Where in the bible does it say gambling is a sin?
Question by madisontaylor: Where in the bible does it say gambling is a sin?
I was wondering becasue our family puts in five dollars each week for lottery tickets.
And people say that gambling is a sin.. but its not like IF we ever won, it would change us. Becasue with or without the money we are still family and money wont ever get in our way. But if we did ever win a huge amount of money, is that bad? As long as you use it for good and not bad. And besides all the money you spend on the tickets is going to education anyway. And thats good.
Does anyone have an answer.. I need you opinion?
Thanks!
Answer by mou
Money becomes your god instead of God being your God. If you believe in God, you trust that He will provide. But if you have limited trust in God, then you do it your way by gambling. Sin simply means turning your back against God and doing things your own way and having your own reasons for it. No doubt, with money, you will live a more comfortable life. But God does say that He will never leave you. I suppose you have to pray about this matter and let God talk to you.
there’s no “gambling sin” in the bible. but it does say too much wine (alcohol), greed and excessive indulgence of pleasures /joys (ie partying) is basically sinful. basically doing anything more than loving and thanking God is sinful.
if you consider gambling as a “excessive human indulgence without trusting God”, then it can be interpreted as a sin. most ministers/preachers will interpert gambling that way to scare you away from it.
If gambling is a sin then why do churches have bingo nights?
It’s all nonsense anyways. Some interpret the bible in ways that make gambling a sin and others don’t.
If you ever actually win the lottery then you will think it was god’s will so it couldn’t have been a sin. See it’s all circular reasoning.
Actually, the Bible is pretty cool with gambling. Anyone that tells you otherwise probably hasn’t read it and is just preaching.
First off, let’s consider the book of Job. If I might summarize, God and Satan decide to enter a wager. God bets that Satan cannot turn one of His best followers against Him. So Satan does all his evil tricks which includes basically torturing Job, killing his kids and wife, destroying his home and business etc. God sits back and does nothing while Satan does all this, just so He can win a bet. If that’s not gambling I don’t know what is.
But here are some other Bible references to gambling and wagering. “Drawing Lots” is basically an old fashioned term for a raffle. It’s a game of chance.
Numbers 26:52-56
And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying … the land shall be divided by lot.
Joshua 14:2
By lot was their inheritance, as the LORD commanded by the hand of Moses.
Joshua 18:6
Ye shall therefore describe the land into seven parts, and bring the description hither to me, that I may cast lots for you here before the LORD our God.
Joshua 19:51
These are the inheritances, which Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of the fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel, divided for an inheritance by lot in Shiloh before the LORD.
Joshua 21:8
And the children of Israel gave by lot unto the Levites these cities with their suburbs, as the LORD commanded by the hand of Moses.
1 Chronicles 26:13-14
And they cast lots, as well the small as the great, according to the house of their fathers, for every gate. And the lot eastward fell to Shelemiah. Then for Zechariah his son, a wise counsellor, they cast lots; and his lot came out northward.
Nehemiah 10:34
And we cast the lots among the priests, the Levites, and the people, for the wood offering, to bring it into the house of our God.
Acts 1:23-26
And they appointed two, Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias. And they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of these two thou hast chosen…. And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.
Remember that the odds of winning the lottery are incredibly slim. But if you do win, God won’t like you. “Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.” – Jesus – Mathew 19:23
You could also consider that about 35% of your money goes to good causes. So you are effectively donating $1.75 every week to charity.
Anyone who has a problem with what you are doing should be reminded…
“Who art thou that judgest another?”
- James 4:12
The bible never states explicitly that gambling is a sin. Many sins are sins by the traditions of various denominations only.
The Bible says nothing about gambling, and there’s really nothing anyone can say to change that.
The only thing the Bible has against gambling, indirectly, is that you’re technically taking money from people without giving them anything of value back. You can argue they’re getting entertainment, but that’s not always the case. They are giving it to you willingly, but in many cases it can be a form of scamming. If you know you’re better at poker, and you play a bunch of fish, you’re practically taking their money.
Now I don’t have a problem with this, but that’s the only valid argument I hear. It’s also often associated with the whole “be a master of yourself” idea, but that only applies to some.
The only sin, relative to gambling, that the bible references is the sin of greed. Gambling is pretty close to the edge of “the love of money” so it isn’t much of leap of imagination to tie the two together, but that isn’t automatically the case.
In the example you gave, there’s no obvious sin.
Notes for ZCT: God and Satan didn’t ‘gamble’ with Job’s life. God knew that Job would remain true, and he allowed Satan to test him.
Also, drawing lots to determine an outcome when two or more people each had a legitimate claim wasn’t considered gambling. The people of that time believed it was a spiritual practice similar to prayer which allowed God’s will to be expressed. They felt, perhaps naively, that God would ensure that the most deserving recipient would recieve his due.
Even though the practice devolved into a more traditional gambling method as time and circumstances changed, these verses don’t represent a biblical approval of gambling.