Here I Am, Send Me

He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His love for those who fear him; (Psalm 103:10-11)

A thousand years before the birth of Christ this was written by a man who was supposed to be under “the guardian” of The Law…David. We all reside in a world that lives on “cause and effect”. We breathe it, we seek it, we watch for it, and some worship it. Meaning some of us live in a constant state of apprehension, and anxiety because we are actively taking a tally on the “bad” that we do. We’re also taking notes on the “bad” others do as well. We then believe that God will punish us because we committed sin, and the moment we realize we’ve sinned, we expect a lightning bolt to strike us down. We wait for the “impending doom” to come as if Christs’ work on the cross was not good enough to cover the sin we just committed. Hinduism and multiple lives aside, speaking purely of the word that has become mainstream vocabulary…this is the essence of “karma”. Your life is good when you do good and your life is bad when you do bad. “Karma” propels you to do good deeds to gain something good in return, and when you go through tough times it’s a result of your bad behavior. This may sound like a familiar concept from The Bible because some of us connect this mentality to “you reap what you sow”. It is true both concepts have glaring similarities with one huge difference. “You reap what you sow” has nothing to do with the world and everything to do with Jesus Christ. Christians do good deeds through faith in Christ and faith alone to expect nothing in return, but to reflect the power and glory of our Savior. The more your faith sows Jesus into your life the more you reap a closer relationship with Him. The more you walk away from Him the more you will walk in the flesh. Christians walk in the grace of God knowing in the end, our lives are His and not ours. “Karma” is the reverse. Our lives belong to us and what we do determines how our lives will play out.

“Karma” is what you DO in this world based on principles of “cause and effect” determining how your life will be. It’s a desire to balance one’s life by constantly watching and reacting to the good and bad you do. In other words, it’s a works based system, and unfortunately this mindset is our natural tendency. “Cause and effect” is a universal law much like gravity that we are all subject to. What’s an easy way to prove this point? Get in your car and drive past a police speed trap at tremendous speeds over the limit, and you’ll find out right away the reality of our “cause and effect” existence. This was my life for a very long time all throughout the majority of the 2000s when I was living in San Francisco, CA. I lived on the principles of “karma”, and in the end, my life in San Francisco came crashing down to a tumultuous climax. It’s not difficult to figure out why. Every man made world religion is based upon these principles.

You cannot “earn” your way into God’s favor and this means you cannot sin your way out of His favor either. Many have strong issues with this today as did many in the early church. The apostle Paul knew all too well about this as he wrote his letter to the region of Galatia. There were many calling for Paul’s arrest, and were accusing him of heresy for preaching this very subject. He also reiterated this to the Colossians as well. The church’s legalists of the day were infuriated by Paul because they believed The Law needed to be held over someone’s head like a sword at all times to keep them from sinning. If it wasn’t for The Law and the consequences of not keeping it then what would keep people from sinning right? Seems like a completely “natural” response. Paul’s message was a warning to Christians that the Judaizers were trying their hardest to place them back into “slavery”.

What I am saying is that as long as an heir is underage, he is no different from a slave, although he owns the whole estate. The heir is subject to guardians and trustees (The Law) until the time set by his father. So also, when we were underage, we were in slavery under the “elemental spiritual forces of the world.”(Karma). But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. (Galatians 4:1-5)

Paul likens the “I have to do this and I have to do that, I can’t do this and I can’t do that” attitude to being an immature child until we are new creations in Christ. Then we are free from this bondage, which to the world, is commonly referred to as “karma”. Paul relays this same message to the Colossians…

Since you died with Christ to the “elemental spiritual forces of this world”, (karma) why, as though you still belonged to the world, do you submit to its rules: “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!”? These rules, which have to do with things that are all destined to perish with use, are based on merely human commands and teachings. (Colossians 2:20-22)

None of us deserve God’s love, mercy, or grace. Our Lord’s grace completely contradicts the “you get what you deserve” mindset a.k.a “karma” because it is freely given.

And the Lord said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. (Exodus 33:19)

No works of man provoke God’s blessings. All we are called to do is believe in The Son…

The blessing of the Lord brings wealth, without painful toil for it. (Proverbs 10:22)

He is absolutely sovereign. He is not sovereign “in general” and He is not “He is sovereign but…”. He is 100% sovereign. Everything is God’s will and God’s will alone. Yes, we all have freedom of choice, but The Word also indicates the decisions we make via our free will are predetermined. Yet we all genuinely and freely make our own decisions. Try and wrap your head around this concept and you never will. The attempt to do so has created heated debates for a very long time, because we are not supposed to be able to figure this one out. So the question is…do we have free will or do we not have free will? If we are basing our answer on scripture and scripture alone, then the answer is…YES…we have free will and everything is predestined working perfectly together in unison. Everything has already taken place in God’s mind.

And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. (Revelation 13:8)

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love He predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will. (Ephesians 1:3-5)

Christ chose us and was crucified before the creation of the world. However, The Bible is absolutely clear that we all have a genuine freedom to make our own decisions. All of this is comparable to someone asking me to explain how God is three in one. My answer would be… “I don’t know, He just is.” The truth is scripture doesn’t tell us how God is The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit. Of course, just as our human minds do, we can make up analogies such as… “God is like an egg and in this egg are Jesus and the Holy Spirit”. This is a very popular example that helps us somewhat understand or comprehend The Trinity, but ultimately scripture simply does not say how it’s possible that God is three in one all at the same time. It’s in the same arena as… “is everything predestined or do we have free will?” It’s both at the same time, and we are not meant to understand how. We desire to make sense the ways of our Lord by attempting to rationalize and reconcile because of this “cause and effect” world we live in. In the end, the point is to give yourself up and trust in Him. Trust that He is in control of all things. He already knows your sin, your sin right now, and your sin in the future. Jesus covers it all. All we need to do is have faith and our faith will galvanize us to live in His ways. This is literally ALL WE NEED TO DO. I am unworthy and I will never be worthy. His grace is a free gift with no strings attached.

Christianity should tell you that you’re lost! You’re dead in your sins and trespasses and you cannot earn your way. Only Christ makes a way when there is no way and only He has made you alive. You cannot knock on enough doors, ride your bike to enough people, or place yourself in a “box” and confess enough sins. You will always be undeserving and you always be unworthy. Thank God we do not get what we deserve. This is The Good News.

The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. (Romans 8:15-17)