Scott Adams and a Misunderstood Wager on The Lordship of Christ

For better or worse, publicly professing to be a follower of Jesus is becoming culturally trendy again. Throughout the last several years, many notable entertainers and influencers have professed faith in Christ and been baptized.   

Cynics sometimes dismiss the wave of high-profile Christian conversions as a byproduct of the conflation of conservative politics with religion or merely as attention-grabbing gimmicks. For example, after her recent viral baptism, OnlyFans model Lily Phillips—a woman who is famous for having sex with more than 1000 men in just 12 hours—shared that she has no intention of changing her profession post-baptism, an admission that has caused many Christians to question the sincerity of such high-profile conversions.  

At the same time, Scripture demonstrates that God delights in transforming even the most hardened hearts. To meet every celebrity conversion with a “wait and see” skepticism may say more about our view of God’s transformative grace than it does about the people involved. Yet Christians should evaluate the substance of these public confessions, particularly when they appear to diverge from what Scripture teaches.         

A Cartoonist’s (Intended) Conversion  

The latest celebrity to ignite a divisive response to a spiritual decision is Scott Adams, creator of the popular comic strip Dilbert. On his Real Coffee with Scott Adams livestream, Adams, who is currently battling prostate cancer, shared his intention to convert to Christianity right before his death. For Adams, who has long identified as an unbeliever, the decision is a matter of probability and risk calculation.  

“It is my plan to convert. So, I still have time. But my understanding is, it’s never too late.  And on top of that, any skepticism I have about reality would certainly be instantly answered if I wake up in heaven. I do believe that the dominant Christian theory is that I would wake up in heaven if I have a good life. Yeah, I don’t necessarily have to state something in advance. And so, to my Christian friends, yes, it’s coming. So, you don’t need to talk me into it. I am now convinced that the risk-reward is completely smart. If it turns out that there’s nothing there, I’ve lost nothing, but I’ve respected your wishes, and I like doing that. If it turns out there is something there, and the Christian model is the closest to it, I win. So, with your permission, I promise you that I will convert. But I probably won’t spend much time in that phase, so don’t expect it to happen today.”    

To some, the prospect of anyone converting to Christianity (even at an unspecified future date) should be celebrated. Scripture declares that the angels rejoice in heaven over each sinner who repents (Luke 15:10). But even though only God can judge a person’s heart, much of what Adams shared in his public proclamation is at odds with biblical truth.   

A Misunderstood Wager  

Adams’s position is essentially a rendering of the famous philosophical argument known as “Pascal’s Wager,” which was developed by French theologian and apologist Blaise Pascal. The crux of the argument is that you have more to gain and less to lose by “wagering” on God’s existence. In short, it is better to live as though God exists and then discover he doesn’t then to live as though God doesn’t exist and then discover too late that he does. Therefore, the most prudent choice is to believe. 

Unfortunately, like many others who have come before him, Adams appears to misunderstand the intention behind the famous argument. The Wager was not intended to provide a purely rational contingency plan to escape hell and enjoy paradise instead. The Wager represents the start rather than the end of the spiritual journey. Pascal used logic to motivate skeptics to take the question of God’s existence seriously, a decision he hoped would ultimately lead to an encounter with God. Thus, “Pascal’s Wager” is an echo of the biblical invitation to “taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psalm 34:8).   

The Lordship of Christ  

In response to the death and resurrection of Christ, Scripture outlines the path of salvation: “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:8-9). In his livestream, Adams demonstrates the “confess with your mouth” action (although he downplays the need to make a verbal profession, trusting instead that merely “living a good life” will be enough). Yet he clearly misses the necessary subject of that confession: “Jesus is Lord.” It is not the “confession” that saves; it is accepting Christ’s “lordship” that does.   

Jesus himself was clear that merely voicing allegiance to him without submitting to his lordship won’t lead to salvation: “Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” (Matthew 7:22-23). In Revelation, God declares to professing Christians who sought to maintain lordship over their own lives, “So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth” (Revelation 3:16).  

Adams may confess with his mouth that Jesus is lord, but his decision to delay submitting to that lordship until the last possible moment reveals a heart that is not truly surrendered to Christ.  

Thankfully, Adams is correct that it’s never too late to surrender to Christ, as Jesus himself told the man being crucified beside him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43). Yet the Bible also warns, “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap” (Galatians 6:7). As long as we live, it’s never too late to receive the gift of salvation by sincerely acknowledging and submitting to Christ’s lordship. But salvation is not a game of risk-reward probability. God doesn’t want our prudent wagers; he desires for our souls to be brought back into harmony with him for eternity.   

Adams is asking the right questions, and Christians can pray that his search ultimately leads him to know and experience God. Yet his desire to put off that encounter until the last possible moment suggests he still has a ways to go. But by God’s grace, it’s not too late.