The Christian and Life Insurance
by
Dallas M. Roark
Mac, here's the story," said
Don Anders. The insurance agent moved to the edge of his
easy chair in the comfortable living room, eager to make his appeal
effective. "With these small children, a new home, and all, you can't
afford to be without insurance.
It is just not good business. What would Helen do if you were not
around to provide for her and the children?"
Mac stared at the rug into
the unknown future.
"Think of the youngsters,"
the agent pushed his persuasive points. "Think of their education! What
will become of them if you should be taken?"
Helen looked at Mac. It was
his decision, yet it was important to her also, for it involved
the family in both its present and its future.
Mac nodded. It all added
up-the uncertainty of life, the unknown future, the appeal of
investment-all added up to the need for life insurance. But what of his
Christian faith? Was insurance incompatible with faith and absolute
dependence on God?
What about such verses as
"Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall
drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on ... take, therefore,
no thought for the morrow" (Matt. 6:25-34)? What need is there of
insurance when "God shall supply all your need according to his riches
in glory by Christ Jesus" (Phil. 4:19)? Are we not admonished to be
continually "casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you" (I
Pet. 5: 7) ?
Mac is only one of many Christians
who face this problem. How are others answering the question? How do
pastors, teachers, laymen and missionaries regard this matter of
life insurance--or of insurance of any kind, for that matter? I made a
limited survey on the subject which included individuals in these
callings and vocations. Its limitations are admitted, but the
conclusions, I believe, are typical.
Before going further
into the question, let's define insurance. Insurance involves the
payment of premiums for the guarantee of reimbursement in the
event of a given loss, either by fire, accident, death, etc. Life
insurance guarantees the beneficiary a payment of a set sum in the
event of the death of the insured.
There are at least two
basic types of life insurance. First there is the simple life insurance
plan which provides protection only. With this, protection for a
man's family in case of his death is all that he has-- though he may
pay premiums all his life.
The purchaser of such
insurance is merely paying into a supervised special fund in return for
the promise that
though he cannot lay down a sufficient sum to protect his family in
case of his death, the fund will do so for the limited number of
contributors who will die within the period covered.
On the other hand, there is
the type of plan which in addition to providing life insurance offers
the opportunity for investment to care for future needs. It has
different names according to policy provisions, such as "twenty-year
payment life," "endowment plan" and the "annuity plans."
These plans and policies
offer both protection and cash surrender value according to policy
provisions. In the better policies. dividends make it possible to
receive considerably more money in cash than was paid in. This type is
decidedly the better from a Christian point of view of stewardship.
But an important problem
remains when you look at these forms of insurance which are
essentially savings for providing security. Is a man's insurancE
reasonable provision for the futurE within the framework of Christian
'duty or a confession of a lack of faith in the provision of God?
BASICALLY, insurance is only
one of several ways of providing security agaist calamity. Many depend
on a savings account or' a farm, securities or commodities. But the
question remain: when I turn to any of these--and insurance has
become one of the most common provIsIons for security--am I
turning away from dependence on God?
George Muller would say so.
This servant of God of the last century (1805-98) was a
well-known proponent of dependence on God apart from any such financial
provisions. He undertook to show to the world that the promises of God
are positive and valid today.
By prayer alone he looked to
God to provide for his daily needs. When it came to building up a fund
to provide security against the day of frailty and old age, Muller
said. "No!"
To George Muller the accumulation of such a fund was storing up
treasure on earth. There was one investment with the promised dividend
of God: "He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord; and
that which he hath given will he pay him again" (Prov. 19:17).
There is a school of
political and economic thought that objects to life insurance
purely on an economic basis. It is pointed out that due to the
fluctuation of the dollar and its decreasing value life insurance is
not as good an investment as it once was.
I assume those who hold this
view would advise other investments which would keep pace with the
dollar value. However, it would appear that they are not against
insurance as such, but speak only from the standpoint of investment
under current conditions.
Someone has charged that
life insurance is really a matter of gambling with one's life. A
Christian insurance man, in reference to this said, "A certain number
of people will die each year. Regardless of whether they are good or
bad this is the order of nature. Gambling, on the other hand, is a
creating of chance,"
He went on to explain, "You
don't have to pick up the dice; you choose to, thereby creating the
possibility of winning or losing. An insurance policy does not
change a person's life expectancy. Furthermore, there is the savings
aspect which is a definite attraction."
From time to time some have
objected that families should care for their own dependents. But the
overwhelming majority of bereaved dependents, when given the
choice between living with sons and daughters or brothers and sisters
and that of being financially independent, would choose the latter .
Without overlooking the thousands of bereaved dependents who live with
their families in happiness, a "third" party usually does not foster
complete harmony. Furthermore, those who hold this objection
overlook the matter of stewardship which we will be speaking' of
further along.
In the course of my survey,
I found only three who really opposed life insurance for the
Christian in principle. A pastor who felt his views were still in th
the process of taking shape said, "I believe we are living in a day
when Christians as well as unbelievers are becoming over-burdened with
various forms of security plans."
A young lady missionary to
Africa said, "I would take these verses [quotedl here earlier]
literally, and include insurance in the category of
non-dependence on God."
Again, a farmer in California
does not think that a Christian should have life insurance,
but he does not consider the fact that his farm is worth thirty thouand
dollars, and that the security provided by it affects his viewpoint.
The fact is, the overwhelming
majority in the survey spoke up for life insurance. In most cases
direct scriptural support was given or inferred. One pastor
suggested, "We have to look at these verses in the light of the rest of
the Bible."
Analying my survey, I have come to the following
conclusions.
1. Mutual concern and
provision is a Christian attituide.
One man, a professor of
Bible, pointed to the patriarchial system of the Old
Testament as being something of a mutual insurance company.
Mutual insurance or provision comes about when a group of people pool
their premiums, and any claims are drawn from the common fund of money.
The patriarchial family, joined either by birth, marriage or
servitude, pooled their resources and members cared for each
othcr in sickness, provided for the disabled and sustained .the
elderly.
Another Biblical
practice could also be called a form of insurance. This was the custom
of the ancient Jews by which a dead man's brother was obligated to
marry the widow, if there were no sons (Duet. 25 :5-10).
The dean of a certain
school suggested that the basic principles of the mutual insurance
movement have their roots in Acts 6 where the deacons were chosen to
care for the widows. The communal living and the relief offerings
of the book of Acts again express their mutual sharing in the time of
need.
One pastor put it this way:
"I believe God uses insurance. to meet the needs of His children. He
will surely supply all needs but he expects us to do all we can." Then
he made the pointed observation that if the Lord is to supply our
needs, there must be some means: if there is no provision, that means
will be our friends, relatives or some agency.
2. Provision for the future
is taught in' Scripture.
In the survey, many
expressed their attitude toward life insurance as being
similar to those words of the wise man:
"Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: which
having no guide, overseer, or ruler, provideth her meat in the summer,
and gathereth her food in the harvest" (Prov. 6:6-8).
A Christian layman, who is a
foreman in a large industry, replied to my questionnaire: "It is
my conviction that after we give to God what is rightly His, it isl our
responsibility, working with Him, to invest what we have left to help
us financially in our retiring years and ease expenses left by
death. I do not believe that God intended for us to sit back
and say, 'You, Lord, owe me a living.' Instead, we should plan
ahead. "I am paid monthly," this man continued, " and I have to
plan ahead for food to last till the end of the following
month. I believe God intends for me to plan for today and for the
future. But I must never let this interfere with my proper
stewardship to God."
3. Total stewardship
requires provision loved ones.
Good stewardship requires
insurance or some other form of provision for the f'uture.
A state Christian education director put it this way: "Stewardship
includes not only money but a wife and children who are gifts
from the Lord. It is therefore my responsibility, as a good steward of
all that God has given me, to provide for my family upon my death
or retirement."
A Christian life insurance
agent spoke strongly in this matter of stewardship. He desired to place
the responsibilities of man and God in their proper h place. "The
Christian who does not believe in s life insurance," he said, " is like
the one
who does not believe in taking aspirin for headaches, or seeing
the doctor for sickness and other established remedies for
the solution of certain problems. There are special cases, of course,
in which the Lord providentially provides benefits for the individual,
but these are only when the normal channels cannot help."
Non-provision for one's
'Ioved ones actually is as bad as infidelity. A Bible teaches gave
this analysis: "The Christian's attitude toward life insurance
should be that of providing; for there are scriptures that say a man is
to provide for his household. This is not belittling the
power of the Lord. He has never told us to sit back and relax and
receive. Work is a blessing'."
Paul wrote to Timothy: "But
if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own
house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel" Cl Tim.
5:8) .
The problem which most people like
Mac and Helen face is that they think they have to decide between
trusting God on the one hand and providing for the future on the other.
The majority of those quoted see provision for the future as an
obligation.
True, there is a danger of
making a provision for the future in the spirit of the man in Luke 12,
who tries to build such a high wall of security that he does not have
to trust God. This of course is a sin and outside the area of Christian
faith.
There should be no real
conflict between our trust in God and our providing for the
future. God has promised to supply all our need, but that provision
includes the natural means of giving us bodies capable of work and
minds capable of planning.
We must exercise stewardship
in our money, in our time and in life itself. In my judgment,
insurance, for the Christian, seems to be intimately related to
all three. END
(This article appeared in the January 1958 issue of
Moody Monthly )