Should Christians Have a Prenup?

1. It may communicate distrust. If one person feels the need to protect certain possessions from the other before the marriage has even begun, the other spouse may reasonably wonder whether they are truly being trusted.
    
2. A prenup may communicate uncertainty about the marriage itself. Because these agreements typically establish what happens in the event of divorce, they can feel like planning for the marriage to fail before the covenant has even begun.
    
3. It may be harder to pursue the financial unity marriage requires. A couple can begin thinking primarily in terms of “mine” and “yours” when marriage should increasingly move them toward “ours.”

Those concerns should not be dismissed. A legal agreement intended to provide financial protection can unintentionally introduce fear, suspicion, or division into a relationship.

However, that does not necessarily mean every prenuptial agreement represents a lack of biblical commitment.

Are There Situations Where a Prenup May Be Helpful?

Consider a couple entering a second marriage when one or both spouses already have children.

Perhaps each person has accumulated assets that they hope eventually to leave to their children. In that situation, a carefully constructed agreement may help clarify expectations and reassure family members that the marriage is not motivated by financial gain.

Rather than creating division, the process could potentially encourage greater transparency by forcing the couple to discuss difficult questions before marriage.

The important issue is not simply whether a legal document exists, but why it exists and what posture of heart stands behind it.

Is the agreement primarily about self-protection? Is fear driving the decision? Does one person want to maintain control over “their” money?

Or is the couple prayerfully trying to navigate genuine responsibilities involving children, previous marriages, family businesses, or complicated estate-planning concerns?

Those situations require wisdom, not a one-size-fits-all answer.

Let the Agreement Serve the Marriage

If a couple is considering a prenup, the process should involve far more than conversations with attorneys.

It should include honest discussions about money, trust, expectations, generosity, inheritance, and what financial oneness will actually look like in the marriage. Couples should pray together and seek wisdom from mature believers and qualified legal and financial professionals who understand their circumstances.

Most importantly, any agreement should serve the marriage, not undermine it.

Marriage is ultimately a covenant, not merely a contract. A legal document can clarify financial arrangements, but it cannot create the trust, sacrifice, forgiveness, and faithfulness a healthy marriage requires.

Whether or not a prenup is appropriate in a particular situation, husband and wife should continually pursue the oneness God designed for marriage—honoring Christ and one another with everything He has entrusted to them.

On Today’s Program, Rob Answers Listener Questions:

• When I use a rewards credit card, especially one offering 5% cash back, is the merchant paying higher processing fees to fund those rewards? I’m asking because I don’t want my rewards to come at a small business owner’s expense.
• My wife and I have had a Genworth long-term care policy since 1999. Our annual premium has risen from about $1,500–$2,000 to $11,000, but we’re concerned that reducing coverage could eliminate valuable protections, including a provision that waives the survivor’s premiums if one of us dies. At ages 83 and 81, is it still worth keeping the policy?
• I recently bought about $140 worth of individual stocks through Cash App and would like to learn more before investing further. What resources or advisors would you recommend for understanding stock investing?
• I’m 70 and recently retired. I owe about $11,000 on my home and $11,000–$12,000 on my car, and I have about $50,000 in a gold IRA and $120,000 in retirement accounts. I plan to live mainly on Social Security and continue giving regularly. Should I pay off the remaining debt, roll over my old 403(b), or make any other changes to my retirement plan?

Resources Mentioned:

• Become a FaithFi Partner
• The Sound Mind Investing Handbook: A Step-by-Step Guide to Managing Your Money From a Biblical Perspective by Austin Pryor with Mark Biller
• Betterment
• Faithful Steward: FaithFi’s Quarterly Magazine
• FaithFi Field Guide: How Much Money is Enough? 
• Our Ultimate Treasure: A 21-Day Journey to Faithful Stewardship by Rob West
• Wisdom Over Wealth: 12 Lessons from Ecclesiastes on Money
• Look At The Sparrows: A 21-Day Devotional on Financial Fear and Anxiety
• Rich Toward God: A Study on the Parable of the Rich Fool
• Find a Certified Kingdom Advisor® (CKA)
• FaithFi App