The following write-up seeks to highlight a not-often remembered fact that the question, "How much should/need I worry about my future?" must be answered very differently by a Christian as compared to a non-Christian...
Does God want His kids to buy insurance?

Think about insurance and we get swamped with images of financial security, 'disaster' possibilities, future 'nest-eggs' and - surprise surprise - large premium figures.  In an increasingly scary world, it's only expected that there will be a corresponding rise in the price to 'feel safe'.

How does a child of God approach this issue?  Do we drink in everything the agent says or do we throw him out altogether, or what?

I propose that a suitable starting-point for a response is to realise that attitude and actions (esp. for these issues) must be strongly determined by our relationship with God.  This means that whenever we make a decision regarding our existential/financial needs ('what we will eat or drink, about our body, what we will wear, etc.'), we CANNOT ignore 'touching base' with our Father in heaven who told us in Phil 4:6, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything... present your requests to God."  (And if just one more Christian can humbly go to God and seek His counsel as a pre-requirement to deciding on whether to get that policy, I think God's kingdom will to that extent be more realised...maybe this is an avenue Christian insurance agents can explore with their potential clients..."Go pray hard about it before deciding"...smile)

So this is our 'methodology'; let's see some of it in action.  This analysis will be necessarily assymetrical in focus, because I think we've heard tons of reasons for coming up with that premium.  What we don't often hear are rational (and Biblical) reasons to save the premium for another day or perhaps ignore it altogether.  (Important:  This is not an argument that all of us NEVER buy insurance.  It's merely a plea to recognize that there COULD be strong reasons to be less inclinde towards insurance products, and that these cannot be ignored even after we've bought them).

Well, do Christians have good reasons to not immediately go for that 'irresistible' package?  Absolutely.  It is entirely possible that God may want us to POSTPONE / REFUSE buying insurance because:

Remember what God's priorities are for us:  He desires that we think more about being like Jesus (in full-hearted trust, 'continuous worship', total-giving, etc.) than about being financially secured.
Therefore a God-centered (and so - by definition - wise!) decision, as I understand it, must have included a sincere consideration of the issues above, especially if the particular package involves substantial sums of money.

And of course this is not some diatribe against the insurance industry.  In fact, I feel Christian agents may play a timely role in presenting to people a security option/product whilst simultaneously informing/reminding them of their Heavenly Father and Omni-Protector, Christ Himself.  They can market not only their product but the truth and security of God's Word as well.  I know this isn't easy, but to me this is one more proof that decisions more seriously deliberated over are also usually the better ones.

As Christians any counsel/advice we give regarding 'bread-and-butter' matters ought to include a confidence in God's providence.  And whether or not His providence for you consists of that Life Insurance product is surely something between you and God, right? *grin*
 

Pushback:  But isn't Insurance similar to HEALTH CARE and EDUCATION?  How come we don't think twice about getting medical treatment or studying?  What's the difference, smarty-pants?!

This method of persuasion makes some initial sense.  Drawing from the obvious fact that 'faith' WITHOUT studying won't give us good grades and 'faith' WITHOUT medical treatment won't do our bodies much good, some might extend this to suggest that 'faith' WITHOUT life insurance is just as counter-productive.

But is the comparison valid?  I doubt.

Medicine and educational facilities meet an immediate and universal need.  Whether we are living in the 1st or 21st Century the need to take care of our health (or 'repair' it when it gets bad) will ALWAYS be there.  Needless to say too, ALL of us are God-ordained to continually seek out knowledge and educate our minds.  Good schools and adequate health care are thus 'goods' for every society to strive towards almost ALL THE TIME i.e. they constitute almost the 'bare necessities' of life.  (Even then, consider : We do not need to go to Ivy League colleges to earn a good education, nor do we necessarily need a 5-Star hospital to get treatment).

However, insurance is NOT 'immediate' nor is it at all 'universal'!  It simply represents an option for modern individuals to generate additional FEELINGS of security with regards to their well-being and livelihood.  Insurance products are exactly that: contemporary products catered for a contemporary demand to feel secure, all of which presuppose a certain level of income and/or a significant amount of assets to insure.  Contrast this with basic healthcare and schooling, which should apply to everyone regardless of income/wealth or how one 'feels'.  (Furthermore, how much security from future mishaps I really 'need' is a very subjective issue indeed; in fact the Bible actually tells me I don't need to worry at all!)

We should also recall that insurance does nothing to PREVENT disasters; they only help you IN THE EVENT of something going wrong.  It represents a 'Just-In-Case' item which comes with a price-tag and which MANY people will probably never need to actually 'utilize'.  (Again, contrast this with medicine and language/writing skills, both of which form some of the core activities of global missionary programs).

(I'm well aware that many companies nowadays add savings and investment features to their offerings, but I think this only shows how much additional incentive is required to make people buy, which in turn suggests that the 'insurance' aspect of the product wasn't that attractive to begin with...).

In summary, it's quite misleading to equate the importance/need for insurance with that of medicine or education.  Whatever our reasons for buying insurance, let's always be wary of being swayed by mistaken (though perhaps sincere and well-meaning) analogies.

I'll close with a paraphrse of Matt 6:32-33, "..Your Heavenly Father knows that you need future provision, security from risk and protection from all those calamities/concerns which Life Insurance offers to protect you from.  But seek FIRST His kingdom and His righteousness and ALL these things shall be added unto you.  Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself."
 

AL


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