GAMBLING AND RISK TAKING by Dave Brown

One of the most frequent arguments used to justify participation in gambling is that "life is a gamble." You will also hear statements like: "farming is a gamble" and "investing in business is a gamble." Hopefully Christians will not be deceived by such argumentation. The purpose of this article is to demonstrate the difference and perhaps provide some thoughts which will be useful in promoting the truth on this subject.

Lest we get caught up over striving about words (2 Tim. 2: 14) to no profit, we recognize that the word "gamble" might be applied in a variety of different ways. Those who are trying to confuse legitimate business enterprise with sinful games of chance are intentionally trying to blur the distinction. In order to prevent confusion in this regard, we define the use of the term "gambling" in this article to mean: giving something possessed up for the chance of receiving something of greater value if some specified event occurs, where the event involves no work or productive effort on the part of the participant(s). The thing given up to participate is not employed in productive endeavors, as is the case in legitimate investment. When we refer to gambling as being sinful, this is the definition which we are using, and this is the definition of the word as used below.

It is important to recognize that, while all gambling involves risktaking, all risktaking is not gambling. Almost all of life's endeavors involve risk; yet, Jesus talked of farming, fishing, merchandising and many other risky occupations as honorable endeavors. In and of itself, the desire to gain is not sinful, and the fact that risks are involved in almost all of human endeavors is an undeniable reality.

The sin of gambling does not accrue from the desire to get gain as much as it does from the mechanism employed to satisfy this desire. Farming and fishing produce food, and merchandising provides goods to people who want or need them. In all legitimate business endeavors, profits obtained are for the goods and services rendered. Thus, no one "wins," and no one "loses." The seller obtains money for his labor, and the buyer obtains goods or services desired. No one gains at the expense of another. Without such enterprise our society would be primative. These honest and productive endeavors are commanded in God's word and the do not begin to fit the definition of sinful gambling that we gave above.

On the other hand, the gambler produces nothing and gains only at the loss of others. This is the key to distinguishing between gambling and legitimate human enterprise. Gambling legitimizes taking something while giving nothing of comparable value in return. Christians should recognize that such does not satisfy Christ's law of love. We should never want to gain at the expense of others. Try this the next time you are asked to participate in a lottery -- even one that is for charity. Just say: "my understanding of God's will prevents me from gaining at the expense of others." It is as simple as that.