I don’t doubt your sincerity — but have you ever asked yourself exactly why you believe in this idea (which is called reincarnation)?

Perhaps you’d reply that it’s because of the influence of some friends of yours, or because of some celebrity who accepts it. Or perhaps you have been attracted to one of the non-Christian religions or philosophies that believe in reincarnation. But I suspect there is a deeper reason why you believe in reincarnation: Down inside you know you aren’t perfect, and you fear what might happen to you after death if you aren’t perfect. Reincarnation seems to you to provide an answer to this dilemma.

But in reality it doesn’t — because what reason do you have for thinking you’ll be any better in another life than you’ve been in this one? The answer is — you don’t. The problem is within ourselves — within our own hearts and minds. Until our hearts are changed, we’ll never be any better than we are right now.

This is why we need Christ, for He came to cleanse us of all our sins, and by His resurrection He destroyed death’s power over us. The Bible says, “Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people” (Hebrews 9:27-28). He alone is our hope — and He can be yours as well.