The Foundation of Human Worth

Human worth is found in the status of humans as beings made in the image and likeness of God (Gen. 1:27, KJV), and all humans are equal in this respect. God made humans the pinnacle of his good creation, giving them the task of lording over the earth and all its creatures because they, like him, are agents capable of exercising free will. This free will may have led to the fall of man from a state of perfection in the Garden of Eden, but humans retain their original value even if they fail to live up to all that God created them to be. Christianity, however, promises a return to perfection through the death and resurrection of Christ.  

Those who know the Bible’s illustration of humanity’s journey, first away from God and then back to Him, can best see the worth of human beings. However, this does not mean that those without faith cannot see evidence of human worth. God still indicates to all of us His goodness and intentions for mankind. Most people understand that there is something inherently special and valuable about human beings, though without faith, it may be difficult to know what that “something” is. St. Paul articulates this in Romans 2:15, when he references “the law written in their hearts” (Rom. 2:15, KJV) that accuses and excuses even those who don’t know God. 

Thomas Jefferson later references the same natural law in the preamble to the Declaration of Independence and writes that all men are equal in their possession of “certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” (US 1776). Jefferson may not reference Christ, but his assertion of man’s equality before God fits with the Christian understanding that God is the source and salvation of all men, regardless of who they are or where they come from. We may have many differences, but as most with a Christian background and culture understand, things like sex, race, or ethnicity have nothing to do with our worth. Similarly, differences in size, level of development, environment, or degree of dependency do not affect our worth because that worth is inherent to us as human beings. Denying the worth of some humans denies the worth of all, which is why the Christian understanding of what humans are demands effort from believers to ensure that all people are included within the human family. 

Ruth Moreno 2021