Theology

This Buddhist Leader’s Favorite Bible Verse

Why Budh Sharan Hans loves Colossians 3:23-24.

Christianity Today December 21, 2023
Illustration by Christianity Today / Source Images: Getty

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.(Col. 3:23–24)

I love the concept of service in the Christian community—of being kind to each other: “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God has forgiven you” (Eph. 4:32); honoring each other: “Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves” (Rom. 12:10); and serving one another: “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others” (1 Pet. 4:10).

It’s like what Buddha said; “Good work will stay; bad work will not stay.”

The service performed by Christians toward humankind is not motivated by punishment from God, but by their love for God and because they want to obey his commands.

Budh Sharan Hans, is a prominent Dalitbahujan (a leading Dalit movement) thinker and social activist from Patna, Bihar. A winner of the Ambedkar National Award that honors work with India’s marginalized, he challenges mainline Hinduism’s understanding of the caste system through public speaking and writing, including his magazine, Ambedkar Mission.

Read more about this series in the lead article, We Asked Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Jain, and Bahá’í Leaders to Pick Their Favorite Bible Verses. (Other articles in this special series are listed to the right on desktop or below on mobile.)

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