MCGI Topic Review | REINCARNATION IS IT BIBLICAL
Reincarnation is a subject of discussion today. Some people think that once a person is dead, his or her soul returns to earth in a different body to live another life. In certain cultures and religions, people hold this belief. But if I read the Bible carefully, I don't see any teaching about reincarnation. Rather, the Bible says that we have but one life on earth and will be judged by God in the end.
The verse that is most clear on this is found in Hebrews 9:27, And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment. This verse reminds us that a man is not killed many times, but only once. There is no other life after death, there is judgment. “This is a serious reminder of the life that we are living now is precious and important.”
There is one time that I have lost someone near me and I remember. While it was happening some people would try to console me, saying that the person would come back in another form or born again somewhere else. I knew they said those words to comfort me, but on the inside I was still feeling empty. I was able to find a lot of comfort in the Bible when I realized that God made a promise. I learned that our hope is NOT to return to earth time and time again. Our hope is based on the resurrection that God has promised us in Jesus Christ. Such a knowledge brought me calmness and helped me believe.
The Bible does not teach reincarnation, but resurrection. Jesus revealed in John 11:25, "I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. The resurrection means that God will raise the dead at the proper time. It is not reincarnation as a person does not reappear in another body and begin a new earthly existence.
Ecclesiastes 12:7 is another significant verse, "Then shall dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it. This indicates that when we die the spirit is returned to God, not another human body.
As I meditate on this subject I'm thankful for the truth of God's word. Some of people may like the idea of reincarnation, but the Bible offers something better. God has given us one life to know Him, serve Him, and obey His commandments. We have hope of eternal life and resurrection through Jesus Christ.
Finally, I believe that reincarnation is un-biblical. Scripture tells us that we have but one life to live, we must all die and then God will give us an account of our lives. I prefer to believe in another life, but this time in heaven, not on earth, and that life is guaranteed and promised by God through the resurrection of Christ for eternal life. This is the truth that gives me hope, comfort and confidence in the perfect plan God has in place.