THEME: THEOLOGY AND REINCARNATION
TOPIC TREATED: REINCARNATION:- A BIBLICAL OVERVIEW
TEXTS: 2 TIM. 3:15-17; 2 PET. 1:19-21, 16; 2:1-3; 2 COR. 2:11; EPH. 6:11, 12, 17; MATT. 22:29-30; DEUT. 30:15, 19, 20; REV. 2:24; HEB. 9:27; 1 COR. 15:42-44, 51-55; REV. 20:5-6; EPH.2:20; REV. 20:11-15; JOHN 3:16, 5; TITUS 3:5-15; JOHN 1:1, 14; REV. 13:3, 4, 11-15
THE PROLOQUE
There are several Cultural, Traditional, Philosophical, and Satanic/New Age revivals sweeping through the society today. At such a time as this, where do we hitch, hook or drop our ANCHOR of HOPE and SURVIVAL? Unto whom do we go? Unto whom do we look? “They looked unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed” (Psalms 34:5 KJV).
“Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and There is none else” (Isaiah 45:22 KJV). “Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the LORD: Look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged” (Isaiah 51:1). “Looking unto Jesus the Author and finisher of our faith” (Heb. 12:2).
No wonder Simon Peter said, “Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life.” (John 6:68).
Moreover, the scriptures say, “People do not live (make progress, conquer, succeed etc) by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.: (Matthew 4:4 NLT emphasis mine); Because “all Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is True and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.” (2 Tim. 3:15-17 NLT).
The inspired Word of God is the expression of God’s wisdom and character. It is inerrant and infallible: Everything depends on it. Thus we have to hold strongly to the Holy Scripture for the church to have a true and sure foundation for its faith, and moral absolutes. Without a strong view of the Scriptures we have no message to preach without doubt. Doubt the Bible and everything falls apart. There will be no absolute and objective Truth based on the authority of God himself by which to judge and reject this world’s ever changing values, human philosophies and culture’s ungodly practices. The Bible will subsequently be replaced by subjective religious experience or by independent and critical reasoning (2 Peter 2:1-3). This is the case with REINCARNATION.
DEFINITION AND EXPLANATION
REINCARNATION: A BRIEF OVERVIEW
To reincarnate is, literally to “incarnate again.” It is from the Latin “reincarnatio” which translates literally to “the process of entering the flesh again” (from‘re’-meaning ‘again’ and ‘incarnare’ meaning “to make flesh”). Thus it refers to the rebirth of a soul or spirit into a new body. That is, to become flesh again after dying.
The word was coined to describe the belief in the cyclical nature of existence and the soul’s existence beyond death. Grk “Metempsychosis” meaning the transmigration of the soul especially its reincarnation after death.
Reincarnation in Hinduism refers to the repeated cycle of the eternal soul taking on physical form and living through a succession of existence in different forms until it achieves freedom from earthly things. Reincarnation, is a major tenet of Hinduism. The soul is seen as eternal and part of a spiritual realm which returns to the physical realm in a new body. A soul will complete this cycle many times, learning new things each time and working through its Karma. This cycle of reincarnation is called Samsara.
In Hinduism Reincarnation is not limited to being born as human. You may have had prior lives as animals, plants, or as divine beings. Whatever form the soul will take on in the next life is determined by the accumulation of karma. Eventually the soul is believed to achieve freedom from the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth when the full karma has been worked out.
- Reincarnation in Buddhism is rebirth representing a continuous, beginningless cycle (Samsara) of consciousness moving between lives, driven by karma (an accumulation of an individual’s actions and desires). In Buddhism, reincarnation is a flow of karma energy and mental consciousness that takes new forms in six possible realms. There are six such realms. Depending on karma, an individual can be born into any of the realms. Deva (gods), Asura (demi – gods), Humans, Animals, Hungry Ghosts, or Hell.
Ignorance, attachment, and desire cause the continuation of the cycle. The goal of Buddhism is to break the cycle of rebirth, archiving Nirvana (liberation), which is the cessation of suffering and the end of Karma rebirth.
- Reincarnation in African Culture, particularly among groups like the Yoruba, Igbo, and Akan, is a widely held belief that ancestors return to the family line, representing a continuous cycle of life rather than an end. It emphasizes familial continuity, with infants often named based on returning relatives – eg Babatunde, Nna-nna-ya, Nne-nna. The African belief in Reincarnation is an attempt to connect the physical world with the spiritual realm; the invisible, spirit world with the visible physical world.
Ancestors are believed to return within the same family or clan to continue their legacy. Families often identify reincarnated members through physical resemblances, birthmarks or behavioral similarities to the deceased. Such birthmarks and behavioral similarities can be explained scientifically and Biblically. (The study of Genetics/DNA; Genesis 1:11, 12, 24-25, 26-28; 5:1-3).
Naming conventions: Reincarnated individuals are given names which establish that they are recognized as a reborn ancestor; eg. the Yoruba name Babatunde (father has returned), Yetunde (mother has returned).
Africans who believe in Reincarnation assume that reincarnation is necessary for the reincarnated individual to fulfill his life obligations ambitions or chose a new destiny.
A word on Ogbanje (spirit) children. Some beliefs such as among the Igbo, Yoruba, and Urhobo include the concept of Ogbanje/Abiku – children who die young and are reborn multiple times in the same family.
What then is the cultural significance of this belief? The belief in Reincarnation strengthen family ties and provides a form of immortality because death is no more viewed as a total end but a transition to a new, yet connected life. This accounts to a large extent for the practice of ancestral worship and veneration in most parts of African.
There are also reported cases of dead people living as grown up adults in locations/cities other than where they once lived and died. This suggests or purposes that a person’s soul might be reborn in a new adult body, potentially in a different location. Please note that in all such reported cases the individual vanishes soon after discovery. Why do they vanish and are never seen again?
CRITICAL SUMMARY, CONCLUSION, AND RECOMMENDATION
Reincarnation as we have seen is the belief that the soul, after death, is reborn into a new body. This concept is prevalent in several Eastern religions, such as Hinduism and Buddhism, and also in African Traditional Religions. However, it is not a doctrine found within Traditional Christian Theology, or Biblical Christianity. The Bible as the authoritative text for Christians, does not support the idea of reincarnation. The Bible presents a linear view of life, death, resurrection, and judgment – an afterlife in either of two possible places. Hebrews 9:27 clearly underscores the Biblical stand that each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment. That is a single earthly life followed by an eternal destiny either in the presence of God (ie, in Heaven), or separated from God (in Hell/hellfire/lake of fire) – Revelation 20:11-15.
The Bible emphasizes the resurrection of the dead and not reincarnation. The resurrection of the dead is a foundational Christian doctrine and belief (see 1 Cor. 15:42-44, 51-55; Rev. 20:5, 6). There is a Blessed hope or hopelessness awaiting all human beings. Individuals are held accountable for how they lived the one life the creator granted them, not multiple lives or opportunities for spiritual progression through reincarnation.
The believer’s upward journey to perfection is through faith in Christ’s sacrificial, substitutional atoning death. Redemption, transformation, eternal life etc, all come through faith in the finished work of Christ on Calvary’s Cross. Spiritual rebirth and renewal for the Bible believing Christian comes through being born again (more accurately, being born from above) of the spirit and water (John 3:16, 3, 5; Titus 3:5-15); not through reincarnation.
Let us take heed less we fall (1 Cor. 10:12; 1 Tim. 4:16). Some say they have found reincarnation in the Bible. This is false doctrine. There is no Reincarnation in the Bible but INCARNATION, and that of Christ only (Read John 1:1, 14). Liberally defined INCARNATION is the embodiment of a deity, spirit, or abstract quality in a tangible, human, or animal form. It means to “make flesh” or “made flesh.” Theologically defined, it is the union of divine and human natures in one person, specifically JESUS CHRIST. It signifies God becoming human to live among us (John 1:14).
Those who want to mislead and if possible derail Christians and the church allude to the case of Elijah and John the Baptist. (Matthew 17:9-13; Malachi 4:5-6; Luke 1:17; Matthew 11:13, 14; John 1:19-23). A thorough/careful reading and proper interpretation of the above passages show how mistaken they are. These are “ignorant and unstable” people who twist/wrest the word of God to mean something else. Destruction awaits them (2 Peter 3:15-16, 17-18).
INFALLIBALE PROOF
Also consider 2 Cor. 5:8, 10; 2 Sam. 12:23; 14:14; Daniel 12:2; Eccl. 12:5, 7; Job 7:9; 14:14; 16:22; 1 Tim. 4:1.
“We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.” (2 Cor. 5:8, 10).
He answered, “while the child was still alive, I fasted and wept. I thought, who knows? The LORD may be gracious to me and let the child live. But now that he is dead, why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me.” (2 Sam. 12:22-23).
“Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt” (Daniel 12:2).
“When men are afraid of heights and of dangers in the streets; when the almond tree blossoms and the grasshopper drags himself along and desire no longer is tirred. Then man goes to his eternal home and mourners go about the streets. And the dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.” (Eccl. 12:5, 7).
“The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.” (1 Tim. 4:1).
Thus we can conclude that while reincarnation is a philosophical concept found in various religious traditions, it is not a Biblical doctrine. The Bible presents a clear narrative of life, death, resurrection, and eternal judgment, with salvation and eternal life offered through Jesus Christ. God is saying, “Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses (between Reincarnation and INCARNATION, between worldly reasoning and Divine revelation). Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendant might live! You can make this choice by loving the LORD your God, obeying him, and committing yourself firmly to him. This is the key to your life…” (Deut. 30:19-20 NLT emphasis mine).
