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Reincarnation vs. Resurrection |
On Bible Studies |
Reincarnation is the belief that when a person dies their spirit will be placed in a new born babies body. all current people have lived other lives before they were born this time around. Some groups add Karma, and the transmigration of souls to this doctrine.
Resurrection is the Christian belief that after death the body will be recreated or brought back to life and the soul reunited with that body. The spirit remains without a body until this occurs.
In 1 Corinthians 15:12-18 Paul stated that there were those who
did not believe in a resurrection. He stated that if there is no resurrection
then Jesus was never raised, which makes him a false witness and our faith
useless.
We have the testimony that Jesus was crucified, buried for three
days, then resurrected in his physical body. The disciples recognized
and touched him with their own hands. (John 20:26-27) Jesus said his resurrected
body was was still
flesh and bone, and He ate fish with his friends.
At Jesus accession the angel stated that Jesus would come back
in like manner as he went, (Acts 1:11) a Physical body will descend from the
heavens and his feet will touch the mount of olives. (Zach 14:4)
Martha stated she believed that Jesus would resurrect her bother
Lazarus in the last days. (John11:24) But Jesus did it then. Lazarus was not
reborn into a babies body, but physically came out of the tomb in his old body.
In 1 Thessalonians 4:16 Paul states there would be a
resurrection of believers who have died, then the rapture of believers who are
still alive all in a twinkling of a eye. Again not a reincarnation but a
resurrection.
Paul went on to say
that it is appointed for a man once to die and after that the judgment, not
rebirth. (Hebrews 9:27)
In conclusion we can see that the bible does not confuse resurrection with reincarnation, and that all Christians believe in the resurrection of the dead. If there is reincarnation there is no resurrection. You can't wait and be raised in your old body and be born in a new on at the same time. As Paul put it if there is not resurrection (because there is reincarnation) then Jesus did not raise and Christianity is false.
Scriptures taken out of context:
The Early Church Fathers on Reincarnation: