Should Christians Have Life Insurance? What the Bible Says

Written by Cory Levine, Life Insurance Expert ✅

Founder of The Life Insurance Professionals · Licensed since 2018 · Boca Raton, FL, serving families nationwide

Licensed ExpertHundreds of Families Helped9 min read

Last updated: November 12, 2026 ·

Editorial disclosure

This article was written by Cory Levine, a licensed independent life insurance agent, for general education. It is not financial, tax or legal advice. Cory may earn a commission if you buy a policy through him, and that never changes what he recommends. Rates, benefits and availability vary by company, state and underwriting.

Helping families since 2018. Content follows our editorial standards to protect consumers.

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Cory Levine is an independent life insurance agent in Boca Raton, Florida, serving families nationwide. After losing his wife in 2017 and raising his children on his own, he helps families compare term life with living benefits, indexed universal life, permanent coverage and annuities, with honesty and no pressure. Read Cory’s full bio

Should Christians have life insurance? Yes. The Bible calls us to trust God and to provide for our families, and those two things don’t compete. Having life insurance isn’t a lack of faith. It’s biblical stewardship: caring for the people God placed in your care, even after you’re gone. The goal is enough coverage to protect your family, not a windfall.

Is having life insurance a lack of faith in God?

The Christian view of life insurance is one many believers wrestle with. If God is sovereign and promises to provide, shouldn’t we simply trust Him with our family’s future?

I understand the question, and I believe the answer is found in the difference between trust and inaction. Trusting God has never meant doing nothing. We lock our doors, wear seatbelts, buy health insurance, save for retirement and sign 30-year mortgages. None of that means we doubt God. It means we’re using the wisdom He gave us.

James says it plainly: “Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone” (James 2:17). Planning is one of the ways faith shows up in real life.

What does the Bible say about life insurance?

The Bible doesn’t mention life insurance by name, but these Bible verses speak clearly about providing for your family and planning ahead:

• 1 Timothy 5:8: “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.”
• Proverbs 13:22: “A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children’s children.”
• Proverbs 21:5: “The thoughts of the diligent tend only to plenteousness; but of every one that is hasty only to want.”
• Matthew 6:33: “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

Put together, the message is balance: seek God first, trust Him fully, and be a diligent steward of what He has entrusted to you, including your family.

(Scripture quoted from the King James Version.)

What can Joseph teach Christians about planning ahead?

When God warned Pharaoh of seven years of famine, Joseph didn’t shrug and say, “God will handle it.” He trusted God and he planned. He stored grain during the seven good years so that Egypt, and his own family, survived the seven hard ones (Genesis 41).

That’s what life insurance is. You set aside a little during the good years so your family is cared for if a hard season comes without warning.

Why does a Christian widower care so much about this?

My wife passed away in 2017, and I was left raising my children. I learned firsthand what a family goes through when a parent is suddenly gone: the grief, the bills that don’t stop, the decisions that can’t wait.

My faith carried me through that season. And it’s a big reason I do this work. One verse I try to live by is Philippians 2:3: “Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.” Life insurance is one of the most selfless things you can buy. You’ll never use it yourself. Every dollar is for someone else.

That verse also shapes how I work. Putting others first means a good agent does what’s right for his client, every time. That means recommending the coverage you actually need, at a price you can keep paying, even when a bigger policy would pay me more.

Do pastors need life insurance?

Often more than anyone. Pastors pour themselves into their congregations. They’re there for every hospital visit, every funeral, every family in crisis. But many never stop to prepare their own family for the day something happens to them.

A few things make this especially important for ministry families:

• Housing can disappear. If your family lives in a church-owned parsonage, they may need to move out after you pass, at the worst possible time.
• Social Security may not be there. Ministers who opted out of Social Security with IRS Form 4361 can’t earn Social Security credit for their ministry income, and the exemption is generally irrevocable. That can mean smaller or no survivor benefits for a spouse and children.
• Church coverage is often small. Coverage through the church or denomination, if there is any, may only be a year or two of salary, and it usually ends if you leave.

Churches can also protect themselves with key person life insurance on their pastor, which helps the ministry through a transition. But that pays the church, not your family, so it doesn’t replace your own personal coverage.

Pastor, you’ve cared for your flock. Let someone help you care for your own household the same way. If you’re not sure where you stand, I’m happy to review it with you at no cost.

Is life insurance materialistic for a Christian?

It shouldn’t, and it doesn’t have to. The purpose of life insurance isn’t to make your family rich when you die. It’s to keep them from being crushed financially while they grieve.

A good Christian approach to coverage is simple: enough to meet real needs, not so much that your death becomes a windfall. Think about:

• Your debts, so you don’t leave your spouse or children with what you borrowed
• The mortgage, so your family can stay in their home
• Income replacement for the years your family would need it
• Your children’s future, like education or a wedding
• Final expenses, so your family isn’t scrambling to pay for a funeral

Here’s how to figure out how much life insurance you actually need.

What type of life insurance should a Christian get?

There’s no single “Christian” policy. The right one depends on your season of life:

• Term life insurance is the most affordable way to protect a young family during the years they depend on your income. Many healthy adults pay less than a dinner out each month.
• Permanent coverage lasts your whole life and can help with final expenses or leaving a legacy to your children’s children. A protection-focused design with a guaranteed death benefit can cost far less than traditional whole life.
• Layering both gives you bigger coverage during the high-need years and a smaller lifelong policy that never goes away.

Whatever you choose, protection should come first. Compare your options in term vs whole life insurance and the best alternatives to whole life.

Can life insurance help while I’m still alive?

Yes. Many policies today include living benefits, which let you use part of your death benefit early if you’re diagnosed with a serious illness. When my wife was sick, I saw how quickly medical costs and lost income pile up. Living benefits can help carry a family through that season. Read living benefits explained by a widower.

How should a Christian family set up life insurance?

1. Pray and talk it over with your spouse. Agree on what you want to protect.
2. Add up the real needs: debts, mortgage, income, children’s future, final expenses.
3. Cover both spouses. A stay-at-home parent’s work has enormous value. See how much coverage each spouse needs.
4. Name your beneficiaries carefully. If your children are young, consider naming a trust as beneficiary.
5. Pair it with a will, so your family knows your wishes and who would care for your children.
6. Work with someone you can call. You want one agent you can trust and reach anytime, not a call center you’ll never hear from again.

Christian life insurance FAQs

Is life insurance biblical?

Life insurance isn’t named in the Bible, but the principles behind it are: providing for your household (1 Timothy 5:8), leaving an inheritance (Proverbs 13:22) and preparing for hard seasons, as Joseph did (Genesis 41).

Do pastors need life insurance if they opted out of Social Security?

Especially then. Ministry income covered by an approved Form 4361 exemption doesn’t earn Social Security credit, so a pastor’s family may receive little or no survivor benefits. Personal life insurance helps fill that gap.

Is it a sin to have life insurance?

No. Nothing in Scripture forbids it, and many passages encourage wise planning and providing for your household. What matters is your heart: trusting God first, and using life insurance to care for others, not to chase wealth.

What Bible verse supports life insurance?

1 Timothy 5:8 (providing for your household), Proverbs 13:22 (leaving an inheritance) and the story of Joseph in Genesis 41 (planning ahead) are the passages most often cited.

How much life insurance should a Christian have?

Enough to cover your family’s real needs: debts, the mortgage, income replacement, your children’s future and final expenses. Not so much that your death becomes a windfall.

Should a Christian buy term or whole life insurance?

For most young families, term life gives the most protection for the least money. Permanent coverage makes sense when you want lifelong protection or to leave a legacy. Many families combine the two.

Does having life insurance mean I don’t trust God?

No. Trusting God and planning wisely go hand in hand, just as Joseph trusted God and still stored grain for the famine.

Are you ready to protect the family God gave you?

If you’ve been putting this off because it felt like a faith question, I hope this brings you peace. Providing for your family is an act of love and obedience. I’d be honored to help you do it well. I’m based in Boca Raton, Florida, and I help Christian families and pastors nationwide.

📅 Book a free 15-minute call or call/text 561-542-8610.

Prefer to start on your own? Take my private 5-minute health check, or see your term life rate.

Related reading: family life insurance · a widower’s guide to money after a death · is a life insurance death benefit tax-free?

Cory Levine | The Life Insurance Professionals. Licensed agent located in Boca Raton, FL, serving clients nationwide. This article is for educational purposes only and is not religious, tax or legal advice. Coverage, pricing and benefits vary by insurer, age and health.

About Cory Levine

Cory Levine is an independent life insurance agent and founder of The Life Insurance Professionals, based in Boca Raton, Florida and serving families nationwide. Licensed since 2018, he has helped hundreds of families protect what matters most. After losing his wife in 2017 and raising his children on his own, he knows firsthand what the right coverage means to a family. Guided by his faith, Cory treats every family he helps as a responsibility, not a sale, with honesty, transparency and no pressure. He compares top-rated companies to find honest options: term life with living benefits, indexed universal life, permanent coverage, and annuities, including 401(k) rollovers and retirement income you can’t outlive. Florida License W526357.

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves.” — Philippians 2:3 (NIV)