If we know what we “should” do, we should “just do it,” and then we will have cured the problem of our waywardness or karma. But sadly this is not true! The tragic consequences of evil are visible all around us, all over the world, in every community.
Yet it is equally tragic when we deny that human beings do not have a wayward nature. It is human beings who commit moral evil. Why deny it? The denial of the problem is not a solution! Our fallen nature (Rom. 7:5) has a passion for things that are not good for us. We have a liking for doing unhelpful things, as well as sometimes doing downright destructive things.
It gets worse. Not only do we have a passion for doing those things that are against the law, but the law itself arouses in us a passion to do the very thing we shouldn’t do! (Rom. 7:5, 8–10).
When people break the moral law, they have three very predictable responses: guilt (condemnation), anger (rebellion), and fear.
If we just tell people to do right and don’t give the whole gospel, we reap results we are not looking for: failure and bad feelings.
While the moral law or karma and all of our versions of it cannot help, Jesus can. He replaces living by the law with living by the Spirit. This is the answer to all the problems sin or karma can ever throw at us. We are set free from the condemnation and bondage of the frailty of our fallen nature by the gospel of Jesus Christ. That’s why Jesus called people to repentance and belief in the gospel of God’s love.
God created us because of His love. When we went astray and were guilty of our wayward behaviour, He incarnated to be an atoning sacrifice for our sins or karma because He loves. He draws us out of bondage and into freedom so that we can love God and one another.