Does the Bible say anything about self-worth?

TL;DR:

The foundation of a human being’s self-worth is in being made in God’s image. His love for us reveals that He values us far more than we or others can.

Scripture teaches that our self-worth comes from God, not from within us nor from others. Human beings are created in God’s image, which gives us inherent worth. The Bible shows that we are of so much value to God that He sent His Son to die for us while we were still sinners. Our Creator adopts us as His sons and daughters when we accept His Son as Savior (John 1:12). God gave us value by covering us in Christ’s righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21). Attempting to create our own self-worth is prideful and fruitless. Self-worth based on anything other than God will not last. Unlike people, God loves us despite our outward appearance, possessions, or anything external (1 Samuel 16:7). To develop a healthy sense of self-worth, we must focus on how God sees us and the worth He places on us. He values us far more than we or others can.

from the old testament

We were created in God’s image (Genesis 1:26–27). That alone gives us immeasurable self-worth.
As God’s image-bearers, we are “fearfully and wonderfully made" (Psalm 139:14).

from the new testament

God's love and care for us is evidence of our worth. As Jesus said, “even the hairs of your head are all numbered” by God (Matthew 10:30-31).
Our self-worth is shown by God sending His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for us while we were still sinners (Romans 5:8; Ephesians 2:1-5). He is the worthy One (Revelation 5:9, 12).
Our worth does not come from ourselves, but from God. He chose us as His own before He established the foundations of the world (Ephesians 1:3-4). Upon our belief in Christ, we are God's children and have an inheritance in heaven with Him (Ephesians 1:13-14).

implications for today

“You’re worth it.” “You deserve it.” Advertisers love using slogans like that to sell us something we probably can’t afford and definitely don’t need. In truth, we’re just a marketing statistic to those advertising agencies, so they don’t know if we really “deserve” their product. But God does know us. And though we don’t deserve it, He has imbued us with self-worth by creating us in His image and giving us eternal life when we put our faith in Christ.

Today, people often base their self-worth on the things they own or the job they have or how attractive they look. The problem is that all those are temporary. When they inevitably end, so does our self-worth.

Instead of basing our sense of self on “treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal” (Matthew 6:19), we must root it in our Heavenly Father’s value for us. If God has deemed us valuable, who can refute that?

God loves us so much that He sent His Son to die for us so that we can have eternal life—though we don’t deserve it. The worth we have because of that is incomparable.

understand

Our self-worth comes from being created in God's image, which gives every person inherent value.
God’s love for us, shown by Christ dying for us while we were still sinners, proves how much we are worth to Him.
Lasting self-worth is found in how God sees us—not in our achievements, appearance, or others’ opinions of us.

reflect

When have you most struggled to see your worth, and how might remembering you are made in God's image change that perspective?
In what areas of your life are you tempted to base your self-worth on temporary things such as appearance, success, or approval?
How would your daily choices or self-talk change if you truly believed your worth comes from God's love and not your performance?

engage

Why is it so easy or tempting for us today to tie our self-worth to things like careers, relationships, or looks?
How can we encourage each other to root our identity and value in God's view of us rather than what the world says?
What would it look like for us, practically, to help people understand and live out their God-given worth?