Human Value

Psalm 139:1-3 “O LORD, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit and when I rise; You understand my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down; You are aware of all my ways.”

The concept of human value have been displaced in our society for quite some time. Abortion has undervalued the life of pre-born babies, war disregards the impact of lives lost, and the drive to make drugs more accessible has led many people into addictions that have ruined lives.

There are people who feel undervalued by others in society, and after taking a short history lesson, one can see that our history as humans has been less than stellar.

Dating as far back as we can remember, warfare, slavery and oppression have been present and people have been treated poorly simply because of their lineage, language, or differences in culture or religion. So why do we expect people to change? Don’t the liberal think tanks in many of our universities claim that man is inherently good, that society is evolving into a more pluralistic society where tolerance is universal and people should coexist in a world where there are no absolutes?

In reality, we witness terrible inhumanity around the world every day. No matter the reason, people will try to justify treating others poorly with the only thought for themselves.

Values clarification scenarios were commonly taught in the 1970’s that posed situations where someone had to be sacrificed based off their value to society. A common thread illustrated presented 5 people in a life raft with food only enough for 4 people. Who gets left out? Kids would be taught through these scenarios of who had lesser value compared to everyone else.

The Bible teaches otherwise.

Philippians 2:3 “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.”

The idea of considering others first is a perspective that seems simple but you’d be surprised how little this happens in the world.

The principle that God presents for His people is to help those who are weak and oppressed. If these people are important to the Lord, they should be important to His people.

Isaiah 1:16-17 “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean;
Put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes.
Cease to do evil,
Learn to do good;
Seek justice,
Rebuke the oppressor;
Defend the fatherless,
Plead for the widow.”

Considering others is more than just being thoughtful, it has it roots in holiness. The unborn child has just as much value as the mother of that child. The drug addict has just as much value as the Judge who convicts them. Those who are broken from sin have just as much value as the pastor or discipler who ministers to them.

Matthew 25:35-40 “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink?  And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you?  And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

This famous scripture reminds us of how acting upon God’s love toward others is how we show love to the Lord. This same model was expressed by Jesus and should be the same model His followers should practice.

Sacrificial love is God given, God inspired, and God ordained.

Inherent Value

Your value to God is inherent.

In other words…

• Your value is permanent, it doesn’t change.

• Your value is essential, recognizing it from God’s perspective is necessary for being a disciple of Christ.

• Your value is a characteristic of your inherent worth. Jesus proved how much you are worth by giving up His life for you.

Your value isn’t dependent on your successes or failures, your value lies in your personhood and that was created and defined by God. Your valuable simply because God created you and breathed life into you when you were first conceived. You can’t do good and be more valuable and you can’t do enough sin to decrease your value.

Your value doesn’t change.

We can hurt God by our sinful actions or bring pleasure to Him by our faithfulness or obedience but that doesn’t change the measure of love that God has for you.

Romans 8:38-39 “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

This reality is God’s grace and mercy is offered to all, Jesus declared Himself that many are called but few are chosen(Matt. 22:14). Unless a person has been transformed by the Spirit of God, their ability to love is limited. Society is governed by sin and the works of darkness while hatred becomes a pattern the world practices blindly. We will never see the world truly treating others the way God values them because the world does not possess the ability to love from a godly perspective.

If you are born again by the Spirit of God—you have that ability!

Hebrews 12:28-29 “Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.”

There is hope for those who have suffered under the hands of the hateful. With open arms the Lord beckons all to come in, drink of the water of life, and be made new. This cold hateful world has an expiration date and the Lord will purge it with fire. For the redeemed, they will go out with joy and be led forth in peace.

God’s people have a future the world cannot affect, be strong and courageous, live faithfully knowing that if your apart of this Kingdom your redemption draws near. If you want to see any change in this world, be the light of Christ and flavor it with the salt of righteousness.

When you love your neighbor as yourself, you are fulfilling the commandments of God. Don’t be surprised by the hatred of this world, their god is Satan and they are influenced by a sinful nature that is susceptible to both a fallen nature and demonic influence.

Luke 6:35 “But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.”

God’s people live by a different standard. They treat people through the lens of God’s viewpoint. Just because someone is mean spirited or treats you with disrespect doesn’t change their value in God’s eyes.

The communist jailer is loved by God as much as the believer in the cell. The muslim cleric who pronounces a death sentence on the evangelist is loved as much as God’s faithful witness.

How do you change your perspective?

Draw close to the Lord

Matthew 5:9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.”

In a world that grows increasingly polarized, the people of God must rise above the storm. The world screams insults and threatens, we must react in a way that presents the light of Christ.

The people who a part of groups like Antifa or BLM have value as well. The liberal left that strives to murder children and indoctrinate kids into transgenderism have value.

We must not become like them. If what they see in us is hatred, they will not see Christ in us. We are not of this world, our home is yet to come. Live as members of the Kingdom of God and come out from among them, be Holy.

This world is as bad as it will ever get for God’s people, this world is as good as it will ever be for the lost. Show them some mercy as our God has shown us mercy.

I’m convinced that one day we will witness the condemned and wish we had done more to convince them of the horror that is to come. We have the opportunity now, be vigilant in love.