Are Sinners Worthless? The Radical Worthlessness of Humanity and the Amazing Worth of Christ

Scripture: Romans 3:12, Isaiah 64:6, Psalm 22:6

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Today, we embark on a journey through the very heart of the Gospel, a journey that will take us through the valley of our own worthlessness and lead us to the pinnacle of Christ's redeeming love. Yes, you heard me right: our worthlessness. This may sound harsh, but it is the truth we must face. Are sinners worthless? The answer is a resounding yes. Yet, paradoxically, it is also a resounding no.

You see, my friends, we are both utterly worthless and infinitely valuable. How can this be? How can a wretch like you and me, a filthy rag in the sight of the Almighty (Isa. 64:6), also be something God deemed worthy of saving?

The Worthlessness of Man

Let us begin with our worthlessness. Scripture is clear: "All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one" (Rom. 3:12). This is not some mild rebuke from the lips of the Apostle Paul. This is an indictment from God Himself, the Creator of all things. This is a declaration that apart from Him, we are nothing—worse than nothing, in fact. We are rebels, traitors to the Kingdom of Heaven, and we deserve nothing but His holy wrath.

We live in a culture that likes to think of humanity as basically good, fundamentally decent. But let us not be deceived, dear friends. Remember the words of the prophet Isaiah: "We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment" (Isa. 64:6). Even our best efforts, even the good deeds we boast about, are tainted by sin. We are, as the Psalmist cries out, worms and not men (Ps. 22:6). We are fallen, corrupted, and totally depraved. That is the state of man apart from God.

The Image of God and the Fall of Man

Yet, in the midst of our worthlessness, there is a glimmer of something more. How can it be that we, who are nothing but filthy rags, are also made in the image of God? This is where we must turn our attention to the grand narrative of Scripture. God created man in His own image (Gen. 1:27). There was a time when we were wonderful (Ps. 139:14), when humanity stood as the crown of God’s creation, above all other creatures (Ps. 8:5). But that image has been marred. It has been broken by sin.

And this is where the mystery lies. We are both precious and profane. Precious because God made us to reflect His glory, profane because we have turned our backs on Him. Worthless because of our sin, yet still holding the image of God.

The Radical Grace of God

Here’s the radical, almost scandalous truth of the Gospel: God, in His infinite mercy, looked upon our worthlessness and chose to redeem us. Not because of any worth in us, but because of His love for His own image within us. While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Rom. 5:8). Not while we were worth saving, not while we were good, but while we were still dead in our trespasses, still enemies of God.

Do you see the wonder of it, my friends? God looked upon a world of worthless sinners and chose to pay the highest price imaginable—the blood of His only Son, Jesus Christ. We are not saved because we are worthy; we are saved because He is worthy!

The Joy of Salvation: Worthless Yet Worthwhile

So, where does this leave us? Are we worthless or worthwhile? The answer, dear friends, is both. In ourselves, apart from God, we are utterly worthless. But in Christ, we find our true worth. In Christ, we are made new creations. In Christ, we are justified, sanctified, and one day, glorified.

We are like jars of clay, fragile and easily broken, but filled with the treasure of God’s Spirit (2 Cor. 4:7). We are valuable not because of who we are, but because of what Christ has done. It is His righteousness that gives us value, His blood that redeems us, His Spirit that transforms us.

Conclusion

Let us not be mistaken. In our sin, we are worthless. But in Christ, we find a worth that surpasses all understanding. Let us therefore not boast in ourselves, but in the cross of Christ alone. For it is there, at the cross, that our worthlessness meets His worth, our sin meets His righteousness, and our death meets His life.

May we cast ourselves wholly upon His mercy, trusting not in our own merits, but in the radical grace of God. For in Christ alone, we find our worth. Amen.