I have come that they may have life. John 10:10
What is the value of a human life? There is enough phosphorous in the average human body to tip twenty-two hundred matches, enough iron to make a small nail, enough fat to seven make bars of soap (well, in some cases, maybe a few more than that); enough calcium to whitewash a chicken coop; enough sulfur to delouse a dog and enough sugar to fill a small bowl. But, is not life worth a great deal more than a few elements from a periodic chart?
I was in Dallas, Texas the day Cathy Fiscus, then only two years old, fell into an abandoned well. The media quickly began to cover the story of rescue operations. For a number of hours, the life of the little girl hung in the balance as vast sums of money and hundreds of man-hours were expended in the rescue operation. Around the world cables and telephone calls volunteered money and assistance. A little girl trapped in an abandoned well caught the sympathy of the world. Suppose it had taken a million dollars or two or even three to rescue her, would it have been worth it? Would any child’s life be worth such expense? Well, if she had been your child, you would say without a thought, “Yes! Of course it’s worth it!”
When a life is at stake, nothing is spared to save that life. You see, the value of human life can’t be measured in monetary terms. Your life, friend, is worth more than all the money in all the banks of the world. And I think I can show you why.
There are some things money just can’t buy. When you have a loved one in the hospital, you would spend the last bit of money you had to save that person’s life. The wealthiest people in the world face the same heartache and sorrows that the poorest also face. You see, when someone’s life—somebody that you love—hangs in the balance, often there is little that you can do or anyone can do. Now, doctors may be able to sustain life, but when the human heart stops, you can’t recreate life.
And that insight helps you to understand how God views your life. He looked on your helplessness and inability to create eternal life, so God said, “I’ll send my Son to provide eternal life for you. I’ll do for you what you could never do yourself.” Remember? God alone creates and gives life. In the beginning God breathed into your body the breath of life, and you became a living person. Now, the difference between your life and lower forms of existence is that you have a human soul that will never cease to live. You will live on and on—somewhere—forever. Jesus Himself told us why He came when He said, “I am come that you might have life!” (John 10:10).
OK, then what is the value of a human soul? Well, in God’s eyes, it was worth the death of His Son. Providing life for you cost God His very best, His one and only Son. Amidst the fantastic achievements of our day there is a tendency to minimize you as an individual. You’re just one of seven billion people, and about as significant among the masses as a grain of sand on a beach. But in God’s eyes, you are an individual who is important, and He loves you as you are. You were born as an individual, and apart from the masses, you go home alone. Your life is important to God, so important He sent His Son to be your Savior. Yes, I mean, individually you can say, “I know that Christ is my personal Lord and Savior.”
The Bible asks, “How shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation?” (Hebrews 2:3). When it comes to a question of life and death, nothing of material value is as important as life. It’s true with God too.
Resource reading: Luke 15:1-10
