The incredible worth of humanity is shown through the Creator’s greatest act—sending His only Son to give His life on the cross. Just as things of great worth are built to last, humanity is offered the potential for eternity. This profound truth should shape our entire worldview. Our physical existence is a temporary, formative opportunity, a journey that requires us to surrender our self-interest to attain eternal redemption.
In Zimbabwe, a deeply troubling perspective has emerged, where the gleam of gold and other minerals is prized above human life. How can anyone equate the life of another person with the value of the ore for which they are killed? The loss of a human being is a tragedy that demands mourning. Jesus Christ did not die for precious minerals; He died for people. This alone establishes that human beings possess a worth that transcends anything money can buy.
This principle, however, forces us to confront uncomfortable questions. Do most people mourn the death of a murderer, such as a member of the notorious Mashurugwi gangs? The value of such an individual, in the eyes of society, has been so degraded that it seems immeasurable against anything good. Some might even celebrate when such people are killed in confrontations with the police. But this does not mean they are inherently less human. They possess the same potential for worth as anyone else.
Murderers, like all people, are included in the grace made possible by Jesus’ death. This truth extends to those in power whose poor governance causes widespread suffering. To measure a human being against any material thing is to trivialize the sacrifice of Christ. The tragedy is that those who have sunk to such depths of violence may be entirely unaware of how far they have fallen, and how much of their own potential they have destroyed.
I use the example of the Mashurugwi not to single them out, but to illustrate a degradation that can befall anyone. As long as a person values money above self-respect, they are not so different. What motivates an act of corruption? Is it to enhance one’s true self-worth, or merely to inflate the value of one’s possessions? It seems the goal is often to elevate material status, even at the cost of personal integrity.
Some may even envy those who acquire wealth through dishonest means. I hope this article challenges that view. Ignorance leads people to believe that living in an expensive suburb or driving a luxury car increases their value. These things do nothing of the sort. The irony of all time is that the more one strives for such luxuries as a source of identity, the more one risks diminishing one’s true, potential worth.
This is not to say that owning nice things is wrong. The point is that a person’s true value cannot be compared to possessions. Our worth is derived from our ability to benefit others. The real problem arises when material things are prioritized over our capacity to benefit others.
To understand what makes a person truly valuable, we need only look at how value itself is determined. Value is assigned by those who benefit from whatever the person is able to offer, whether service or product. We value a car because it transports us. But the car’s worth is nothing compared to the driver, let alone the person who built it. Ultimately, no one would choose to die in a car, no matter how expensive, if it meant saving a life.
The mindset of someone who kills for material gain is twisted. They fail to grasp that they are utterly dependent on other people: on doctors when they are sick, on farmers for their food, and on the very factory workers who built the car they crave. They could not survive a single day without the web of human contribution. Material objects, by contrast, hold no such intrinsic value. A mansion filled with gold is meaningless without people to appreciate or care for it. Without human connection, such a luxury home is just an empty structure, destined for decay.
A person’s true worth is not demonstrated by pretentious behavior or fake grief. Even the loss of someone society deems undesirable is a loss, for they had the potential to change. Those who truly understand human value mourn sincerely, even for the dangerous, because they recognize the equal worth of all people. It is this very worth that led Jesus to the cross.
Every death deserves grief, for it is the loss of potential. Psalms 116:15 tells us that God views the death of His faithful servants as precious. Conversely, as Ezekiel 18:23 notes, He takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather hopes they will turn from their ways. When a sinful person lives, there is always hope for repentance and transformation.
This is why the reaction to a death reveals so much about our own values. When Osama Bin Laden died, the global reaction was more celebratory than sorrowful. Yet, from a biblical perspective, those who celebrate are not demonstrating “value.” Truly valuable people are those who can still grieve for a killer like Bin Laden, recognizing him as a product of a broken world, a soul in desperate need of the gospel. He was made in God’s image and could have been a child of God.
This brings us to the core definition of value: it is determined by the service one provides to others. A person is valuable when their existence benefits those around them. Our worth diminishes when fewer people seek our contribution, and it is destroyed when hatred for others consumes us.
For instance, celebrating the assassination of a political figure, regardless of their actions, aligns one with the very mindset of a killer. To wish death upon another, for any reason, is to devalue oneself. An individual’s worth is measured by their altruistic contributions, not by the benefits they receive or the enemies they defeat.
The highest form of value is found in the ability to remain composed and to help even one’s persecutors recognize the error of their ways. This is why figures like Nelson Mandela are revered. They understood the intrinsic value of every human life, regardless of the flaws of those who wronged them. Ultimately, the greatest lesson on this subject comes from Jesus:
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous… Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:43-48).
Our worth is restored when we value what God values. To condemn another is, in a way, to judge God and to forget our own need for grace. The Pharisees must have learned this when they brought an adulterous woman before Jesus. They saw only her sin and her worthlessness, while Jesus saw her humanity.
“…‘If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.’… At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time… Then neither do I condemn you,’ Jesus declared. ‘Go now and leave your life of sin’” (John 8:6-11).
Imagine what that woman thought of Jesus. It is not an exaggeration to think that to her, no other person’s value could compare to the one who saved her life. Also, consider the relationship between a wealthy man and his faithful steward. The steward values the master who pays him well, but the wealthy man values the steward’s loyal service, ahead of the money he gives to the steward. A steward’s respect might fade if underpaid, but a true master treasures a good steward far more than the money he spends. This dynamic illustrates a simple truth: value is found in those who faithfully serve others in any way.
Jesus told His disciples that the greatest among them would be the servant of all. Money, unused, is worthless. True fulfillment comes from living by the principle, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” (Matthew 7:12). The more people you serve, the greater your value. The more you focus on being served, the smaller your world becomes.
People often exhaust themselves in pursuits that lead nowhere, leaving life feeling empty when the focus is only on self. Jesus set the ultimate example by choosing to serve humanity entirely rather than Himself. His ministry spanned just three and a half years, fully dedicated to His Father’s mission and wholeheartedly committed to serving humanity, leaving behind a powerful example of a life lived with true purpose.
We all possess the capacity for this kind of value. We lose sight of it when we prioritize being served over serving others. Once this truth is understood, the relentless chase for material possessions to impress people loses its power, and we can finally commit ourselves to what truly matters—a principle as old as humanity itself.
Humanity’s real value comes from a divine source, most clearly shown in the Creator’s sacrifice of His Son—an act that brings eternal redemption and proves people are worth far more than any possession. This contrasts with those who prize gold or minerals above human life, as seen in places like Zimbabwe. Measuring worth by wealth or resources misses the point of Christ’s sacrifice, which was for people, not things. It’s a call to see the value in everyone, even those who’ve done wrong, because they, too, are covered by the grace made possible through Jesus’ death and still hold the same potential for worth, even if their actions have clouded it.
True worth is found in serving others, a life perfectly shown in Christ’s selflessness. While society may chase wealth and status, these don’t define a person—kindness and service do. A powerful example is staying calm and guiding those who’ve hurt us toward understanding, as Nelson Mandela once did. It’s about loving our enemies, praying for those who harm us, and remembering our own need for grace. Choosing to serve rather than be served frees us from materialism and keeps our focus on the deeper purpose of helping others—following Jesus’ ultimate example of giving His life completely for humanity.