Mega Millions and a Biblical Worldview

Last month the Mega Millions lottery jackpot grand prize was over $650 million.  The prize was split three ways with each winner claiming over $218 million.  I don’t know about you, but I could live on that quite comfortably for the rest of my life.  There was a lot of media buzz around this particular lottery drawing since I believe it was the largest prize ever.

Last month something else happened that was much less publicized but had a much greater impact on me and that was that Chuck Colson went home to Glory.  How is the Mega Millions jackpot and Chuck Colson’s death connected?  A number of years ago Chuck Colson introduced me to the term “biblical worldview”.  A biblical worldview means that everything we look at as believers should be filtered through the Bible.  This includes the way we handle money, the way we vote and every other aspect of our lives including our view of playing the lottery.  

So in honor of Chuck Colson’s example of a transformed life, let’s try to establish what would be a biblical worldview of playing the lottery.

Wikipedia defines lottery as: A form of gambling which involves the drawing of lots for a prize.  Mega Millions (and other lottery websites) have links to sites like Gamblers Anonymous and National Council on Problem Gambling.  So our starting point is the fact that the lottery is a form a gambling.  This is an important connection to make, because Satan is subtle and many look at the lottery as nothing more than harmless entertainment. Remember Satan is called the deceiver in Revelation 12:9.  Playing the lottery is gambling.

Gambling is somewhat of a difficult issue because some would say that if it is done in moderation and under control, it is nothing more than entertainment that costs money like watching a movie or even paying excessive prices for a nice dining experience.  It may be wasteful but not necessarily evil.  

We have discussed many times on this blog the principles in God’s Word concerning money.  In summary they say money itself is not evil, but the love of it is (1 Timothy 6:10; Hebrews 13:5).  According to 1 Timothy 6:9-10, the love of money can cause a lot of problems and the desire to get rich will lead us into temptation and plunge men into ruin and destruction.  Jesus in His parable about the sower (Luke 8:14) warns how the desire for money can choke out our spiritual growth.  It is the love of money that is the driving force of all lottery sales.

Additionally the Bible instructs us to stay away from a “get rich quick” mindset (Proverbs 13:11; 23:5; Ecclesiastes 5:10).  Playing the lottery is based on the love of money and the fantasy of a get rich quick mindset.

Key figures in Christianity down through history have also held an unfavorable view of gambling. Augustine said, “The devil invented gambling.” Martin Luther proclaimed, “Money won by gambling is not won without sin and self-seeking sin.” John Calvin outlawed gambling in the city of Geneva.

Here are five reasons from John Macarthur for Christians to stay away from gambling and the lottery:

1. The lottery denies the reality of God’s sovereignty (by affirming the existence of luck or chance)
2. The lottery is built on irresponsible stewardship (tempting people to throw away their money)
3. The lottery erodes a biblical work ethic (by demeaning and displacing hard work as the proper means for one’s livelihood)
4. The lottery driven by the sin of covetousness (tempting people to give in to their greed)
5. The lottery is built on the exploitation of others (often taking advantage of poor people who think they can gain instant wealth)

I never heard Chuck Colson’s thoughts on a biblical worldview of the lottery, but I would have to believe he would come to the same conclusion that John Macarthur, Augustine, Martin Luther and John Calvin did and strongly caution against it.  Personally I do not see how playing the lottery is an expression of a faithful steward (1 Corinthians 4:2).  Be careful of gambling and the lottery.