In order to repent of the sin of gambling, a person would have to stop gambling. Let’s say the person that is repenting of the sin of gambling has won thousands of dollars gambling. Does the person have to return the thousands of dollars that was won to the gambling company in order to repent? Thanks for your help with this issue.
Tongue in check, my first inkling is to provide my address and suggest you send the thousands of dollars to me for disposal. Joking aside, we will attempt to provide a serious answer.
A car thief upon repenting must quit stealing cars, and it would be reasonable for him to make restitution, especially if he still has some of the stolen cars in his possession. A man who has stolen another man’s wife (i.e., adultery, Matthew 19:9) upon repenting certainly cannot keep her for his own. Yet, the man who through manslaughter or murder takes another person’s life, upon repenting, must not murder, but he cannot provide complete restitution (i.e., bring someone back to life). The fact that a penitent murderer cannot restore life to the dead would not necessarily make true repentance impossible.
Someone who has won thousands of dollars from an organization (e.g., racetrack, casino, state lottery, etc.) and subsequently repented of gambling may not have the opportunity to return the money acquired through gambling. In addition, it may not serve much purpose to refund some gambling venture were they willing to receive the money back. However, should one’s conscience dictate or to restore one’s influence among godly people, the penitent gambler who won great sums of money from an organization may opt to dispose of the funds in a charitable way.
Yet, were someone to win money from individuals (often who cannot afford to gamble their earnings away, but do anyway), it may serve two purposes in returning those funds. First, the individuals from whom a person won much money may really need that money (should they be prevailed upon to use it more appropriately in the future). Second, repentance that returned the money would demonstrate before those who are aware of one’s gambling that he has sincerely repented; and the other individuals whose money is restored may be influenced to reconsider their ill-advised gambling habit.
In areas where the Bible does not specifically provide the details, one must attempt to ascertain appropriate biblical principles and apply them to his conduct as his conscience allows. We need to be careful not to make new laws where God has not made any, as Christianity is difficult enough as it is without any additional input by mortals (Galatians 1:6-9; Revelation 22:18-19). The Truth by which we can be freed from sin can be known (John 8:32); anything else that falls short of definitive knowledge is not the Truth by which we must order our lives and by which we will be judged at time’s end (Revelation 20:12-15).
