JOSEPH W. TKACH
PASTOR GENERAL

July 1988

Dear Friend:

Thank you for your recent inquiry. You asked about participating in games of chance.

The many questions which we receive on this subject might best be expressed in the following general question: "Are all forms of gambling or games of chance sin?"

The Bible defines sin as the transgression of God's spiritual law -- the Ten Commandments (I John 3:4). One of these commandments is that we must not covet (Ex. 20:17). Therefore, any activity that is based upon covetousness is sin.

Jesus explained that the second greatest commandment is that we are to love our neighbor as ourself (Matt. 22:39). This cannot be done when we are competing in a coveting attitude for another man's possessions. A Christian should not desire to increase his own wealth by depriving someone else. When the attitude of greed is present, the activity is wrong regardless of the value of the wager. The Bible says that those who have this attitude will not inherit the Kingdom of God (I Cor. 6:10; Eph. 5:3-5), and I Timothy 6:9-10 warns against falling into the trap of lusting after riches.

Cards, dice, games of chance, and the like, are not inherently wrong. God's Church has long understood that it is not the thing that is wrong, but the WRONG USE of the thing that results in sin. For example, a card game or bingo game played for fun is not wrong even if poker chips, peanuts, or other items are used. In such cases, coveting is not involved. Thus, every such activity should be viewed from the standpoint of this principle: When an activity causes us to break one of God's Ten Commandments, it is a sin.

It is, of course, not our intent to try to spell out or address every possible kind of activity which may involve putting up something of value for the chance of winning a reward. We should simply keep in mind the scriptural principles mentioned previously when making our decisions.

God holds each of us responsible for how we live. If we are truly yielded to Him and are seeking His Kingdom and righteousness first as Jesus instructed, God will give us the wisdom to make the correct choices in our lives.

We appreciate your question and hope you find this letter helpful. Please let us know whenever we can be of any further assistance to you in your study of God's Word.

PERSONAL CORRESPONDENCE DEPARTMENT