Documentos de Académico
Documentos de Profesional
Documentos de Cultura
Robert R. Wadholm
contrasts between the grace of Christ and the self-saving action and enlightenment of
Buddha. "The long road of transmigration is a road of pain for the traveler: let him rest by
the road and be free" (The Dhammapada, translated by Juan Mascaro 1973, v. 302). Thus
spoke Buddha. "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that
whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16, NIV). Thus
spoke Jesus. Each quote hints at important aspects of the two opposing worldviews. In
the first, Buddha assumes a cyclical view of time, a world-denying view of suffering, and
roles in salvation, the models of salvation espoused by modern followers of Buddha and
Christ, and the similarities and differences between Buddhist and Christian salvation.
First, the life and teachings of Buddha and Christ (as they relate to the idea of salvation)
will be examined. Second, various modern Buddhist and Christian concepts of salvation
will be explored. Third, the salvation that Buddha presents will be analyzed. Fourth, the
salvation that Christ offers will be evaluated. Fifth, Buddhist and Christian concepts of
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The Life and Teachings of Buddha
Buddha was probably born in India in the sixth century B.C. with the name of
Siddartha of the Gautama clan. Legends surrounding Siddartha’s life (written nearly four
hundred years after his death) reveal that he was the son of a Kshatriya raja (an Indian
ruler) (Hopfe 2005, 127). Before Siddartha was born, it was predicted that when he grew
older he would either become a great king or a great teacher and monk. Siddartha’s
parents were told that if he saw four sights (a dead person, an old person, an ill person,
and an ascetic monk) he would become a great teacher and monk. Wanting better things
for their son, Siddartha’s father attempted to keep his son secluded from the four sights
by surrounding him with only young, beautiful, healthy people. His father’s plan failed
when Siddartha left his father’s palace one day and saw each of the four sights. After this,
Siddartha left his home and family behind (by this time, Siddartha already had a wife and
child) and became an ascetic monk (128). After several years of self-mortification,
starving, and solitary meditation, Siddartha realized that he could find no satisfaction in
this way of life. At age thirty-five, Siddartha had come to the end of his rope. He sat for
many days and meditated beneath a fig (bodhi) tree in a hopeless state, when suddenly
Siddartha found what he had been looking for his whole life. Siddartha became
enlightened. From that moment on, he was the Buddha, and his teachings on
enlightenment and suffering found a foothold in India (129–130). After teaching for
forty-five years, Buddha reached the end of his life in this world. Buddha’s final words
(according to tradition) were: “Subject to decay are all component things. Strive earnestly
1
Ultimately, Buddha (and his followers after him) sought liberation from samsara
(wandering), which is “the beginningless cycle of birth, death and rebirth, composed of
the realms of gods, demigods, humans, ghosts and hell beings” (Lopez 2004, 554). This
had been a central concern of Hinduism, and now became of utmost importance to
Buddha and his followers. Something must be done to escape the endless wandering.
Buddha taught that everyone is afraid of danger and death, and everyone counts life dear
(Dhammapada, vv. 129–130). The mind struggles to free itself from death like a fish
striving for water when thrown on dry land (v. 34). The key to escape from death (and
considers this world as a bubble of froth, and as the illusion of an appearance, then the
King of death has no power over him” (v. 170). If people can free themselves from
desires, they will find enlightenment, and rise above good and evil, dispelling all fear (v.
39). Infinite freedom is found when a person has no cravings or desires for this world or
“I have gone round in vain the cycles of many lives ever striving to find
the builder of the house of life and death. How great is the sorrow of life
that must die! But now I have seen thee, housebuilder: nevermore shalt
thou build this house. The rafters of sins are broken, the ridge-pole of
Nirvana means “extinguished like a candle” (Hopfe 2005, 132), and is the “extinguishing
2
Juan Mascaro (1973) falsely asserts that “Buddha avoided metaphysical
questions,” and made his teaching “free from metaphysics,” instead focusing on personal
ethics (21). However, Buddha taught that humans are without souls (or true “selves”)
because souls do not exist (which is a metaphysical postulate). What humans think of as
souls are actually a combination of the physical body, feelings, understanding, will, and
dies, and is reborn in an endless cycle. Attachment to the world, anatman, and samsara
causes suffering. The idea of suffering (dukkha) for Buddha “is an all-encompassing
sense of life lived with perpetual loss” (Zacharias 2001, 40). The Hindu idea of Karma
(the belief that past actions, even from previous lives, drastically affects present reality)
wandering for every individual in the universe. Buddhists seek refuge from suffering in
the “three jewels,” which are the Buddha, the dharma (the teachings of Buddha), and the
sangha (the Buddhist community) (Lopez 2004, 556). The refuge that is safe and free
from sorrow and suffering is the “Four Great Truths” given by Buddha (Dhammapada,
vv. 191–192). First, suffering exists. Second, suffering is caused by attachment and
desire. Third, salvation from suffering exists. Fourth, salvation from suffering is found
when a person follows Buddha’s “Eightfold Path” in order to get release from the cycle
of samsara. The eightfold path to the elimination of suffering is: 1. right understanding,
2. right thought, 3. right speech, 4. right action, 5. right livelihood, 6. right effort, 7. right
mindfulness, and 8. right meditation (Fisher 1999, 44). Buddha’s soteriology and ethics
derived directly from his understandings of reality and causality (that is, his
metaphysics).
3
Buddha taught that “even the gods long to be the Buddhas who are awake and
watch” (Dhammapada, v. 181). The gods are transitory and ineffective in bringing about
salvation from the suffering of samsara. Individuals must seek salvation elsewhere. It is
to the Buddhas that they must go. They must listen to the Buddha, follow his teachings,
and commune with his followers. People must look for answers to the eternal in the
eternal. “All things indeed pass away, but the Buddhas are forever in Eternity” (v. 255).
Although the Buddhas were without souls (they were anatman) and were “extinquished”
in Nirvana, and though they were in truth only illusions in this world (v. 170; Lopez
2004, 460), the disciples of Buddha must nevertheless follow Buddha’s path if they are to
Christ was probably born around 6 B.C. in Judea with the name of Jesus of the tribe of
documents written twenty to sixty years after the events they describe) that Jesus was a
descendant of David, and that he was prophesied over before his birth (Luke 1–4). Before
Jesus was born, it was predicted that he would be “the Lord” (1:17, 43; 2:11), “the Son of
the Most High” (1:32), the eternal King of Israel (vv. 32–33, Matt. 2:2), born of a virgin
(1:18–25; Luke 1:34–35), “the Son of God” (v. 35), “a horn of salvation” (v. 69), the
Savior and Christ (2:11). At around the age of thirty Jesus began his public ministry after
having been baptized by his relative, John, in the Jordan River (3:21–23). As he was
being baptized “heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form
like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: ‘You are my Son, whom I love; with you I
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Jesus summed up the mission of his ministry when he read a passage of the Old
Testament in his hometown synagogue: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has
anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the
prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the
year of the Lord’s favor” (Isaiah 61:1–2; Luke 4:1–19). Jesus taught in the streets, on
hills, by the sea, from boats, in houses, in synagogues, and in the Temple in Jerusalem for
about three years. As he went about teaching, he healed many people, drove out demons,
and even brought dead people back to life. Many of the Jewish leaders were jealous of his
popularity and incited a mob against him in Jerusalem during Passover week. Jesus was
hung on a cross with the words “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are
doing” on his lips (23:34). His last words before he died were “Father, into your hands I
commit my spirit” (v. 46). Jesus’ story does not end there, however. Several days later,
Jesus rose from the dead and showed himself to his disciples over a period of forty days,
until he was caught up into heaven. Jesus appeared to more than 500 people after his
death, proving his resurrection (1 Cor. 15:6). Before he left to go back into heaven, Jesus
told his disciples to wait for the power of the Holy Spirit, which would enable them to be
ministers of his gospel “to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).
Ultimately, Christ (and his followers after him) sought to save the world from sin
and its effects. The Jewish scriptures had focused on God’s work in creating, sustaining
and saving the world, and on humanity’s sinfulness and estrangement from God. Now, in
Christ’s view of history, it was the Son of God who would bring salvation to the world
(John 3:16). The salvation that Jesus offered was spiritual rebirth (vv. 3–8), life-giving
renewal (4:14), and eternal communion with God (3:16; 14:2–3). Belief in Jesus allowed
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a person to cross “over from death to life” (5:24). Jesus taught that “all who are in their
graves will hear his voice and come out—those who have done good will rise to live, and
those who have done evil will rise to be condemned” (vv. 28–30). Jesus would not only
raise people from the dead at the final resurrection (11:24); he would also raise people
back from the dead in his own time on earth (vv. 43–44). Jesus’ power over death
extended even to his own person “because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on
him” (Acts 2:24; John 10:18). Through his death on the cross and resurrection from the
grave Jesus saved people from their sickness, bondage to spiritual powers, spiritual
Jesus’ ethics were based firmly in his eschatology (Schrage 1988, 24–25). In
Jesus’ preaching, the imminent coming of the kingdom of God fills a central role in
determining the actions of humans (37). The kingdom of God brings with it rewards and
God’s kingdom, and bad actions lead to divine punishment (28). Jesus is the person who
brings this new kingdom, and powerfully represents and preaches what human conduct
must look like. Jesus’ ethics are essentially Christocentric eschatology. The “clear
message” of Jesus’ ethics is theological and Christocentric, and is clear and concrete in
its application (81). Schrage affirms that in the synoptic Gospels ethical obedience has
“missionary implications” (145). For Mark, discipleship becomes the key concept of
Christian ethics. Christ-centered obedience and imitation mark the Christian life.
Matthew emphasizes a better righteousness, a new and more complete ethic than the Old
Testament could offer. This higher truth is based in Jesus’ admonitions and life. Luke
centers on the lives of prophets, apostles, and Jesus, presenting paradigms for Christian
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living based in Christocentric pneumatology (153). The Christian witness broadens as
disciples are made, as Christ’s righteousness is obeyed, and as humble servants follow
Jesus (and his disciples after him) affirmed that salvation is only possible through
Christ, the Son of God (John 3:16; 14:6; Acts 4:12). Belief in Jesus’ saving words and
actions is the same as belief in God the Father’s saving words and actions (John
14:9–11). Christian faith is thoroughly theocentric and Christocentric. Salvation from sin
and death comes only by the name of Jesus (2:38; 16:31) and by the power of God’s
Buddhists must follow and listen to the Buddha. But how can a person follow
someone whose pyschosomatic existence was a mere illusion, whose teachings are
speaks to one of his disciples and says that “those who saw me through form, those who
associated me with sound—they have engaged in a misguided effort. These people will
not see me. The Awakened One is to be seen from the doctrine; the Tathagata is the body
of doctrine; but indeed, the substance of the doctrine is not to be understood, nor is it
possible for it to be understood” (Lopez 2004, 460). The Buddhist scriptures (or more
particularly, the sutras, or sayings of Buddha) are not considered infallible, perfect, or
permanent, but are instead thought of as guides to personal experience of the four noble
truths, and are thus helpful in leading a person to the end of suffering (185–186). In the
end, it is not the Buddha, his teachings, or his followers that saves a person.
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Shortly following Buddha’s death conflicts arose over the role and teachings of
Buddha. At the present, there are two main groups within Buddhism—Mahayana and
Hinayana (Fisher 1999, 133). Most Buddhists in the world are Mahayana, a word that
means “The Greater Vehicle” (45). Mahayana are found in China, Japan, Vietnam, and
Korea (Hopfe 2005, 148). Within Mahayana Buddhism are several lesser subgroups,
among which are Tibetan Buddhism (in which advanced meditation practices and rituals
are performed to develop “inner qualities”), and Zen Buddhism (in which discipline and
meditation guided by a master help the student to find the “natural mind”) (Fisher 1999,
45). Mahayana are generally more liberal than Hinayana in their interpretations of
Theravada (meaning “Teaching of the Elders”) is the most dominant (among many other
subgroups) (44–45). Theravada are found in Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand, Cambodia, and
Laos, and are thought to mirror early Buddhism more closely than does Mahayana. Both
Theravada and Mahayana center on Buddha, his teaching, and the community of his
followers, but view Buddha and his mission in different ways. Mahayana Buddhists view
teacher and example. Mahayana Buddhists seek not only personal enlightenment, but
espoused (both models are present in both groups to some extent, further subdividing the
groups) (Lopez 2004, 505). In the recognition model, ignorance is suddenly dispelled
through an experience. People save themselves from within (by introspection). In the
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his or her own works. People save themselves from without (by action). These two
models are present in the two types of Theravada meditation: 1. Sammatta, intense
enlightenment. Indeed, the centrality of compassion in Buddhism comes out not only in
the sacred writings, but also in modern Buddhist social activism (Fisher 1999, 47). Fisher
points out that modern Buddhism looks beyond meditation and enlightenment to practical
and through “non-violently protesting genocide” (47). In Sri Lanka many Buddhists and
whereas in Mahayana they are savior figures who assist in the enlightenment of others
(Hopfe 2005, 137). Thus, those who are saved are to save others. However, in one
important Mahayana text (The Perfection of Wisdom), Buddha declares that a Bodhisattva
cannot think of leading other living beings to Nirvana, because “after having led living
beings thus to final Nirvana, there is no living being whatsoever who has been led to final
Nirvana,” presumably because individual “selves” are illusions, and thus cannot be saved
(Lopez 2004, 455). The nature of compassion for the Buddhist, then, ultimately consists
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The Followers of Christ
Christians must follow and listen to Christ. How can a person follow someone
who was God, who performed great miracles that validated his message, and who no
longer dwells physically on earth? Concerning Christ’s deity, Christian must remember
that although they are personally not gods, they are given a sympathetic example in
Christ, and “we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was
without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may
receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (Hebrews 4:15–16). Jesus
“did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant . . . he humbled himself and became obedient to
death—even death on a cross” (Phil. 2:6–7). Concerning Christ’s miracles, Jesus told his
disciples that “anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do
even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father” (John 14:12). Indeed,
the disciples received power from heaven on the day of Pentecost, and went on to
perform miracles like Christ (Acts 2:43; 3:6–7; 4:30; 9:34–43; 14:8–10; 20:10–12).
Concerning Christ’s physical absence from his disciples, Jesus promised to send God’s
Spirit to his disciples to guide them in the truth of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John
righteousness, and equipped for every good work by God-inspired Scripture (2 Tim.
3:16–17). “No prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation. For
prophecy never had its origins in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were
carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:20–21). Christians are able to read eyewitness
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accounts of Jesus’ life, words, and actions in the gospels (1:16; Luke 1:2). Thus, by the
In the centuries following Christ’s death conflicts arose over the role and
in the many variations of Christianity extent today. Several broad (and sometimes
churches (i.e. Protestants, such as Evangelicals and fundamentalists). Within these broad
Traditional/authoritarian churches are found mainly in North and South America and
earth, particularly in Asia, Africa, and North and South America. Both
teaching, and the community of believers, but view Biblical interpretation, the role of the
churches.
salvation are espoused (both models are present in both groups to some extent, further
subdividing the groups). In the “born again” or “grace” model, persons come into contact
with the good news of Christ’s free gift of salvation and believe in Christ, accepting him
as their Lord and Savior. People are saved immediately by believing in Christ and his
work on the cross, are sanctified by Christ’s Spirit in them, and are transformed into
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Christ’s image after they are resurrected from the dead. In the “works” model, persons
come into contact with Christianity and seek to conform their lives to Christ’s (or more
often, the church’s) example. People are saved gradually by working their way to heaven.
All that is required is to be a good person and follow the church’s man-made rules and/or
traditions. The “works” model is very rarely found in any church’s official doctrines (the
enterprise. Christ calls for Christians to accept God’s love for them in Christ and share
that love with other people (John 15:12). The centrality of compassion in Christianity
comes out not only in the sacred writings, but also in modern Christian social activism.
The salvation that Christ brought was not only spiritual, but was physical and socio-
economic as well. All over the world Christians are involved in community-building
efforts. Christians feed the hungry, clothe the naked, heal the sick, deliver the demon-
possessed, and give gifts to the poor. According to the “born again” model of salvation,
these practical good works are the supernatural outflow of God’s work in individuals and
communities. According to the “works” model, these works are not merely fruits of
as “saints,” and may perform key functions in practical and spiritual salvation for those
who pray to them. In the Bibliocentric churches, ideal Christians are called Christians. A
non-ideal Christian is not a Christian at all. In the New Testament, every Christian was
considered a “saint” (holy one) because all Christians have accepted Christ’s holiness as
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their own. According to The Gospel of Jesus Christ: An Evangelical Celebration, a
document setting out the fundamentals of modern Evangelical faith and signed in
agreement by such notable Christian leaders as J. I. Packer, Lee Strobel, Billy Graham,
Chuck Colson, Charles Swindoll, Ravi Zacharias, Thomas E. Trask, Pat Robertson, and
Bill Bright, “Salvation in its full sense is from the guilt of sin in the past, the power of sin
in the present, and the presence of sin in the future” (qtd. in Akers, Armstrong, and
Woodbridge 2000, 243). Within the Bibliocentric churches all Christians are exhorted to
live exemplary lives and be living witnesses to unbelievers around them. Christians are to
The natural world cannot reveal the ultimate truths to a person. A person must
find his or her path within (Dhammapada, vv. 254–255). Buddha said that “It is you who
must make the effort. The Great of the past only show the way” (v. 275). Buddha cannot
save his followers (only they can save themselves). The gods cannot save Buddha’s
followers. Buddha accepted the power of the Hindu gods, but denied their efficacy in
bringing humans salvation, which downplayed their ultimate significance. The only clear
path that leads a person to transcend sorrow is to be personally enlightened to the truths
must analyze his or her own sins, but not contemplate other’s wrongdoings
(Dhammapada, v. 50). The person who does evil suffers in this world and in the next
world (v. 15), “but the greatest of all sins is indeed the sin of ignorance. Throw this sin
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away, O man, and become pure from sin” (v. 243). Thus, knowledge is the key to
liberation, and knowledge comes through experience and meditation. But must a person
merely be personally enlightened to the unreality of the world and be detached from
everything in order to be set free from the bondage of this illusory cage of existence?
Confession of belief and “enlightened” wisdom are not enough. “If a man speaks
many holy words but he speaks and does not, this thoughtless man cannot enjoy the life
of holiness” (Dhammapada, v. 19). Buddha sums up his teachings as “Do not what is
evil. Do what is good. Keep your mind pure” (v. 183). Enlightenment and action go hand
in hand; even the substance of the eightfold path is an acknowledgment of this truth. But
in order to do what is right and not do what is wrong, a person must know what is right,
and what is wrong. A sin, according to Buddha, is an action that a person has to repent of
(v. 67). Where does such evil action arise? “Any wrong or evil a man does, is born in
himself and is caused by himself; and this crushes the foolish man as a hard stone grinds
the weaker stone” (v. 161). Humans are the root of their own evil. If people sin, they are
the only ones responsible for their sins. For Buddhists there is no such thing as a “small
sin.” A little evil at a time builds up eventually into great evil. Therefore, all evil and sin
must be avoided (v. 121). Buddhists are called to love in a world of hate, to be healthy in
a world of illness, and to have peace in a world of struggle (vv. 197–199). They are called
to go beyond pleasure and pain, because these things are transient (vv. 209, 216). They
must go “upstream” against passions and worldly life (v. 218). Doing good works is
contagious, and the effects of virtue are potentially universal (v. 54).
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What is Buddhist purity from sin supposed to look like in practical living? The
five rules of moral conduct for lay Buddhists are: 1. do not kill, 2. do not steal, 3. do not
lie, 4. do not commit adultery, and 5. do not get drunk (Hopfe 2005, 131). Angry and
hurtful words, actions, and thoughts are all wrong even toward those who hate you
eat moderately, live alone in a room, and have no sex. The mind is kept pure through
Priests or monks are given similar rules of conduct. They should not return evil
for evil (Dhammapada, v. 389). They should be “tolerant to the the intolerant, peaceful to
the violent, free from greed with the greedy,” and should not kill or hurt any living being
(v. 405–406). Some of the most significant rules of conduct for Buddhists monks are:
1. do not kill (be compassionate), 2. do not steal (be content), 3. do not have sex (be self-
disciplined), 4. do not lie (be truthful), 5. do not slander (be a peacemaker), 6. do not be
speech) (Thomas 1935, 47). In addition to these rules concerning actions and words,
monks are told not to injure seeds or plants, not to eat at improper times, not to
participate in or watch others participate in dancing, singing, music, or shows. Monks are
not to use adornments or perfumes, not to sleep in large beds, not to accept gifts of gold,
silver, raw grain or meats, women, girls, slaves, livestock, or land. Monks should never
go on errands or take messages, or buy or sell material objects. Monks should not cheat,
cut, kill, bind, rob, pillage, or be violent to other people (Hopfe 2005, 131).
The wages of sin is karma, death, and rebirth in hell. “When a fool does evil
work, he forgets that he is lighting a fire wherein he must burn one day” (Dhammapada,
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v. 136). There are no places a person can go to escape from evil actions or death (vv.
127–128). The effects of purity or sin are not necessarily apparent at first, but if a person
is patient he or she will receive the fruit of their actions (whether good or bad) (vv. 119–
120). “Some people are born on this earth; those who do evil are reborn in hell; the
righteous go to heaven; but those who are pure reach Nirvana” (v. 126). The liar (v. 306),
the evil man (v. 307), the hypocrite (v. 307), the adulterer (vv. 309–310), the person who
imperfectly lives an ascetic life (v. 311), and “those who carelessly allow their life to pass
by” are all on the path of hell and are going to suffer in hell in future lives (v. 315).
Christian Grace
The natural world can reveal many ultimate truths to people, such as “God’s
invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature” (Rom. 1:18–20), but only
through Christ can a person find salvation (Acts 17:30–31). God’s love is the force
behind the salvation that he offers (John 3:16; Rom. 5:8). Everyone is a sinner (Rom.
3:23). “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our
Lord” (Rom. 6:23). People must repent of their sins (2:38; 17:31), believe in the Lord
Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection (16:31), and carry their “crosses,” give up everything
they have, and follow Christ (Luke 14:25–33). The person who refuses to repent and
believe is condemned by God, and will “perish” in hell (John 3:16–18; Rev. 20:15; 21:8).
Belief and repentance are important keys to salvation. While salvation is a personal
choice that must be made, Christians are also chosen and predestined by God for
salvation (Eph. 1:11–14). But must a person merely believe in their heart in Jesus and
confess with their mouths that God raised him from the dead to be saved (Rom. 10:9)? Is
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salvation merely a gift to be accepted? Yes, God’s grace is completely free, “not by
works, so that no one can boast” (Eph. 2:9). That is why it is called “Good News.”
Christian Action
God’s grace in Christ is costly, not cheap. It is not a self-given grace (people do
not earn it). Neither is it a grace that costs people nothing. True Grace is costly because it
cost God his only Son, and it costs Christians their lives just as it cost Jesus his life
(Bonhoeffer 1959, 46–47). “Costly grace is the Incarnation of God” (48). Discipleship
and grace go hand in hand (49). While Christian salvation is a free gift, and is not earned,
Christ has made Christians “God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good
works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Eph. 2:10). Christians must not
merely call Jesus “Lord”—they must do what Christ says. “The aim of the Christian life
is to produce those good works which God demands” (Bonhoeffer 1959, 334). Christians
are to love their enemies (Matt. 5:43–48), and forgive those who sin against them (6:12–
15). However, Christianity is not about following rules. As Paul eloquently states:
Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as
though you still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules: “Do not handle!
Do not taste! Do not touch!”? These are all destined to perish with use,
worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but
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Paul goes on to challenge Christians: “Set your heart on things above, not on earthly
things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God . . . . Put to death,
therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil
desires and greed, which is idolatry” (Col. 3:2–3, 5). Why should Christians not love the
world or anything in the world? “The world and its desires pass away, but the man who
Love is the greatest virtue (Col. 3:14). God is love, and showed us his love
through the gift of salvation in his Son (1 John 4:7–9). God’s love paid for humanity’s
sins through Christ (v. 10). God pours his own love into people so that they can love one
another (vv. 11–12). Spiritual gifts, knowledge, faith, giving to the poor, and martyrdom
are all vain enterprises without love (1 Cor. 13:1–3). Love is patient and kind (v. 4). It is
not envious, boastful, proud, rude, self-seeking, or easily angered (vv. 4–5). Love always
protects, trusts, hopes, and perseveres (v. 7). Love for God must outweigh love for one’s
own family or self (Matt. 10:34–39). Jesus affirmed that loving God with all your heart,
strength and mind and loving your neighbor as yourself were the way to true life (Luke
10:27–28). But this love is only possible after a person has accepted God’s love and
forgiveness for them (7:44–47; 1 John 2:5; 4:7–8). On the other hand, those who refuse to
accept God’s gift in Christ are on the path of hell. “The cowardly, the unbelieving, the
vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and
all liars—their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur” (Rev. 21:8).
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Amazing What?
How can there be laughter, how can there be pleasure, when the whole
world is burning? When you are in deep darkness, will you not ask for a
Buddha says that “by oneself the evil is done, and it is oneself who suffers: by oneself the
evil is not done, and by one’s Self one becomes pure. The pure and the impure come
from oneself: no man can purify another” (v. 165). People are the cause of their own grief
and suffering. No one can save another person—that is the work of each individual self
(though the existence of a real “self” is denied by Buddha). People must save themselves
by their own works, but there is no true self to do the saving, and no real self to be saved.
Jesus taught that unless people were completely righteous, they could not enter
the kingdom of heaven (Matt. 5:20, 48). A good man stores good in his heart and bears
good fruit, while an evil man stores evil in his heart and bears bad fruit (Luke 6:43–45).
Good and bad actions come from the heart. It is the heart that must be changed, not
merely the outward actions. Salvation is a matter of receiving a new heart. Buddha is in
accord with Christianity when he taught that “it is impossible for the blood of bulls and
goats to take away sins” (Heb. 10:4). But Christianity affirms that “without the shedding
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of blood there is no forgiveness” (9:22). Jesus paid for humanity’s sins by sacrificing his
own blood and body to pay humanity’s debt (v. 14). Jesus showed the world the greatest
kind of love—love that sacrifices itself for others (John 15:13). “Christ is the end of the
law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes” (Rom. 10:4).
“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Joel 2:32; Acts 2:21; Rom.
10:13). Individual persons will be saved from death, decay, and sin, to live with God
Buddha taught that the path of truth is narrow, and that most people miss it. “Few
cross the river of time and are able to reach Nirvana. Most of them run up and down only
on this side of the river” (v. 85). Jesus said “Make every effort to enter through the
narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to” (Luke
13:24). There will be many people in hell who think that they deserve heaven (vv. 25–30;
Matt. 25). In Buddhism, a person can “fall” from enlightment. Such a person “was free
individuals can choose to turn their backs on their Creator and Redeemer (Heb. 6:4–12),
Buddha taught that there is no real “self,” no ultimate personal God, and no way
to escape suffering outside of one’s personal actions (Zacharias 2001, 70). Jesus taught
that we have truly responsible “selves,” that there is an all-powerful God who came to
free people from their prison of sin, and that all people have to do to escape (not just from
suffering, but from sin and its wages, i.e. death) is to believe in what Jesus did for
humanity and follow him with the power of his Spirit and grace. Buddha claimed to be
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human suffering, human sin, the human debt of sin (karma), and human ignorance, and
taught humans to disattach themselves from suffering, sin, debt, and ignorance, in order
to be enlightened and dissolve into emptiness. Jesus became a human, entered into human
suffering, debt, and fallenness, and redeemed humanity from the curse of sin in order to
commune with humans and give humans eternal life with God. The major difference
between Buddha’s and Christ’s soteriology is the difference between “Amazing Non-self
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REFERENCE LIST
Akers, John N., John H. Armstrong, and John D. Woodbridge, Eds. 2000. This We
Believe: The Good News of Jesus Christ for the World. Grand Rapids, MI:
Zondervan.
Fisher, Mary Pat. 1999. Religion in the Twenty-first Century. Upper Saddle River, NJ:
Pearson.
Hopfe, Lewis M. and Mark R. Woodward. 2005. Religions of the World, 9th ed.: Media
and Research Update. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
Lopez, Donald S., Jr., Ed. 2004. Buddhist Scriptures. New York: Penguin Books.
Mascaro, Juan, trans. 1973. The Dhammapada. New York: Penguin Books.
Schrage, Wolfgang. 1988. The Ethics of the New Testament. Translated by David E.
Green. Philadelphia: Fortress.
Zacharias, Ravi. 2001. The Lotus and the Cross: Jesus Talks with Buddha. Sisters, OR:
Multnoma.
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