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The Christian & Gambling {Part 1}
Can a Christian go down to the local casino or gaming center and gamble? Do God and the Bible sanction gambling? The Bible answers both of these questions with a resounding “No”! With the recent rise of gambling in Oklahoma due to Indian gaming centers and the growth of the Winstar casino, the Christian must honestly consider the biblical subject of gambling. Let us consider several reasons why gambling is a sin. 1. When a person gambles, he is not a good steward of the things God has given him. The Bible says that every good and every perfect gift comes from God (James 1:17). The Christian’s responsibility to these gifts is to use them wisely (1 Peter 4:10; Luke 12:42). Gambling is a complete waste and squandering of God’s gifts. The Bible teaches that all we have ultimately belongs to God (Haggai 2:8; Ps. 50:10-12). It is sad to see so many families suffering for food and the necessities of life because father or mother had to go and gamble away their paycheck. Gambling is a sin because it violates the stewardship principle. 2. The gambler does not practice the golden rule. Jesus said, “Whatever you want men to do to you, do also unto them” (Matt. 7:12). If I cheat, trick, or outsmart someone else out of their money, then I am not fulfilling the golden rule. I do not want anyone to beat me out of my hard earned money, do you? You cannot say you love your neighbor and then turn right around and beat him out of his money at gambling. The practice of gambling uses the iron rule “might makes right.” Gambling is a sin because it violates the golden rule. 3. The practice of gambling breeds laziness and keeps people from making an honest living. The person who gambles builds his whole life around the fact that one day he is going to hit it big and bring in a bunch of money. As a result of this thinking, gamblers can become lazy, dishonest, and a menace to society. The Bible says, “If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat” (2 Thes. 3:10). I know people today who are selling their welfare check and their children’s WIC stamps to go and gamble. How sad! Gambling is a sin because it promotes laziness. Dear friend, gambling is becoming more and more the plague of Oklahoma. We must realize that gambling is sinful and that God does not condone it. When the time comes to vote on gambling, may Christians band together and vote “NO”. Next week we will notice several more reason why it is a sin for Christian to gamble. The Christian & Gambling {Part 2}
Gambling is becoming one of the most highly addictive and destructive problems our nation is facing. For example, studies show that in 2001 the “gross revenues from gambling were $68.7 billion — more money than Americans spent on music, movies, spectator sports, video games and theme parks combined”(Minnesota Department of Mental Health)! If we think gambling is not a problem that we have to worry about, we better wake up! The National Council on Problem Gambling reported in March 2003 that over 80 percent of U.S. adults have reportedly gambled at least once in the past year. A recent study by the National Institute of Mental Health concluded 4.2 million Americans are addicted to gambling, 60 percent of whom have yearly incomes under $25,000. The amount of problem gamblers America has today is larger than the population of Los Angeles, California! Indeed, gambling is a very serious social problem. Yet, it is a more serious biblical problem. Let us consider three more reasons why gambling is a sin. 1. Gambling causes Christians to be addicted to evil practices. The Christian should be able to say, “I will not be brought under the power of any” (1 Corinthians 6:12). The Bible teaches that a Christian should not allow anything, except Christ, to control him (Rom. 6:16-18). The addictive nature of gambling violates the biblical teaching of self-control. If I am addicted to gambling, I do not have control of myself, gambling controls me in some ways. The Bible makes it amply clear that Christians must have control of themselves (Gal. 5:23; 2 Peter 1:6). Gambling is a sin because it causes Christians to be addicted to the wrong things. 2. Gambling sets an evil and worldly example. The Christians is called out of the world to serve God (2 Cor. 6:17-18). Jesus taught us to be a good and shining example to those around us (Matt. 5:16). Paul encouraged Timothy to be an example of faith to the believers (1 Tim. 4:12). One of the major problems with gambling is that a Christian cannot maintain a good example and be a gambler. Gambling is associated with such evil things as drinking, drugs, sex, smoking and reveling. If the Christian is to abstain from evil (1 Thes. 5:22), and gambling is directly associated with evil, how can a Christian gamble and still please God???? Gambling is a sin because it ruins the Christian example. 3. Gambling can cause dishonesty and deceit. Like the drug addict who has to rob the local store to get his next fix, so the gambler may be led to commit crimes to get to the next poker table. For example, A U.S. News & World Report analysis found crime rates in casino communities to be 84 percent higher than the national average. An astonishing example of this type of dishonesty is reported by Focus on the Family. They report that a church secretary in Minnesota stole $186,000 from the church to finance her casino and lottery obsession. While this may be the exception not the norm, the statistics show us that crime, & dishonesty go hand in hand with gambling. Christians should provide for things honest in the sight of all men (Rom. 12:17). Gambling is a sin because it breeds dishonesty & deceit. Dear friend, the problem of gambling is growing out of control in our local communities. May we do something about this problem by standing up and speaking out against this malicious evil. The Christian & Gambling {Part 3}
Eli Bunch was a normal, every day person until he stepped into the life of gambling. It started with just a thirty dollar win. Then, he won 3,000 dollars with only a twenty dollar investment. After this win, things went downhill for Eli & his wife Jody. At the end of three years of gambling, Eli & his wife were in the red over 250,000 dollars. Eventually, Eli lost a good job at a prominent business company, his total retirement and his wife separated from him (Seattle Post, Feb. 2004). If you think Eli is just a sad story that could never happen to you, you’re wrong. Eli started as just a twenty dollar, every once in a blue moon gambler. He ended up a financially bankrupt man with a broken life. We must realize the terrible affect that gambling is having on our societies and on our families in Oklahoma. Let us again notice a couple of biblical reason why gambling is wrong. Gambling violates the way a Christian can make money or receive goods. To understand this point, one must first realize that everything he does in life must be authorized by the Bible. Paul said, “Whatever you do in word or deed do all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ…” (Col. 3:17). When we do something in the name of another, we are doing it by their authority (Acts 4:7). Thus, anything a Christian does must be found in the word of God. In the Bible, there are only three ways a person can make money or receive goods. First, a person is authorized to make money by working for it (2 Thes. 3:10). Next, one may sell land or other goods and receive money for them (Acts 4:34; 5:1ff). Finally, one may trade food or other products for money or goods (Gen. 34:10; 42:34). The question now arises. Where does gambling fit into these three ways? It does not. Gambling is not honest work. It is based on chance and luck. Gambling is not a selling/trading of lands or goods. It is actually stealing money from others. When it is all summed up, the Christian can know that gambling is not an authorized method of making money. Therefore, if it is not found in the Word of God, Christians must not take part in it (Rev. 22:18-19). May we strive not to go beyond what is written (1 Cor. 4:6). Gambling destroys the biblical design for the family. There are numerous examples of how children are suffering the most from their parents’ gambling problems. For example, In Indiana, a review of the state’s gaming commission records revealed that 72 children were found abandoned on casino premises during a 14-month period. In Louisiana and South Carolina, children died after being locked in hot cars for hours while their caretakers gambled. Another disturbing examples shows the length gamblers will go to support their habits. An Illinois mother was sentenced to prison for suffocating her infant daughter in order to collect insurance money to continue gambling. Doesn’t it turn your stomach when you wonder how many children are being abandoned and left hungry in Ardmore so that their parents can go down to WinStar and gamble? You think it isn’t happening? You better think again! The family as God designed it is to be a place of love and happiness. It is designed to be a place where father and mother put each other first. It should be a place where children learn what it means to love and the fundamental values of life. When gambling comes into the family, the family starts a downward spiral of destruction. May God help us to speak out against gambling so that we may save the American family from destruction! Truly, Gambling is SIN!!! |