(extracted from The Facts on Hinduism in America)
Hinduism defines salvation as 1) the realization of our own Godhood, 2) the progressive “working out” of that realization throughout our life, and 3) the final merging with—a complete dissolution into—the impersonal God Brahman. This process may require millions of lifetimes as we strive to earn our own salvation by working off our “karma” (“unenlightened” thoughts and actions) in accordance with Hindu requirements.
For example, Hinduism teaches that all men and women are now living in great delusion. They think this world is ultimately real when it is only a dream. This delusion leads them into false perceptions, harmful ideas, and destructive ways of living—in other words, to adding more and more “karma” to one’s life. Hinduism thus seeks to save them from this great deception.
The goal of Hindu salvation is therefore an alleged “enlightenment”—a denial of the world as it is and the “realization” of spiritual reality as Hinduism defines it. As we have seen, a key part of that realization is that the world is an illusion and that in our true nature we are God.
But if one is already God, then to seek a God outside oneself is foolish and spiritually destructive. One must turn inward, not outward. This is why Rajneesh teaches, “The greatest deception is the deception of devotion to God.”[1] In other words, men and women must be devoted to themselves, for they are God inwardly; they must not be devoted to an independent Creator God, a false idol they think exists apart from them. According to Hinduism, this will only damage them spiritually.
The Bible teaches something entirely different about salvation. It teaches that men and women are sinful and require redemption (forgiveness of sins), not so-called “enlightenment.” If any person’s sins are not forgiven in this life, he will pay the divine penalty and judgment on his sins after death—eternal separation from God. This is why Jesus Christ came to earth. At the cross, Jesus was judged by God in our place (1 Peter 2:23; 1 John 2:2). God did this because He loves us and does not desire that anyone perish.
In Christianity, salvation is a free gift that God offers all people who will confess their sinfulness before Him, acknowledge that Christ died for their sins on the cross, and then receive Christ as their personal Savior: “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23). “To all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God...” (John 1:12). “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).