Poker, gambling and its forms have often been considered acceptable in today’s society. What was once found only in gambling halls is now found on prime time television. No longer relegated to Las Vegas, poker is in California, online, and practically in every state in the U.S. If you do a Google search for “Christian 플레이포커 머니상 Poker”, the top ten results for me at least showed only articles saying “go ahead” or “as long as it doesn’t take over your life you are not sinning” but each article had little or no study of the Bible. Surprisingly, there is hardly any Christian material on this subject.
The question is, are we obeying God’s commandments? Are we following Jesus by playing poker? Are we dishonoring God by playing poker? Does it matter if we play poker? Does God care if we do so or not? Does the Bible say anything at all? These questions can be answered by investigating what Jesus said. So let us study the Bible, God’s word to find the answer to whether we should play poker.
But before we do so, let us ask God for help as we study His word. Let us pray.
Dear Heavenly Father, today we ask that you give us your guidance and clarity in regards to this topic. Lord help us to have open hearts and minds, help us to overcome our sinful and selfish nature and to have a heart and mind like your son Jesus. Thank you for your great forgiveness and please send your Holy Spirit to give us wisdom and understanding as we study this topic today. We pray all these things in Jesus name, amen.
Nearly two thousand years ago, a lawyer came to Jesus and wanted to know what the most important commandment in the Bible was. It’s a good question don’t you think? What is the greatest commandment? I invite you to turn with me in your Bible to Matthew 22:35-40 to find the answer that Jesus gave. It says…
Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” Jesus said to him, ” ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.[1]
The greatest commandment is to love God with every ounce of your being. Not some of our soul, mind or heart, Jesus said love God with all your heart, soul and mind. How can we display our love to God? Jesus gave us an answer in John 14:15 where He says, “If you love Me, keep My commandments[2].” Are we loving others and God by playing poker? Also what did God mean when He said ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’? Notice both of the two greatest commandments are about love. God is love, and we also want to love others correct? In fact if we call ourselves Christians and have not love we have gained nothing (1 Corinthians 13:3). Although humans are naturally selfish, we find that we wish to love God and follow his commandments because He first loved us (1 John 4:19, John 14:15). It is the great love and sacrifice of Christ that has drawn us to God. There is no greater love than God’s love for us. And fortunately we can follow His commandments but only through the power of Christ and with the help of the Holy Spirit (John 15:5, 1 John 3:9, John 8:31-36).