Karmic Retribution (Inkwa Eungbo)

Definition and Meaning

The Korean term inkwa eungbo (因果應報) means that a fitting requital (應報) follows from cause (因) and effect (果). It originally served in Buddhism to explain the relationship between actions and their consequences. In present-day Korean, it is widely used as an everyday expression meaning "you reap what you sow," regardless of religious affiliation.

Christians use the term in two senses. The first is the biblical teaching that God repays people according to their deeds. The second is a way of thinking that applies this principle mechanically to individual suffering. Many theologians distinguish the two, noting that whereas Buddhist karmic retribution is an impersonal law, Scripture identifies the one who repays as the personal God.

Biblical and Historical Background

The Old Testament teaches in many places that obedience brings blessing and disobedience brings a curse (Deuteronomy 28; Psalm 1). Proverbs likewise contrasts the prosperity of the righteous with the ruin of the wicked. The New Testament also declares, "whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap" (Galatians 6:7). It further teaches that God "will render to every man according to his deeds" (Romans 2:6), and that this recompense will be brought to completion at the Last Judgment.

At the same time, Scripture contains passages that warn against applying this principle directly to particular instances of suffering.

• In the Book of Job, Job's three friends interpret his suffering as the result of his sin. God, however, rebukes them for not speaking what is right (Job 42:7).
• Ezekiel 18 rejects the proverb that children are punished for the sins of their ancestors and emphasizes individual responsibility.
• In John 9, the disciples ask whose sin caused a man to be born blind. Jesus answers that it was neither the man's sin nor his parents'.
• Ecclesiastes and Psalm 73 wrestle with the reality that the wicked prosper.

Christian theology also describes salvation by grace as not receiving what one rightly deserves. For this reason, it holds that recompense according to works cannot by itself fully account for the relationship between God and humanity.

Practice in the Korean Church

In Korean preaching, the phrase "you reap what you sow" is frequently cited to encourage faithful Christian living, service, and giving. At the same time, the tendency to attribute illness, accidents, or failure to the sufferer's sin or lack of faith has repeatedly been identified as a problem in pastoral ministry. This issue also intersects with debates over prosperity theology and generational curse teaching.

Denominations do not differ clearly in their formally stated positions on this subject; rather, their emphases differ.

• The Reformed tradition, including Presbyterians, emphasizes God's sovereignty and providence and cautions against interpretations that mechanically link actions with outcomes.
• The Wesleyan tradition, including Methodist and Holiness churches, emphasizes repentance and sanctification and stresses a life in which believers take responsibility for their actions.
• The Pentecostal tradition, including Full Gospel churches, has emphasized a message of blessing that links faith with blessing. Critics describe this as gibok, that is, excessively focused on seeking blessings. Those within the tradition, however, explain that the message proclaims the restoration not only of the soul but of the whole of life.