Is Gambling A Sin?

Is it sin to gamble? What does the Bible say about gambling? Is it permissible for Christians to gamble?

The Bible on Gambling

Actually the Bible does not strictly say “You shall not gamble” but there is more to it than this. The Bible doesn’t say “You shall not rob banks” either but we know this is true because “You shall not steal” is a command from God so what do we do when the Bible is silent on something specific? The Bible cannot possibly cover every single human activity because the Bible would have to be gigantic so we have to use the Bible as a guide and that guide is the Ten Commandments like “You shall not covet” (Ex 20:17) which shows that we can covet almost anything at all. Since we know coveting is sin, what about gambling? Is that coveting money?

The Love of Money

The Bible clearly says the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil (1st Tim 6:10). It is not money that is the root of all kinds of evil…it is the love of money that is at the root of evil because “It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs” (1st Tim 6:10b). Loving money more than God is idolatry which is why the author of Hebrews warns us “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content” (Heb 13:5). The desire for money can be very subtle and can easily capture our hearts without us even knowing it. Money can take the place of God and become a god in a person’s life because money can take care of all of their needs, it can provide for everything they want, and it can lesson a person’s reliance on God.

Fun or Fortune

The issue is in the heart and not in the letter of the law because some people come determined to only spend a certain amount of money for fun to gamble with. The “scratch and win” or playing penny ante poker is not what the real problem with gambling is but it is when someone gambles and spend money on gambling that takes money away from their family needs or even their own personal needs just so that they can win a larger amount of money. Solomon wrote “Wealth gained hastily will dwindle, but whoever gathers little by little will increase it” (Prov 13:11) so “Do not toil to acquire wealth; be discerning enough to desist” (Prov 23:5). If all we do is to desire more money, we’re more susceptible to gambling addictions.

The Fruit of Gambling

There is a lot of fruit that is borne as a result of gambling. The fruits are bankruptcy, divorce, spousal abuse, drug abuse, stealing, and other such fruits of the flesh. Paul said “I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content” (Phil 4:11) so contentment did not come naturally to Paul any more than it does to us. He had to learn how to be content with very little. Paul also wrote that “godliness with contentment is great gain” (1st Tim 6:6) and so “if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that” (1st Tim 6:8) or at least we should be. We have no need to stress over money because “God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work” (2nd Cor 9:6).

Conclusion

Is gambling a sin? If a person feels conviction over gambling, then by all means don’t do it because “He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income” (Eccl 5:10). None of us “can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money” (Matt 6:24). Who do you serve? Is it God or money? You serve that which you worship the most and pursue the most and it can be money, a car, your family, your spouse, your job, your positon or any other number of things but God commands us “You shall have no other gods before me” (Ex 20:3) and that includes worshiping money and pursuing it at all costs.

Article by Jack Wellman

Jack Wellman is Pastor of the Mulvane Brethren church in Mulvane Kansas. Jack is also the Senior Writer at What Christians Want To Know whose mission is to equip, encourage, and energize Christians and to address questions about the believer’s daily walk with God and the Bible. You can follow Jack on Google Plus or check out his book Teaching Children the Gospel available on Amazon.