Jesus: The Power That Breaks Karma

By Sam Machaka

We all have a very strong sense of justice or fairness especially when we think or know that we are in the right and someone else is wrong. This can be seen when king David’s anger was kindled upon hearing about how a ruthless rich man, in order to entertain his guest, slaughtered and feasted upon the only ewe lamb that a poor man in the same community had [2 Samuel 12]. He could not take any one of his many lambs but chose to deprive the poor man’s one and only ewe lamb. “Then David's anger was greatly kindled against the man, and he said to Nathan, “As the LORD lives, the man who has done this deserves to die, and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.” [2 Samuel 12:5-6]. 

Was David’s judgement just? Yes, it was. That was the only fair verdict to for a righteous king to declare. This man was so unkind, so unloving and so unthoughtful. He did not care about the welfare of the poor man neither did he have compassion on him. And I am pretty sure this is what you and I would say if we were in the seat of king David. For many years now, I have seen and heard many people, believers included say to others that they will meet with their karma for every wrong doing they did to them or to others. I think that is what we all are naturally. We know when an injustice has been committed and we are sickened, convulsed, repelled and appalled by it and if we are to use one of today’s axioms, we would say “stay away from such negative people” because negative people pull you down.

Now what is karma? Karma is in three parts. Firstly, there is Sanchitta, which is “accumulated past actions or karmas waiting to come to fruition”, and secondly, Parabda which “is the present action: what you are doing now, in this lifetime and its result”. Thirdly, it is Agami. The “Future actions that result from your present actions are called agami karma”. The whole idea of karma is to correct every wrong perpetrated by you or someone else. It is also a kind of justice [fairness] for every injustice done whether in this or past life. Years ago and in one of his sermons on this text and a passage from the book of Romans, my friend, mentor and Pastor, Dale Meador gave an example of a judge who acquitted a guilty criminal of all his offences and declared him innocent. He said such judges would be condemned today and I am sure we would condemn him also. When a criminal is taken to court we expect a guilty verdict and for him to be locked up for a very long time. We expect parabda. 

But before we get to parabda, sanchitta or Agami, we see that king David was actually condemning himself. How else would Nathan have approached the king? Those who live in Africa and other countries that are ruled by dictators or powerful personalities know that you would have declared a death sentence upon yourself if you were to approach a leader to bring him to account for his actions. And before we think these leaders are only political leaders we should think twice. Our churches are filled with leaders who are untouchables. They are called the anointed ones and no one should dare rebuke them like Nathan did. And lest we think it is only these church leaders, there are people, ordinary folk who are high mountains to climb. They do not give anyone “permission” to correct them. All Hell will break loose if you do. 

David was the man who had taken another man’s wife yet he had many. Now I do not know why the LORD said, “I gave you your master's house and your master's wives into your arms and gave you the house of Israel and of Judah. And if this were too little, I would add to you as much more”, but I think it shows how really bad “rich people” are. Now, I do not mean rich people as in people who are rich; what I mean to say is firstly, we never get enough no matter how much we have. David had many wives at his disposal if he needed a woman. He could have easily called for one but no, he did not. He selfishly, thoughtlessly took one of his poor subject’s only wife and to add insult to injury murdered him also after trying every trick in the book to coerce and entice him to sleep with his wife since she had fallen pregnant. What a coverup. He killed Uriah, took his wife in no time at all and forgot all about him. What a ruler! What a king!

I am yet to hear anyone who condones king David’s dealings in this issue and I also see that like him we too have a very high sense of justice. So, wait. We may need to do some introspection ourselves. Are we innocent in all our dealings with everyone? Do we also not have a myopic view of transgression and sin? Do we not only think others should get what is coming to them but forget about us? This is what Paul addresses in Romans saying to the Jews, “But if you call yourself a Jew and rely on the law and boast in God … you then who teach others, do you not teach yourself? While you preach against stealing, do you steal? You who say that one must not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who boast in the law dishonor God by breaking the law” [Romans 2:17-23]. Having assessed every human condition everywhere, Paul concluded that “… all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” [Romans 3:23], and “What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks [non-Jews everywhere], are under sin, as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one” [Romans 3: 9-10, additions mine].

Karma is some kind of justice and if Christians were to require it then we would have to forfeit grace. Rather than magnify karma, we should magnify grace because grace is a big word. From a position of being very good which Adam was when God created him [Genesis 1:31], Adam could not maintain holiness by his own deeds. He needed a gracious Saviour. Adam sinned in his goodness and in his own works and from that we should all see that we need someone to take away the error of our sin because if we were to live on the principle of karma, no one would be justified. So, how are we justified? I think among many examples, we need to look at how David the adulterer and murderer was justified before God. And this is what the word of God says. This is the central message of the Bible. This is how God deals with the problem of our errors, our mistakes, all the hatred, injustices and prejudice against others. This is how He dealt with our sin.

‘David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.” And Nathan said to David, “The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die’ [2 Samuel 12:13].  We see here that David acknowledged his sin but that was not enough. Where is the justice? Someone was raped here [how could Bathsheba have refused this powerful king?] and an innocent man was murdered. What makes your apology a fair exchange for your sin? Is it karma? No, it is Jesus and this is what God did. Romans 3:23-27 says; “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by His grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by His blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in His divine forbearance He had passed over former sins. It was to show His righteousness at the present time, so that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith”. This is how God dealt with your sin, our sin. He justified us by grace not karma. If it were of karma, we would not have any hope of not ever sinning against everyone. No imperfect sinning person could take away our sins let alone his. There had to be a perfect payment [propitiation] for our sins and the only perfect person to grace this world, the only one who took away all karma which was coming our way is Jesus. 

It would seem like David’s sin was overlooked and no one paid for it but that was God exercising His forbearance [Romans 3:25]. We should “count the patience of our Lord as salvation” [2 Peter 3:15a]. he was patient with David with the result that he was forgiven right away. This is how He does it with us as well when we come to Him for forgiveness. He forgives us there and then and puts all our sins upon Jesus. It is at the cross that justice for every sin was paid. It is at the cross of Jesus that David’s sins; my sins and your sins were fully paid so much that we now have hope of being glorified rather than be condemned in an everlasting cycle of payback which no imperfect human being can satisfy.  It is at the cross that the Judge of all the world acquitted those who accept His offer of a new life through His Son Jesus Christ. It is at the cross that every curse and karma is broken by the blood of Jesus. No longer can we boast of our own doing but in Christ we rejoice in the reprieve of grace. 

The call to find grace is an open invitation to people of all nations. If God acquitted David, He will acquit you also because He is just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus [Romans 3:26]. The business of the cross of Jesus is to justify the wicked who come to Him humbly accepting that they are nothing without Him. “And to the one who does not work but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works: Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.” [Romans 4:5-8]. There is no karma for Christians; just grace. God’s unmerited favour and it is the reason we also forgive others.

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About The Author:

Pastor Sam Machacka is co-founder of Brink Ministries Southern Africa. A wonderful colleague and good friend. Equipping Pastors and Church leaders in Southern Africa. He grew up in Harare, Zimbabwe with his beautiful wife Mildred and they are blessed with three lovely children namely Samantha, Munashe and Joshua but they are now serving as missionaries in Malawi since August 2018

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