Each one of us is a gambler in a way we don’t realize. We have made a bet on eternity. We have bet the Bible is right. We have bet that every other religion is wrong at the ultimate level, which means we are betting our lives on it.
If you’ve ever tried to convince someone of the reality of the gospel and had them reject it out of hand by saying they just don’t believe it or that they believe there may be any number of ways to reach God and that Jesus may be just one way among many, here is something you can give them to think about. Use a simple proposition. Everyone is gambling on what happens when they die.
Blaise Pascal was a French philosopher who lived in the mid-1600’s. He was celebrated in his lifetime as a mathematical genius and inventor who was born again just eight years before he died. His conversion experience was so strong, he called it his “night of fire” and sewed the parchment record of it into the lining of his jacket and into every new one he bought for the rest of his life. Pascal wrote a best-selling classic, Pensees, or “thoughts,” which contained a brilliant argument for betting on the existence of God. That brief but profound essay called “The Wager,” is the most famous of all Pascal’s ideas.
“The Wager” does not try to prove the existence of God but that it makes sense to bet on the existence of God. Here is the essence of the wager: “Either God is or he is not.” If you bet on the existence of the God of the Bible, when you die, if He does exist, you win. You win everything. If you bet on God and there is no God, you would be wrong but you would lose nothing. You would go to nothingness.
If you bet on no God when there is no God, you gain nothing because there is nothing to gain. You die without consciousness. There is no reward either way. But, if you bet on the non-existence of God and God really does exist, then you would lose everything. Eternal wretchedness. So what is the best bet to take? It’s simple. Take the bet that offers the best reward with the least amount of risk. It would be silly not to bet on the existence of God. Take the bet!
Atheism is the belief that there is no God. An atheist is betting his life on it. But the more popular belief is agnosticism, which holds the possibility that there may or may not be the existence of God. Some people may say they choose not to make any bet at all, that they are not going to wager one way or the other. But the agnostic in his indecision ultimately makes the decision on the side of the atheist because time demands a decision be made.
Pascal insists, “You must wager. There is no choice; you are already committed.” One commentator puts it this way, “To every possible question, life presents three possible answers: Yes, No, and Evasion. Death removes the third answer…not to say Yes is eventually to say No. Suppose Romeo proposes to Juliet and she says neither Yes nor No, but Wait. Suppose the ‘Wait’ lasts and lasts—until she dies. Then her ‘Wait’ becomes No. Death turns agnosticism into atheism. For death turns ‘Tomorrow’ into ‘Never.’” So, in the end, there are only two alternatives, not three. That makes the choice then pretty easy. You are betting on truth and eternal happiness. The only chance to win is betting on God.
But what if the Hindus are right and reincarnation is what is in store for you? If you bet on God and the Hindus are right, then you will come back as even a higher being because you have lived virtuously. Hindus do not require faith in any particular god because they say there are many paths. If you bet on the Hindu gods and you are wrong, again, you pay a terrible price because you made the wrong bet.
Other Eastern religions also offer the agnostic approach. They include Taoism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Zen, and others. Many do not hold the possibility of an afterlife and none requires its devotees to believe that its founder is the only true god. They preach living a clean life but some teach you should not even think about whether there is a god or not. But this is a presumption and shapes God into whatever seems right to you, making Him your creation. New Age practitioners fall into the same category. Believing in a “higher power,” or “energy,” or “many paths” is still rejecting Christ. It’s all an agnostic approach.
Judaism, Islam, and “Christian” cults, while perhaps worshiping the same Jehovah we do, are not certain of heaven or salvation because they are works-oriented. Grace is a foreign concept. Only Christianity teaches that eternal life is governed by faith alone. It demands a choice. Ultimately, we have to accept or reject Jesus because he claimed to be the way, the truth, and the light. There is no other. He calls for a decision about who he is. Is he God or is he not? You bet your life on your answer.
Remember, this is not an argument for the existence of God but an argument for faith. Its conclusion is not “Therefore God exists” but “Therefore you should believe.” Pascal says you can see the indicators of God through the scriptures. There are clues in the Bible but the evidence is inconclusive. History and nature point to Him but there is not complete proof, only probabilities. Faith is required.
If you are a non-believer who feels trapped at this point into believing something you don’t want to believe, Pascal explains, “If you are unable to believe, it is because of your passions, since reason impels you to believe and yet you cannot do so. Concentrate then not on convincing yourself by multiplying proofs of God’s existence but by diminishing your passions.” Flesh, not reason, prevents you from believing. You must want to keep sinning since your unbelief is not a rational choice. Your bet has very high stakes. Pascal concludes, “I tell you that you will gain even in this life, and that at every step you take along this road you will see that your gain is so certain and your risk so negligible that in the end you will realize that you have wagered on something certain and infinite for which you paid nothing.”
Terry Everroad
lionsheadcafe.com 