Gambling #3

Is Gambling a Sin?

            I have noticed through the years that many Christian people are just not convinced that gambling is a sin. This is one of those topics that many people find difficult to study for themselves. You will not find a verse in the Bible where it is clearly stated, “Thou Shalt Not Gamble”. You won’t find gambling named in the verses where groups of sins are listed, and the few verses we have that reference “casting lots” are not described as sin. Most people will need a Bible teacher to help them with this understanding and decision. It is common for teachers to condemn gambling as a sin on the grounds that it involves greed, covetousness, and a mindset of getting something for nothing. But I see a great number of people reject these explanations and refuse to believe that they apply to their motives. If this is you, I would request that you consider another explanation of why gambling is a sin.

            Immoral Associations

            As a boy, I understood that there were many families who were being hurt and kept in poverty by the action of the parents. Even at that young age I could see that some of the families I knew were being hurt by the immoral places the parents hung out and the immoral activities they were engaged in. Some of these people were drawn to the back rooms and joints where the beer flowed and the gambling was common. Not to mention the other immoral activities that went along with it. In these places gambling and alcohol went together with other immoral activities.

            And even as a boy I saw gambling as being bad because of the things it created with the families. A person can be caught up in a gambling game and before he knows it the money he had to support his family is gone. There is ego involved as to how someone thinks he looks in front of his peers and crony’s, and he may keep betting and playing until all the money for his family is squandered. When this happens, he cannot always bring himself to stop until all is lost, even things needed for the survival of his own children.

            Also, with this comes the element of addiction. Some personalities are easily addicted to gambling. To some people gambling is like a drug. They just cannot stop. We know that this type gambling is a sin because of 1 Cor. 6:12.

                    ¹² All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any. 

            This is not trying to say that sinful things are lawful. This is not the context of this verse. What it is saying is that it is sinful to be “under the power” or addicted to anything.

            Today the gambling industry fully understands the personalities of those people they want to entice into gambling. They don’t even try to hide the odds and fully explain that you cannot win and beat the house, and yet people gamble anyway. The thrill is there even when the gambler is winning or losing.  There is that addictive quality about this thrill and there will be some who cannot step away from it. And in the major casinos, there will be the other sinful activities available as there always are. Alcohol will be plentiful and sometimes free and the shows and the crowd will be there to tempt you to sin in many other ways.

            But you might say, what is the harm if I gamble and don’t go to these places and I don’t spend money that is needed by my family? And I would answer like this:

            What do the pillars of your church have to say about gambling? What do your church leaders say? Do they support you in this or are they against it? If you engage in gambling, will it be against their convictions? Would you announce your intentions to gamble to your church congregation? Would you be rebellious against the convictions of your church friends and leaders if you gambled anyway? Do you think this would be a good thing to do? I would dare say that your gambling in spite of this would be a rebellious act that would go against the leaders of your church congregation.

            And would your gambling cause some other person to follow you and do the same? Is there any way for you to be sure that this person would not become addicted to gambling and ruin their life? Would that person ever abuse their family with their gambling? If that were to happen, do you think you would have any part in their sinful behavior? I feel sure we all know the answer to these questions.

            Some churches have raffles and raise money for the church or for charities this way. And Governments prey on a citizen’s desire for gambling and raise money by using lotteries and alcohol sales. But we know that the proper way for a Government to raise money is by taxes and the proper way for a church to raise money is by free will offerings by the members. We are to “give as we have been prospered on the first day of the week” (Paraphrased)

            But what about punch boards and raffles and contests that require the player to pay a fee to play in order to win a prize?

            I think no one can disqualify these activities from being in the same category as all other types of gambling. You might try to make the case that they are on a more harmless scale for the player, but they are still the same basic thing. I would suggest that we need to apply the same basic rules and the same litmus test to these activities as we do to any type of gambling.

            1. Would this influence anyone to become associated with gambling and hurt their lives                                and their families?

            2. Could this ever lead someone to addiction because of a “harmless game”?

            3. What would the church leaders say about this?

            4. Would you have to rebel against your church to participate?

            Romans 14 tells us that any activity is a sin that is stubbornly participated in that causes another brother to stumble.

            There are many other reasons not to gamble. But if you have rejected them, I ask you to consider the logic in what I have said.

Carl O. Cooper