If I were writing this primarily to a secular audience, I probably wouldn’t say some of what follows. However, because of the Christian worldview many of us hold, I want to address the issue of buying insurance and its relationship to trusting God to provide.

I still remember a Christian radio program I heard a number of years ago. On this particular day the host was visiting with an evangelist who traveled the country preaching the Good News of Jesus. While I admired much of what he had to say, I was really disappointed by part of his presentation. At one point in the conversation he began to brag about the fact that he carried no health insurance and that he simply trusted God to provide. With that, he told a story about some health expenses that his family had incurred, and then, gleefully told about how other Christians had paid their bills.

Boy, that fried me! Didn’t this good man know about the Biblical mandate to care for one’s own family? Paul went as far as to say that providers who don’t provide for their families are worse than infidels! That’s pretty strong language. Also, what about his witness to the outside world? What does this say about a Christian’s sense of duty and responsibility?

I realize that there are those who differ with me on this point. Some people feel that it is more spiritual simply to trust God to provide rather than to depend on the “devices of man.” But I find it curious that these same people are often willing to accept the devices of other men when they can’t afford to pay their own bills. It is also interesting to me that some of these same people are willing to selectively use other “devices of men” like locks on their doors, seatbelts, and so forth.

Like Us:

Although the purpose of insurance is to provide, it is not intended to provide with an overabundance. Again, this provision is to be used to meet a need if a potential loss would be excessive for the survivors of the family's primary wage earner: it can provide for unexpected costs that the survivors could not pay alone, and it frees surplus funds. How much is needed?

Although the amount of insurance should be determined by two things primarily - the amount of coverage needed and the affordability of the premiums—the following considerations should also be evaluated when deciding how much insurance to buy.¦The ages of the children. The younger the children are, the longer they'll need to be supported if the primary wage earner dies.¦The income capability of the surviving spouse.¦Existing debt, current lifestyle, income, and other sources of after-death income besides life insurance. A very simple rule of thumb to determine the amount of life insurance needed is to take either the amount of money a family would need annually in the event of the death of the primary wage earner or the annual salary or earning of the wage earner and multiply that amount at least by twelve. This is the minimum amount of life insurance that is needed.

If the insurance money is then invested with a 7 to 10 percent return, it would probably provide the necessary income per year that the family would need.

Christian Faith and Life Insurance bring you these Bible verses.

Bible Verses about Life Insurance