Is human life valuable?

"Look at the birds. They don't plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren't you far more valuable to him than they are?" —Matthew 6:26 (NLT)

When the world talks about something or someone being "valuable," they're usually referring to how much a thing costs or how important a person is. Sometimes the value of a person is defined by how much they can give back to their community, by how attractive they are to others, their wealth, their intelligence, or how much physical ability they have to take care of themselves.

But when the Bible talks about human value, this is the overwhelming fact: people are inherently valuable. This means that God considers us valuable simply because we exist. He considers us more important than the most expensive, most rare item money can buy. We're worth SO much to God that He sent His Son to DIE for us so we wouldn't have to face eternal punishment for our sin (John 3:16-17). We don't need to earn our worth by what we do or accomplish or how attractive or smart we are. Our worth was established the moment we came into being.

"For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them." —Psalm 139:13-16

Where does our personal value come from?

When God made the first people (Adam and Eve), He created them differently from everything else He had made so far. For animals and nature and the sky, God just said, "Let there be..." and it came into existence (Genesis 1). But when God created humans, He said:

"Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground." —Genesis 1:26 (NLT)

Then He "formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man's nostrils, and the man became a living person" (Genesis 2:7, NLT). This was the first time God created something that was a unique representation of Himself (Colossians 1:16). Humans didn't start as a lower life form and evolve into what we are today. We were fully formed as invaluable men and women on the first days of Creation (Genesis 1:27).

What makes human life special?

Each person, since the beginning of time, has inherited the position of being "image-bearers" of God. Being God's image-bearer doesn't make us gods or demi-gods. Rather, human beings were made to reflect who God is and what God is like to everyone and everything around them.

Unfortunately, sin profoundly changed our relationship to God and the rest of the world. Humans became slaves to sin and death (Hebrews 2:14-15). We were in constant battle with darkness (Ephesians 6:12). We experienced weakness and trouble (Isaiah 40:6; Job 14:1). And we were inclined toward evil in mind and heart (Genesis 8:21; Psalm 51:5).

But, by God's grace, He continued to love and value us just the same. Through salvation in Jesus, we could restore our relationship with God and become new creations in Christ. Through Jesus, we become a people who are "chosen and precious" to Him (1 Peter 2:4). The Holy Spirit transforms us into the person we were created to be—a human being who is precious, chosen, and incredibly valuable in the eyes of God (Matthew 6:25-34; 10:31; Luke 12:4-7).

Every time you talk with another person—or look in the mirror—you are interacting with someone who is priceless, special, and specifically, uniquely made by the Creator of the Universe.

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• Feeling Loved When You Don't Feel Loveable
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• What does the Bible say about self worth?
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