“God paid a ransom to save you. . . . And it was not paid with mere gold or silver, which lose their value. It was the precious blood of Christ.” 1 Peter 1:18-19 (NLT)

Deep down everyone wants dignity. Everyone wants to know they’re worth something and to believe their life matters.

What gives your life dignity? People try to find dignity in all kinds of things—things like wealth, work, beauty, and sex. But you’ll never find it in any of those places. You can “have it all” by the world’s standards—and still feel empty or fake inside. 

Why? Because you were made for more. 

Where does real dignity come from? It comes from these three truths.

God sacrificed his Son, Jesus, for you. God considered you valuable enough to die for. The Bible says this: “God paid a ransom to save you. . . . And it was not paid with mere gold or silver, which lose their value. It was the precious blood of Christ” (1 Peter 1:18-19 NLT).

How much is something worth? Whatever a buyer is willing to pay for it. Jesus was willing to pay for you—for your salvation—with his own life. It was like he was saying, “I’d rather die than live without you.” You’re that valuable to God. 

That’s why the Message paraphrase says this: “Treat everyone you meet with dignity” (1 Peter 2:17). Everyone you meet is someone Jesus died for. And because of that, everyone deserves to be treated with dignity. 

The Holy Spirit lives within you. When you invite Jesus Christ into your heart and life, you’re asking God’s Spirit to live inside you. As you get to know him, you learn to recognize his voice as he teaches you to live like he wants you to.

The Bible teaches, “Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself” (1 Corinthians 6:19 NLT). God would never put his Spirit inside of junk. The fact that the Holy Spirit lives within you gives you dignity.

Jesus has given you a new identity. When you trust Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord, he transforms your life; he makes it better and new. The Bible says, “Anyone who is joined to Christ is a new being; the old is gone, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17 GNT).

Every time you sin, it damages your dignity. It replaces a little bit of self-respect with a little bit of shame. But Jesus is in the dignity-restoring business. When you trust him for salvation, he gives you a fresh start, a clean slate. He forgives you—and then he restores your dignity.

No matter who you are and what you’ve done, your life has dignity—because Jesus died for you, God’s Spirit lives in you, and Jesus has given you a brand-new identity. There’s no need to live in shame. Live in your God-given dignity.