Is Gambling a Sin?
While the scriptures do not specifically mention gambling, it provides us with clear principles that can guide us to answer this question:
First: Gambling is a means of getting rich quick or of seeking fortune apart from constructive labor or work. The Bible says, “…If a man will not work, he shall not eat” (2 Thessalonians 3:10). “Wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminished: but he that gathereth by labour shall increase”; ” for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven” (Proverbs 13:11; 23:5).
Second: Gambling leads to the love of money. The Bible says, “For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows” (1 Timothy 6:10). Gambling is a form of covetousness. And the Tenth Commandment admonishes us not to covet (Exodus 20:17).
Third: Gambling can become addictive. Many homes have been destroyed by this addiction. In 1 Timothy 5:8, Paul says that a person who refuses to care for his family is worse than an infidel. Parents must provide for their children (2 Corinthians 12:14) and eat the bread of their labors (2 Thessalonians 3:12).
Fourth: Gambling is a form of state-sponsored greed. Government should provide order in society and promote public virtue. Legalized gambling undercuts government’s role and corrupts the moral fabric of society through greed.
God’s Promise of Blessing
God is gracious and good. He will certainly provide for the needs of His children through honest means. The Lord says, “be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Hebrews 13:5). The blessings of giving the tithe are assured to all. The Lord promises, “Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and try Me now in this,” says the Lord of hosts, “If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it” (Malachi 3:10)
In His service,
BibleAsk Team
