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What does the Bible say about self-worth?


 

Self-worth, not to be confused with self-esteem, is an internal sense of our own personal value as human being or how much we believe we are worth being loved and included by others. Our sense of self-worth often fluctuates over time, depending on the people, places, and circumstances of our lives at any given moment. Sometimes the world influences how we see ourselves because of unfair comparisons. Sometimes our friends or family influence our self-worth because of what they say (or don't say) about us. Most often, our sense of self-worth gets skewed by the lies we tell ourselves about not being good enough, smart enough, or whatever enough.

If we base our self-worth on external things like people, places, and circumstances, we're bound to be disappointed. Even if we have people who praise and love us, many of us tend to then feel pressure to achieve or "do enough" to maintain that approval. And when we fail or make mistakes, our sense of self-worth may plummet—no matter how much others might try to build us up again.

If we base our self-worth on how God sees us, we'll find a much more solid foundation in WHY we are worth everything to God. God never changes and that goes for His love for us too (Hebrews 13:8). The Bible tells us that we are unique creations, made by the Creator of the Universe, and that each one of us is 100% worth dying for.

You are a unique creation.

Take a look at Psalm 139:13-16. The author celebrates God's creativity and design of the human body. He sings of the awe-inspiring wonder of how God made us. God found us worthy of investing in—even before we were born. Our Creator knit together our unformed bodies with the story of our lives already written. God found us worthy enough to love us intensely and unconditionally and to give us each a unique body, purpose, and calling.

You are a reflection of God.

Genesis 1:27 tells us that God created us in His image. That means that we are made to have the attributes of God, reflecting His glorious attributes in us and through us. God loves and values His creation. As we read the account of God creating the universe in Genesis 1, we find over and over that He calls it "good." We believe that whenever a new human life is created, God lovingly gives that life a soul that will live forever. God chose YOU to receive this incredible gift!

You are chosen.

The Bible tells us that God has placed such a high value on us that He chose us to be His sons and daughters before He even started to create the world (Ephesians 1:4). A believer's self-worth can be captured in the undeniable truth of being a child of God (John 1:12). The Creator of the entire universe says YOU are His child and that He loves YOU with unconditional love that cannot be shaken or moved (Romans 8:35-39). God values you so much that He brought you into His family and promised that He will never stop loving you—never (Psalm 103:11-12).

You are worth dying for.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him." —John 3:16-17

God loves and values us so much that He wants us to live with Him in Heaven for all time. In order to do that, a sacrifice had to be made to pardon our sins because no sin can enter Heaven (Romans 6:23). God sent His Son, Jesus, to become a human being and sacrifice His life on our behalf (Mark 10:45; Colossians 1:21-22). Read Philippians 2:6-11 to see how much Jesus went through for us! THAT is how much you are worth. You are worth Jesus' LIFE.

A recap of what God says about you:

Notice that these are truths of what God has done for us. He made us, chose us, and He offers us forgiveness of sins and eternal life with Him. Our self-made "self-worth" is something that changes and fluctuates with our moods, our daily circumstances, and what people say. Our "self-worth" is distorted by unhealthy, sinful influences.

But what would happen if we allowed ourselves to find our worth in how GOD values us? Remind yourself of that list above. You are an awe-inspiring, unique creation of God whom He loves enough to sacrifice His Son for so that you can be a part of His family forever. Well, taking all that into account, there's really no limit to our worth in God's eyes, is there?

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