We also see the turn to chance in the growth of gambling in the North America. Once the preserve of Atlantic City and Las Vegas, now casinos are seemingly everywhere. Our governments advertise gambling as a way of raising revenues.
Against the turn to chance and neopaganism of all sorts, we confess that is no such thing as chance. There is only God’s fatherly hand. There is only his providence. That is why the Palatinate form for the celebration of Holy Communion lists gambling among gross sins that disqualify one from the Lord’s Table. Under this heading, the first distinction Olevianus makes is between divine providence and “bad luck”: “A faithful servant of God should be absolutely convinced inside that all things happen by God’s decree and not by chance or by good or bad luck. Therefore, in all things one should fasten the eyes of one’s heart directly upon God, with whom he has a covenant, and look upon Him as the original source and cause of everything.” To be sure, there a material difference between playing cards for fun with friends and toying with providence or laziness. Some argue that gambling is no different from investing in the stock market. There is, however, a genuine difference between taking a reasonable risk to make an investment in an enterprise that will benefit others through goods and services, and gambling, the essence of which is high risk with no labor—were there not considerable risk, we would not consider gambling to be entertainment.
R. Scott Clark, The Heidelberg Catechism: A Historical, Theological, & Pastoral Commentary (Lexham Press, 2025), 188–89.
Editor’s Note: Be sure to watch the upcoming Heidelvideo miniseries on gambling.
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This end is key- “There is, however, a genuine difference between taking a reasonable risk to make an investment in an enterprise that will benefit others through goods and services, and gambling, the essence of which is high risk with no labor—were there not considerable risk, we would not consider gambling to be entertainment.”
The condition of the heart is everything. People who gamble try to maximize from the expense or demise of others. Investment, from the right heart, has design and purpose to edify and support others whether Christian or not. This is the difference.
It can be briefly summarized like this: Are you loving thy neighbor? Listen to the Word of God; listen to Christ. Simple but profound. Pray and ask yourself, do you understand biblical love? Am I living to love and edify others, and to cause my neighbor no harm?
Good job again Dr. Clark. You hit the mark once again. Praise the LORD. For GOD alone be all the glory.
How do you see playing the lottery?
It’s foolish. In the ordinary providence of God, the odds of winning are astronomical. In the parlance of the guys who run the gambling biz, it’s a sucker’s game. Poor people who think that they can get rich easily plunk down cash in with the same statistical likelihood of being struck by lightning. When they do win it wrecks their lives. As Chris Nelson points out, the states have lied about the outcome. In my home state, property taxes are quite high and most of that goes to the public schools. The lottery was sold on the basis that it would pay for the schools. Now, of course, states are spending money to alleviate the gambling addiction to which they have contributed.