Is gambling a sin? Here are 2 unhelpful answers. And whereas you might be reading this and hoping for a light-switch answer, we’ve got to acknowledge that there are sinful tendencies that look more like amplifier knobs than light switches, because they show you a trajectory that leads you farther from God’s good plan for your life. Check the Ten Commandments, for starters.

“In the absence of clear commands from God, something can still be a sin for a particular person.”Īre there matters that are as clear cut as an on-off light switch? Sure there are. It makes sense that, if someone knows in their gut that they’re doing something wrong or not doing something right, “it is sin for them.” It’s interesting for this topic that James 4:17 was written in the context of people presumptuously chasing after money without even considering whether it was God’s will or not (James 4:13-16).

This “sin for them” principle is an important point to make as we explore if gambling is a sin, because it suggests that, in the absence of clear commands from God, something can still be a sin for a particular person. James 4:17 says, “If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.” The Bible also talks about sin being a matter of not doing what you know you’re supposed to do. Yet sin isn’t always just a matter of doing what you’re not supposed to do. So, when the Bible says, “You shall not steal,” or, “You shall not commit adultery,” then to steal or commit adultery would be to sin. There’s the obvious answer that sin is doing something God says is immoral to do. In order to get at whether gambling is a sin, it’s helpful to ask what makes something a sin in the first place. Let’s explore what we can learn about the moral status of gambling from the Bible and from gambling’s effects. The Bible doesn’t call gambling a sin as such, although the Bible warns against the love of money and get-rich-quick schemes. Although there are some who experience gambling as something rewarding and fun, it tends toward being highly addictive and potentially ruinous. Gambling is risking a wager on a game in order to win a prize.

What the bible says about gambling