What is Pascal’s Wager? | GotQuestions.org

Hi there, many others like you have asked, what is Pascal's wager? Let's find out shall we? You can also discover more on gotquestions .org and here is your answer. Pascal's wager is named after 17th century French philosopher and mathematician Blaise Pascal.

Pascal’s Wager and Pascal’s Argument from Reason

One of Pascal's most famous works published posthumously in 1670 and it's in this work we find Pascal's wager. The gist of the wager is that according to Pascal, one cannot come to the knowledge of God's existence through reason alone.

So the wise thing to do is to live your life as if God does exist because such a life has everything to gain and nothing to lose. If on the other hand we live as though God doesn't exist, and he really does, we have gained hell and punishment and lose heaven and bliss.

Common Criticisms of Pascal’s Wager

Now there have been criticisms over the years from various camps. One critique says there is no reason to limit the choices to the Christian God over any other God. Still yet, atheist Richard Dawkins postulated the possibility of a God that might reward honest disbelief and punish blind or feigned faith.

Why Pascal’s Wager Fails Biblically

What should concern us is whether or not Pascal's wager can be squared with scripture and it fails on a number of counts. First and foremost, it doesn't take into account the Apostle Paul's argument that the knowledge of God is evident to all so that we are without excuse.

Reason alone can bring us to the knowledge of God's existence, albeit incomplete, and render us all without excuse before God's judgment. Second, there is no mention of the cost involved in following Jesus.

Following Jesus brings with it the hatred of the world. Pascal's wager makes no mention of any of this. As such, it reduces faith in Christ to mere credulity. Third, it completely misrepresents the depravity of human nature.

The natural man cannot be persuaded to a saving faith by a cost-benefit analysis. Faith is a result of being born again and that is a divine work of the Holy Spirit. The sign of true saving faith is the fruit it produces.

Paul makes the argument that the natural man cannot understand the things of God. Pascal's wager makes no mention of the necessary preliminary work of the Spirit to come to the knowledge of saving faith.

Evangelism Should Be Motivated by Love for Christ, Not Reward Seeking

Fourth and finally, as an apologetic evangelistic tool, the wager seems focused on a risk-reward outlook. Jesus labeled obedience as evidence of a love for Christ. According to Pascal's wager, one is choosing to believe and obey God on the basis of receiving heaven as a reward.

If our obedience is primarily motivated by the reward of heaven and avoidance of hell, then it's just a means of achieving our own desires rather than a heart expressing faith and obedience out of love of Christ.

Conclusion: The Gospel of Jesus Christ Alone Saves

In conclusion, Pascal's wager, while an interesting piece of philosophical thought, should have no place in a Christian's evangelistic and apologetic repertoire. Christians are to share and proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ, which alone is the power of God, for salvation to everyone who believes.

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