Gambling and the Bible
Author: Steve Amato
Description: Should Christians be Fun Fanatics?
Keywords: bible study,bible, fun, fanatic, pleasure

# Gambling

Most of life involves taking chances to one degree or another.

> Ec 9:11 I returned and saw under the sun that—The race is not to the swift, Nor the battle to the strong, Nor bread to the wise, Nor riches to men of understanding, Nor favor to men of skill; But time and chance happen to them all.

Not everyone acknowledges tha few circumstances in our life are predictable.

> Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money. Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow." Jam 4:13-14a

There's a certain false security about presuming circumstances are predictable, but we become disillusioned about that as we age.
But concerning gambling, what is it? For example how might playing black jack differ from investing in a stock? Or is buy stocks gambling? Furthermore isn't it a gamble to go into business? Yes, virtually everything in life is a gamble to one degree or another.
For good reason the Bible doesn't talk about "gambling" explicitly. Rather the importan thing it speaks of is exercising wisdom based upon knowledge in all our decisions.
In any decision there's the issue of risk versus reward. Lottery tickets are a foolish investment, for example. For while the payout sounds big, the odds are so low that you would have to invest more than the payout just to get even odds of getting a payout. You ge better odds than that from gambling casinos, and still those are foolish investments. For once again the risk/return is no in your favor. Stocks are a better investment, but risk is still involved.
But why take unnecessary risks to begin with? Typically it's because of greed. Greed makes people want to get rich quickly, but the Bible says, "An inheritance quickly gained at the beginning will not be blessed at the end." Pr 20:21 And here's some other things the Bible says:

> Pr 23:4 Do not wear yourself out to get rich; have the wisdom to show restraint.
> Pr 28:20 A faithful man will be richly blessed, bu one eager to get rich will not go unpunished.
> Pr 28:22 A stingy man is eager to get rich and is unaware that poverty awaits him.
> 1Ti 6:9 People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction.

So what's the point of taking unnecessary financial risks? But hard work generally pays off. "All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty." Pr 14:23
Finally, "Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody." 1Th 4:11,12

The Berean Christian Bible Study Resources