Daniel Seabaugh

We size people up in strange ways. Unlike the God of the universe, we look at outward appearances (1 Samuel 16:7). If a person has a BMW, we assume they are wealthy. If a person is slim, we assume they are disciplined. If someone has a robust smile and great laugh, we believe they are friendly, maybe even safe. If we spot a talent or knack or gift in an individual, we encourage them to produce content or material to bless the world.

Even though we have an eye for appearances, much of what happens in our interior lives goes unseen. Oftentimes, what lies beneath the surface of our exterior world haunts us until the grave. We live fearfully, hoping people won’t discover our wounds. We hide from others and keep our distance lest they learn the truth. Instead of doing difficult heart work, we compete to be the best, look the best, and outperform the rest. We think if our interior world was exposed, we’d be greatly devalued. So we settle with appearances.

What makes a person valuable? Is it their ability to keep it all together in stressful situations? Perhaps it’s the size of their bank account or lifetime achievements. Are we valuable based on where we live, what we wear, or who we know? Should value be assessed pragmatically, placing higher levels on those who produce praiseworthy things?

God does not value the things the world values. According to Scripture, all people are valuable because they are loved by God. Furthermore, all people possess worth because they are made in God’s image. Regardless of their failures or accomplishments, every person has intrinsic value.

That truth should be a paradigm shift for many of us. Christians, perhaps most of all, should stop judging people based on outward appearances. Is somebody wealthy? Great. Is that person good looking? Fine. If such things were removed, would they still be valuable? Absolutely.

Nancy Pearcy first opened my eyes to personhood theory in her book, Love Thy Body. According to this theory, “just being biologically part of the human race…is not morally relevant. Individuals must earn the status of personhood by meeting an additional set of criteria—the ability to make decisions, exercise self-awareness, plan for the future, and so on…. Only those who meet these added conditions qualify as persons.” In other words, a human being is only a person if they bring value to the world or can express a desire to want to be someone or something.

Personhood theory holds the view that human life, in and of itself, is morally insignificant. What matters is not that a person has a heartbeat or blood flowing through their veins, but that they can express themselves in ways that give meaning to the world around them. This theory is responsible for much of the gender confusion, abortion debates, and euthanasia nightmares we see in our world today.

If we believe personhood theory, that means as soon as you and I are unable to produce something valuable to society, we must be disposed of. If we are in the womb, we can be killed. If we are elderly and homebound, we may be human, but we are no longer persons.

Understanding God’s measure of value would produce an equality in our world never before seen. If everyone is valuable because they are made in God’s image, then what they do, or who they know, or the money they earn, or their biological gender makes no difference to their worth. We would all be infinitely valuable–neither Jew nor Gentile, slave nor free, male nor female, but all would be one, especially those in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:28).

Don’t you want to see this kind of world? Imagine a world without division. Imagine a world without hate.

People are valuable because they are loved by God. They are loved by God because God loves them. We don’t have to produce a thing. God created us and is crazy about us. The dichotomy between human being and “person” is demonic and grossly unbiblical.

People are not valuable because of what they do. They are valuable because they are made by God and forever loved by him.