Knowing that a person has intrinsic worth is vital to their identity. This concept runs counter to the culture. According to our culture people are viewed based on their performance. This is especially difficult for kids in school. Imagine how one boy feels when he realizes that his friend who he has been playing baseball with for many years makes the team and he does not. In these situations, the kids who do not make the team often feel dejected and question their worth.
However, the idea behind intrinsic worth is that our performance is separate from our worth. So, how does that make you feel? Well, I think it should level out our pride. If I am a super star athlete shouldn’t I now realize that I’m not as superior as I once viewed myself? Conversely, if I have been playing backup all season shouldn’t I feel that I’m part of each victory as the next player?
So, where does the notion of intrinsic worth come from? It starts with knowing that we have a creator God. Through His providence, no molecule was created without His hand bringing it into being. God is powerful enough that once the initial six days of creation were complete, His sovereign hand continues to work and bring new life into the world while maintaining control of the physical world.
While I use the term intrinsic worth, the only reason I can is because every human was created in God’s image. God carefully knit every human in their mother’s womb, though purposed to fulfill different roles in their life is equally special to God. God is like the sculpture who rejoices in all His work. This means that every human who has and ever will live has a direct tie to God. This means we are not tied to our gender, our personal failures and successes, our rank in society, our family lineage or anything else. God transcends all of this.
Our purpose, then is to give Him glory and enjoy Him forever. When I consider giving Him glory, I think of the Holy, holy, holy praises given to Him in both the Old and New Testament. Glorifying God also comes through knowing Him by His attributes. Three that stand out are all present, all powerful, and all knowing. In enjoying Him forever, we come to Him for His strength, wisdom, and are satisfied with Him as our ultimate fulfillment. The question I posed here along with the application applies to every person showing that God is impartial and does not play favorites.
Our Founding Fathers correctly stated that we are all created equal which matches what has been said. In their wisdom, when crafting the Constitution, they included 10 protections known as the Bill of Rights. While they were wise in crafting all 10, we must be careful not to define liberty by this list as the 9th Amendment reminds us. In fact, most of them, if not all were in response to the conditions they faced under British occupation. If not careful, we may assume that liberty is determined by circumstances.
With all that has been said, I conclude that our liberty stems from our direct connection to God as mentioned above. Who can we trust more than Him who knew us before the dawn of time, preordained the works we are to carry out in our lives and blesses us for our obedience to Him? Two of His commands that come to mind, exist for our protection. I think of Though Shall Not Murder and Thou Shall Not Steal. Without these commands, how can we claim that we have a right to our life or our property? God has given authority to the state to protect these rights and others.
Provided we respect our neighbor’s rights we are free to pursue our endeavors. Unfortunately, in the U.S. and other countries, man has placed additional burdens beyond what God has required for people. Those who have done this are playing God and have effectively used their positions to adversely affect our ability to enjoy what God has bestowed upon us. Despite what has been said here about intrinsic worth, those in power through their manipulation of policy have placed judgement on individuals and classes to determine who receives privileges while determining who maintains their rights.
The good news is that the Almighty God is not blind to any of this. He will bring forth judgement on those who do evil by compromising the well being of others. As scriptures tell us, there will be a time when all His enemies will be at His footstool.
In His Image 