Why we are valuable to God

The difference between value and worth

While worth speaks more to the monetary cost of something, value takes into consideration both the emotional and monetary cost. Where worth doesn’t change, value can change. Our worth is set in Christ – he gave his life for us so we are worth an incredible amount, and that will never, ever change. But the value of something can change. 

Think about a new, top of the range Mercedes-Benz. If you’re not a car person, you probably will think “that’s nice, but having a car like that isn’t really of high importance to me.” When you take the cost of the car out of the equation, it’s not really of high value to you, right? On the other hand, your friend may be a die hard Mercedes-Benz fan and place an incredible amount of value on the car. Even taking the cost of the car out of the equation here, your friend clear values the car much more than you. This, however, doesn’t change the worth of the car.

The same can be said for Jesus. All throughout the Bible, Jesus makes is very clear that He is the Son of God. He knows His worth without a shadow of a doubt, and regardless of how little people valued him, His complete identity and worth was found in being the son of God. The fact that people shamed, mocked and criticised Him, His worth never changed and will never change.

Does the Bible say why we are valuable to God?

The good news is that while the way we feel about ourselves or what other people say can make us feel invaluable, the Bible can tell us why we are valuable to God. 

We are made in God’s image

One of the reasons why we are valuable to God is that fact that we are made in His image. Genesis 1:26 says “We are made in God’s image, according to his likeness.” Let that sink in for a moment. We are made in His image. How cool is that! Ephesians 1:4 says “He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love.” These two verses alone should totally transform the way that we live our lives. If the creator of the universe, our Holy, blameless and perfect God created us in His image and chose us before the foundation of the world says we are valuable, we are valuable!

If we think back to the example of the expensive car, when we value something we take care of it and have good plans for it. We aren’t quick to scratch, trash or crash a car that we value. If we are like this with a material car, how much more does our God value and take care of us? Psalm 139:14 says “I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.” As precious children of God, we have immense value in His eyes and we can rest knowing that our Heavenly Father loves and cherishes us. He will never leave nor forsake us, and for that we can be truly grateful. 

Jesus gave his life for us

The second point about why we are valuable to God is because of what we cost. Romans 5:8 says “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” God sacrificed his only son, Jesus, to die an excruciating death to save you and I from our sin. Jesus was willing to lay his life down for you. That is how much value you have. 

Ephesians 1:5-7 says that “he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.” Isn’t it beautiful that God values us so much that He freely gave us His son for our redemption. This adoption into sonship came at an extremely high price, the death of Jesus. The blood of Jesus has set us free, and we should be living the rest of our lives for God in thankfulness for that act. God didn’t just save us to be slaves or servants for Him, but to be His own children and coheirs with Christ. 

Through Christ, we can do great things

The last point about why we are valuable to God is because of what we can do and become through Christ. Jeremiah 29:11 says  “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Our Father in heaven has a plan and promise for our life. We aren’t saved and left alone, but rather God guides us into the plans He has for us. Ephesians 2:10 “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” This verse is similar to Jeremiah 29:11 in that it shows us the work we can do as a Christian. God values us because of the work we can do through Christ.

When God has a plan for us, it’s not a plan like we have. It’s not about getting the best paying job, having the most beautiful wife, the most handsome husband, or being healthy and wealthy. The plan that God has for us is about living a life that glorifies God and spreads the good news of the gospel. He calls us go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything He has commanded us (Matthew 28:19), and this, my friends, is so much better than any plan for our lives that we could have. God values us so much that he allows us to be a part of His plan. What an absolute honour. 

How do we live, knowing we are valuable to God?

So now that we know why we are valuable to God, how do we go about living life as a Christian? First, we need to learn to value ourselves. Scripture tells us what God thinks about us, so we need to start seeing ourselves in the same light. It’s not because of anything you’ve done that makes you worthy or valuable to God, but purely because of God and the sacrifice of Jesus’ blood. Through Him, we are valuable. Not because of our own work. When we know this, we start to live our life according to this. We start to take pride in who we are and confidently step into the calling that God has for our lives. It’s a huge witness to other people when we are confident in our worth as a son or daughter of God. So see yourself the way that God sees you; as a precious child. And go easy on yourself because it’s hard, but with time and patience you’ll get there.

We should also develop our relationship with Christ and let that guide how we live. The Bible makes it very clear that we have a high calling on our life – why wouldn’t we want this? In Ephesians 4:1 Paul urges us to “live a life worthy of the calling you have received.” Be intentional about living a life that is pleasing to God – read your bible, pray, praise, and surround yourself with people who will bring you closer to Christ. All scripture points us to Christ, so get to know him and it will transform you. Less focus on you, and more on Him.

Finally, be humble. Since we did absolutely nothing to earn or deserve what God has given us, the very least we could do is to be humble and serve other people. Ephesians 4:2 says Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Jesus was the perfect example of a humble and meek man and we should mirror this in our lives. When we are truly confident in our identity in Christ and our worth, we can rest. We aren’t striving to please other people or desperately proving our identity, we just know it.  

Want more?

If you’re still wanting to learn more about your worth and value, make sure you check out our podcast episode “Worthy.” In this episode, we discuss your worth – where do you find it? Is it in a person, thing, title or possession? Does the Bible say anything about our worth? How do we know if we are putting it in the right things?

You can also read our last blog post on your worth, which gives more context to what we spoke about here.