Would Paul use Pascal's Wager?

Pascal' Wager is a well known argument for belief in God. It was formulated by 17th century mathematician Blaise Pascal in his famous work Pensees. It goes like this:

If you erroneously believe in God, you lose nothing (assuming that death is the absolute end), whereas if you correctly believe in God, you gain everything (eternal bliss). But if you correctly disbelieve in God, you gain nothing (death ends all), whereas if you erroneously disbelieve in God, you lose everything (eternal damnation).

Last year, Time Magazine moderated a debate between Rick Warren (Purpose driven Life) and well known atheist Sam Harris (Letter to a Christian Nation). Warren ended the debate by quoting Pascal's Wager.


My question is, does the New Testament say anything similar to Pascal's Wager? The answer is Yes and No, but mostly No.


Yes. Living life in willful obedience to God's Word makes life go smoother in many respects. If by God's grace the fruit of the Spirit is demonstrated in our lives then we will have fulfilling relationships and healthy marriages. Fleeing from sin enables to to avoid the problems which sin brings about.


No. In 1 Corinthians 15:19 Paul says, "If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied." Paul is talking about the resurrection in this passage, and he's saying that if we're wrong about the resurrection, then we are the most pitiable of people in the world! This is starkly different from Pascal's Wager.


Why Does Paul say this? He gives his answer in 1 Corinthians 11:16-33 - since becoming a Christian, Paul had faced extreme suffering on a regular basis, consistently being upon the edge of death. To have faced such suffering for a lie - which would be the case if Christ was not raised, and if there is no God - would be infinitely foolish and pitiable. In short, Paul was sold out for Christ, willing to stake his entire life on what he knew to be true. This is much more radical than Pascal's Wager.


And why was Paul willing to be sold out for Christ in this radical way? Hebrews 10:34 gives the answer:

For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one.

This possession is Christ, who is the supreme treasure of every one of his followers.