Hinduism Has No "Therefores"

I just read this passage in a sermon by John Piper on Romans 12:1-2. He is addressing Paul's statement therefore to offer our bodies as living sacrifices.

Here is what Piper has to say:

Hinduism Has No “Therefores”

This may seem obvious to you. I hope so. But for millions it is not. For example, contrast Hinduism, the religion of hundreds of millions mainly in India. I just read an article this past week by Herbert Hoefer. He wrote:

The proper name of “Hinduism” is “Sanatana Dharma” or ‘the eternal way of life.’ You can have whatever beliefs you like, but you are expected to live out “dharma.” Your religion is expected to participate in the values and customs and organization of society. . . . If a Hindu finds you to be a person of character and propriety, it does not matter to him that much if you have differing theological beliefs. What matters first and foremost is that you are a person of dharma. . . . Within Hinduism itself, one can identify hundreds of different religious traditions. -Herbert Hoefer

You can see that Paul’s view of life and the Hindu view of life at this point are radically different. Hinduism does not teach 11 chapters of clear, objective, historical, and spiritual truth about the nature of God, and then say, therefore live the way these truths demand. No, in Hinduism what your objective beliefs are about God are not essential. The Hindu way of life, the dharma, is not preceded by a great therefore rooted in objective truth. There is a whole biblical worldview in this little word, “therefore.” I plead with you to think about it, and embrace it, and to build your life on the great Gospel truths of Romans 1-11—the mercy of God revealed in Jesus Christ.