Is gambling a sin?

[TonyChanYT]

Is gambling a sin?​

The Bible does not explicitly point out that gambling is a sin. However, it is wise to have self-control, Proverbs 25:

28 A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls.

Titus 1:

8 But hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined.

Can you stop gambling? Is it an addiction?
It is a sin if you gamble so much that you lose self-control.
Should a Christian buy lottery tickets?
I don't because I know the odds are against me.
I think it is fine if you do the lottery occasionally as a form of entertainment. But if you think you can get rich by it, then it is not wise. The statistics are overwhelmingly against you.

 

[prism]

Is gambling a sin? Apparently not, since you offered a wager here...

https://christcentered.community.forum/threads/if-you-dont-think-that-jesus-is-god-and-wish-to-wager-on-it.1809/

 

[Fred]

Is gambling a sin?​

Yes.
Thou shalt not covet (Romans 13:9).

 

[TonyChanYT]

Yes.
Thou shalt not covet (Romans 13:9).

Thanks for the reference. This is how to do referencing and quotation in a scholarly manner:

1. Display and indent the relevant text.
2. Selectively bold the particular keywords that are important to your point. There is no need to bold the entire sentence. Have a laser-sharp focus.
3. Be concise and precise to the point. No need to quote the whole paragraph.

I do this for others who read my posts. It is a standard high-school scholarship. If you practice this, I guarantee it will sharpen your analytical thinking. In any case, no one is required to do it. I prefer to debate with people who do.

 

[Fred]

Thanks for the reference. This is how to do referencing and quotation in a scholarly manner:

1. Display and indent the relevant text.
2. Selectively bold the particular keywords that are important to your point. There is no need to bold the entire sentence. Have a laser-sharp focus.
3. Be concise and precise to the point. No need to quote the whole paragraph.

I do this for others who read my posts. It is a standard high-school scholarship. If you practice this, I guarantee it will sharpen your analytical thinking. In any case, no one is required to do it. I prefer to debate with people who do.

I would probably do this in a one on one debate.

 

[TonyChanYT]

I would probably do this in a one on one debate.

Then do it. This is the 2nd time I have asked.

 

[Fred]

Then do it. This is the 2nd time I have asked.

This is not the place for a one on one debate. Other are able to comment.

 

[Josheb]

Is gambling a sin?​

The Bible does not explicitly point out that gambling is a sin. However, it is wise to have self-control, Proverbs 25:

Titus 1:

Can you stop gambling? Is it an addiction?
It is a sin if you gamble so much that you lose self-control.
Should a Christian buy lottery tickets?
I don't because I know the odds are against me.
I think it is fine if you do the lottery occasionally as a form of entertainment. But if you think you can get rich by it, then it is not wise. The statistics are overwhelmingly against you.

Is gambling a sin? Apparently not, since you offered a wager here...

https://christcentered.community.forum/threads/if-you-dont-think-that-jesus-is-god-and-wish-to-wager-on-it.1809/

Yes.
Thou shalt not covet (Romans 13:9).

Is gambling an addiction? That depends on motive and purpose. Technically, there's no such thing as "gambling," according to...

Proverbs 16:33
The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD.

My first thought went to "addiction," as well but there are some things about addiction that aren't generally known outside the realm of addiction treatment. For one, there's no such thing as "addiction" in the diagnostic manual! The term used for those with problems related to gambling (or alcohol, other drugs, or gambling) is "dependence." When someone becomes dependent on anything in the place of God then that is a dependency God wants His people to eschew. That qualifies as sin. When the dependency reaches the level of what we might call worship then the dependency qualifies as idolatry, and that is very much a sin. As @Fred has astutely noted, gambling motivated by covetousness (or lust = a desire for more) that qualifies as sin. In psychiatry/psychology a dependence upon non-chemicals is colloquially called a "process" addiction. Dependency on pornography would be another example of a process addiction. The reason for this is because the changes occurring in the brain when "using" gambling, or pornography (or any of the other processes leading to repetitive activity, cognitive and behavioral changes, and negative consequences). The individual becomes dependent on the neurotransmitters, like dopamine, that drive and maintain the dysfunctional behavior.


If you're not "casting a lot" in service or obedience to God, then, yes, gambling is a sin.


1 John 5:17
All unrighteousness is sin.... (Gk: adikia = injustice, unrighteousness, hurt)

Romans 14:23
But the one who doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and whatever is not from faith is sin.

In its essence all sin is rebellion.

1 Samuel 15:23
For rebellion is as reprehensible as the sin of divination, and insubordination is as reprehensible as false religion and idolatry.


Legalism is also a sin, so the occasional purchase of a lottery ticket purchased in good faith and honoring motive may not be a sin (but who does so with such motive). Remember: If you're not monergist then all of life is a gamble .

 

[prism]

Gambling is a sin insofar as the person who is engaging in the activity lacks faith. A gambler's actions reveal his lack of trust in God to provide.

Romans 14:23 KJV
And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.