“Mama Needs A New Pair Of Shoes”

Thursday, August 30, 2012

Is gambling wrong?  If so, is it only wrong when money is the prize?  What about seemingly innocuous things like raffles and cake-walks?

Sincerely,
High Roller

Dear High Roller,

The Bible never specifically mentions gambling as a sin, but gambling is wrong for several major reasons.

1. Gambling focuses around money and greed.  God warns us clearly about being fixated with money (1 Tim 6:10, Heb 13:5).  God wants us to be satisfied with our income (Eccl 5:10).
2. Gambling is used as a means to gain money without working for it.  God finds pleasure in people working for their money (2 Thess 3:10-12, Pr 10:4).
3. Gambling wastes money because, ultimately, the house does always win.  God expects us to be good stewards (1 Cor 4:2) and save for the future (Pr 6:6-8).
4. Gambling and the places where gambling occurs are often associated with other sinful things.  There is a reason Las Vegas is called “Sin City”.  That industry is not one that a christian should be supporting (2 Cor 6:16-17).
5. Gambling is addictive.  We can only have one master (Lk 16:13).

All of these things deal with what is normally thought of as gambling.  Things like school raffles, cake-walks, penny-ante card games among friends, etc. fall into a grayer area.  So whenever considering these activities, use wisdom in comparing them to the concepts listed above.

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