We live in a largely secular society in the West which places little value on human life (as abortion and euthanasia testify). Often, we feel like a mere number, especially as automation and AI can do our jobs more quickly and efficiently than we can, and many treat people as though they are the scourge of all ills rather than as valuable individuals. This can lead us to feeling worthless and without value and adds to our mental health problems, for we all need to feel worth and significance to function well.
The way God sees people is radically different. We are made in His image (Gen 1:27) and are loved unconditionally by Him. (John 3:16) We belong to Him (1 Cor 6:19-20) and are called His treasured possession, His special possession. (Ex 19:3-6, 1 Pet 2:9) This gives us dignity and worth, no matter what others may think. We are chosen by Him; we are a royal priesthood, a holy nation. Our identity in God is far greater than we often assume.
Treasure is precious, and God says we are ‘a royal diadem in the hand of your God.’ (Is 62:3) At art auctions, we often see mind-boggling prices paid for paintings (Vincent Van Gogh only sold one painting in his lifetime and relied on the generosity of others to survive; in 1990, his Portrait of Dr Paul Gachet sold for $83 million. Leonardo da Vinci’s Salvator Mundi is the most expensive painting in the world, selling for $450.3 million in 2017. It’s not just paintings, either! Robbie Williams recently paid £20,000 for a pair of Eric Morecambe’s glasses, saying ‘the sunshine you asked for, you gave to me.’) The value of something lies in the price someone is willing to pay, and the price God paid for us is the life of His only Son. That gives us an identity as a treasured possession beyond our wildest dreams; we are loved and wanted by God.