The primary teaching of Buddha is to address a problem that lies at the heart of human existence - suffering (dukkha 苦). "Life is dukkha." Buddha seeked to answer this question, "Why does dukkha exist?"
The answer Buddha gave was the Four Noble Truths (四諦). The First Noble Truth is the axiom (a self-evident truth that requires no proof) that Buddha expect you to accept without question - dukkha exists. The Second Noble Truth reveals the cause of dukkha - tanha (thirst/cravings/desire/集). The Third Noble Truth prescribes the cure - nirvana (cessation 滅). The Fourth Noble Truth tells you how to achieve nirvana - by following the eight-fold paths (道).
Dukkha is self-evident. The Apostle Paul wrote, "For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now (Romans 8:22 NASB)." But is the cause of dukkha tanha (craving)? Is tanha the cause of dukkha or did dukkha cause tanha to become bad? A desire (tanha) can be good. The Bible tells us that there are good things to be desired. "Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things (Philippians 4:8 NASB)." But the problem is that we do not always do what is good. In fact, we like to do what is bad. "For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. (Romans 7:15 NASB) but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members. (Romans 7:23 NASB)" So is it sin that cause dukkha and bad tanha? Let us now look at the alternative cause of dukkha as presented in the Bible.
The Bible explicitly tells us that suffering is caused by God's curse on the whole creation because of Man's sin of disobedience. "Then to Adam He said, "Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, 'You shall not eat from it'; Cursed is the ground because of you; in toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you; and you will eat the plants of the field; by the sweat of your face you will eat bread, till you return to the ground, because from it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return." (Genesis 3:17-19 NASB)" and "Against its will, all creation was subjected to God's curse. (Romans 8:20 NLT)" So dukkha is caused by sin.
Sin has a moral and judicial dimension. All who sinned must be punished. "For the wages of sin is death, (Romans 6:23 NASB)" All human beings since Adam had died. This is the effect of sin. But the same God also provide for the deliverance from sin, death and dukkha. So how does God reconcile mercy with justice?
God does so by taking the punishment of sin on our behalf. Apostle Paul wrote, "I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said. He was seen by Peter and then by the Twelve. After that, he was seen by more than 500 of his followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. (1 Corinthians 15:3-6 NLT)" "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16 KJV)" Sin cause dukkha and death for all men, "but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23 NASB)"
While the First Noble Truth may be a self-evident fact, the Bible disagrees with Buddha on the Second Noble Truth and the cause of dukkha. Dukkha is not caused by desire or craving, but by sin. The different analysis lead to different solutions. Is this different path to the same goal? No. The goal is different. The assumption behind the solution is different. If one is true, the other must be false.
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