled out of context. Jesus had been talking to Nicodemus, who wondered in confusion, “How can an old man go back into his mothers womb and be born again?” . He thought Jesus was referring to physical rebirth. But Jesus explained that he was talking about spiritual rebirth: “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. So dont be surprised when I say, You must be born again” .
Reincarnation prescribes a physical rebirth, while Christianity involves a spiritual one.
Matthew 11:14And if you are willing to accept what I say, he is Elijah, the one the prophets said would come.
Defenders of reincarnation claim that John the Baptist was Elijah reincarnated.
Understanding The Christian Doctrine Of The New Birth
The birth of Jesus is among the most thrilling beliefs of Christianity However, what is it, what does it mean, how do people get it, and what happens following the fact?
We were able to hear Jesus his teachings on the birth of Jesus when Jesus was visited by Nicodemus, a member of the Sanhedrin or the supreme council of ancient Israel. Being afraid of being observed, Nicodemus came to Jesus looking for the truth late at midnight. The things Jesus said to him is also applicable to us:
In response, Jesus declared, I tell you the truth. No one can see the kingdom of God until he is born again.’
Despite his excellent knowledge, Nicodemus was skeptical. Jesus said that Jesus was not speaking about the physical new birth, and it was a spiritual one:
Jesus replied, I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit .’
When were not born again, were in spiritual death, dead physically. Were physically alive, and theres nothing in our appearance. However, inside we are a product of sin, being ruled and controlled by sin.
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