Today is an interesting National Day Calendar celebration as well as an historical day. It all began in 1759 and we have the Presbyterians to thank.
The orphaned and widowed are an unenviable subculture that have been with us for a very long time. The Lord first addressed this group in Exodus 22:22 with a simple command. “Ye shall not afflict any widow, or fatherless child.” The care of this group was prescribed in Deuteronomy 14:28-29. “At the end of three years thou shalt bring forth all the tithe of thine increase the same year, and shalt lay it up within thy gates: (29) And the Levite, (because he hath no part nor inheritance with thee,) and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, which are within thy gates, shall come, and shall eat and be satisfied; that the LORD thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hand which thou doest.”
As the centuries passed, the care of this subculture was often neglected or relegated to the state or church. This is where the Presbyterians stepped up to the plate and introduced something that is a part of our culture today.
“In Pennsylvania, a group of officials of the Presbyterian faith created a fund to protect Presbyterian ministers and their families. It was called the Corporation for Relief of Poor and Distressed Widows and Children of Presbyterian Ministers. With a name like that, you can understand why it was changed to something much simpler—Presbyterian Ministers Fund for Life Insurance.
“The business grew slowly. It was difficult to convince people that this new idea of life insurance was worth the investment. Plus, some people thought that it was in poor taste to place a dollar value on human life. Opinions began to change after people saw how widows and orphans benefited from the insurance policies—they gave the families financial help when they needed it the most.”1
We should not only thank the Presbyterians for life insurance. We also have to say a big thank you to Benjamin Franklin. Seven years earlier, he had started the first American fire insurance company and had a hand in the start of life insurance.2
Since its inception, “the [life insurance] industry has grown and as of 2021, more than half of adults in the United States owned … insurance. With a total revenue of over 945 billion U.S. dollars in 2021 alone in the life/annuities industry, the life insurance industry in the United States provides employment for over 360,000 individuals throughout the U.S., as of 2020.”3
As the cost-of-living increases, have you updated your policies? Are you adequately insured? Can you provide for your loved ones after you’re gone? While you’re looking over your policy and considering the future, take a moment and consider Ephesians 1:12-14.
“That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. (13) In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, (14) Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.”
When we trusted Jesus as our Savior, our eternal life insurance policy went into effect. Best of all, WE never pay the premiums. They were paid in full once and for all by Jesus. The guarantor of the policy is the Holy Spirit. He is called the “Spirit of promise” and the Lord never breaks His promises. This promise and guarantee are given “until the redemption of the purchased possession.”
Dr. Grant C. Richison writes, “The “day of redemption” here is our ultimate redemption, the deliverance from all sin and evil.”4 So, when does this happen? Putting it bluntly, either the Rapture has to happen or our death in order for us to cash in on this ultimate redemption. Romans 8:23 says, “And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.”
If you know Jesus as Savior and have been born again, your eternal life insurance policy is in place. Rejoice because you will collect on it soon. But if you aren’t saved, you are not insured. You don’t have life insurance or fire insurance and the fires of hell await.
Sign up for the Lord’s insurance plans today.
1https://www.trustage.com/learn/life-insurance/life-insurance-history2
2https://www.investopedia.com/articles/financial-theory/08/american-insurance.asp
3https://www.statista.com/topics/3343/life-insurance/#topicOverview
4https://versebyversecommentary.com/2015/04/19/ephesians-114/
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