20 Bible Verses about Self-Worth

The world wants to tell us how to find our self-worth—through appearance, positive affirmations, and ego. Unfortunately, those things all leave us empty so instead we will turn to the Bible for 20 Bible Verses about self-worth that will build for us a solid foundation that cannot be moved whenever we meet someone more beautiful, wealthy, organized, or seemingly more happy than us.

Psalm 139:13-15

“For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth.”

God makes the most incredible things. We can look around us at creation and everywhere we see how awe-inspiring it is. The stars, the seasons, the sun, the fields, and trees, all speak of the majesty and beauty of their creator God.

We are his most prized creation. He made us from the very beginning with a plan and a purpose. And just as we can look at creation and praise its wonder, we can look at the bodies God gave us and praise him. We weren’t just a mistake or an accident. There is a purpose for us here on this earth, and just as a work of art speaks of the artist who created it, we speak of our creator God.

Proverbs 3:26

“For the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being caught.”

Christ-centered self-worth is different than the worth the world tells us about. We can be confident in the Lord and all he has done for us. We don’t have to fear losing our worth because we know it is in Christ and not ourselves. When we memorize a few of these 20 Bible verses about self-worth and repeat them in times of struggle, we can easily put our confidence in the Lord.

Jeremiah 29:11

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

We know that God has good plans for our future even when we mess up. This gives us the kind of self-worth that is unshakeable because it’s not based on changing circumstances but based on an unchanging God who knows our future and has good plans marked out for us.

Isaiah 41:10

“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

A person who knows their self-worth is not a timid person. When we are not busy worrying about what others think of us, we can live without fear of judgment knowing it’s God who upholds us by his righteousness and not our own.

Luke 12:6-7

“Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God. Why even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.”

In our day-to-day lives, we do so many mundane, unseen tasks. It can be easy to feel forgotten and worthless when we’re changing diapers, filling out paperwork, or folding laundry. No one sees these efforts and they often go unrewarded. But we can feel confident in our self-worth when we remember that God sees and cares about every detail of our lives. He knows us better than we know ourselves and he loves us.

The world is a cruel place and people will say what they want about us. But when we have Christ-centered self-worth, we have no reason to fear their judgment. We are valuable in God’s eyes and he will always care for us! Memorizing some of these 20 Bible verses about self-worth is a key in our battle against the put-downs of people and those we put on ourselves.

1 Corinthians 10:13

“No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation, he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”

Often when we are going through temptations or trials, we feel as if we are the only ones. It may seem like there is something wrong with us or the world is out to get us and we are perpetual victims. This passage reminds us there is nothing we can go through that is not common, or normal for people to go through. We are certainly not alone in our struggles.

Satan would like us to think that we are, but the truth is our struggles are common. Understanding that we are not the only ones and that God is faithful to help us in our challenges can give our Christ-centered self-worth a boost.

Romans 12:2-3

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.”

Our thoughts determine our lives. They set us free or they enslave us. We might think that because someone else has more than us, then it must mean their worth is higher than ours. Or maybe we’re always worried about how something will affect our reputations so much so that we never take risks for fear of looking foolish in front of others. It doesn’t have to be this way though! We can choose new thoughts with God’s help!

2 Corinthians 3:5

 “Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God.”

Christ-centered self-worth is very different than the false sense of confidence and ego that comes from the world. When our confidence comes from our own appearance and accomplishments, we have to constantly build our egos up against everyone around us. Pride is truly a coverup for low self-esteem and our egos are a bottomless pit we can never fill.

Instead, we can remember our sufficiency comes from God alone. That is solid ground to stand on. We are not able to live our lives without relying on God’s help and that is good news that can give us rest.

Hebrews 12:5

“And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him.”

It’s easy to think that maybe God doesn’t like us when we go through hard times. It can feel like God is out to get us and we don’t deserve his blessings. The truth is we actually don’t deserve his blessings as sinners, but he gives them anyway because of His mercy and grace. God also disciplines us at times because he loves us and discipline leads to fruit in our lives.

This passage from Hebrews reminds us that God disciples his children. A parent would not discipline a stranger’s child or someone they didn’t care about. In fact, discipline is a sign of being a child who is loved. This may feel backward, but parents know it’s true. And this truth can remind us of our self-worth as God’s children next time we endure something difficult.

Colossians 3:12-14

“Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.”

When we are aiming to grow our self-worth, this passage gives us an excellent list of character traits that come from someone who knows they are chosen, holy, and beloved. So instead of focusing on feeling chosen, holy, and beloved, we can focus on cultivating the fruits of the spirit in our lives, and the worth we have in Christ will naturally grow.

The fruits of the spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. It’s important to remember that cultivating these traits in our life will lead to the worth that comes from Christ that we talked about earlier. If you find yourself feeling the need to work on your worth in Christ then start out by focusing on these fruits of the Spirit and see how it changes your life.

Hebrews 13:6

“So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?”

So much of our lack of self-worth comes from basing our approval on what others think of us. This is called “fear of man.” Another way to put it is people-pleasing. We may think we are just trying to be kind, but there is a way to show kindness without working for the approval of others. That way is by worrying more about God’s opinion of us and his approval than the approval of others. 

When Jesus walked this earth he was hated, cast out, falsely accused, abused, and eventually murdered. If God’s perfect son couldn’t make everyone happen, neither can we. The pressure is off! 

Hebrews 10:35-36

“Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.”

This verse describes confidence in a very contrasting way to the world’s definition. Godly confidence comes from what God promises to do in us, rather than in what we do. A person who is confident in their abilities may look appealing from the outside, but what we don’t see is all the inner battle of worry and fear they deal with. Instead when we can find our confidence in God’s promise of an eternal reward for us, our confidence is truly unshakable. 

Romans 15:13

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”

When looking to grow our Christ-centered self-worth, the Holy Spirit is our helper. He is the one who can fill us with all the joy and peace we long for. He does it for our good and his glory. Instead of trying to manufacture confidence on our own, we can go to God trusting him to fill our cups with the fullness of his joy and peace. In return, that same Holy Spirit can fill our lives with hope because of what Christ has done for us and who he is in our lives.

Titus 3:5

“He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit.”

We can see a pattern in these 20 Bible verses about self-worth, that it truly has nothing to do with us and our own striving, but is entirely based on the mercy of Christ. It’s comforting to know that we don’t earn God’s love, forgiveness, and favor by trying harder, doing better, or being a “good enough Christian.” The proof is in what Jesus has done for us on the cross.

There is nothing we can do to make God love us more or less. No matter who we are or what we’ve done, God sees us as one of his precious children. When it comes to our standing with him, there is nothing that could change it. We don’t have to be “good enough” because grace makes up the difference when we fall short.

Romans 5:8

“But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

We can stop striving for self-worth on our own because we know that God didn’t love us while we were doing good. We were utterly dead in our sins when God had mercy on us by sending his only son to die for us. Nothing we did could earn this grace and that is the confident foundation we can build our self-worth on. His saving power and not our own.

We are who God says we are, children of the living God. And that isn’t anything our own doing. But in Christ, it’s by grace through faith and not because of any good thing in us.

Matthew 11:28-30

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

It’s so easy to get caught up in the busyness of life and forget that we have a heavenly Father who loves us. He doesn’t want anything from us but our love an obedience, yet he gives everything to us. This is a mystery that our finite minds can never fully comprehend.

There are days where it feels like nothing goes right and all of your best efforts seem to come up short. In those moments we can go to God and find the rest our souls crave.

When we stop trying to earn our own self-worth or find it in other people’s approval, then we can walk with Jesus and live under his easy yoke. One of the best ways to remember our need for rest in Jesus is to take one of these 20 Bible verses about self-worth and place it somewhere we will see it every day.

Philippians 4:8-9

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.”

When we seek to grow our self-worth in Christ, one of the best things we can do is pay attention to our thoughts and steer them towards excellence. If we have a bully in our head constantly putting us down, we are not living in the truth of who God made us to be. This is something we can practice by first paying attention to those shaming thoughts, and then by replacing them with the truths we find in these 20 Bible verses about self-worth. Pick the verse that speaks to you the most and post it on your mirror to memorize.

Proverbs 28:6

“Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity than a rich man who is crooked in his ways.”

This world often defines worth by wealth and appearance. Unfortunately, this way of thinking will leave us defeated because there will always be more beautiful and wealthy people than us when we look around. God defines worth differently. He tells us it’s better to have integrity than to be a deceitful rich person.

So next time we are tempted to compare ourselves and put ourselves down based on someone else’s appearance or wealth, let’s take those thoughts captive and remember that the Lord values our character more than those other things that don’t last.

James 4:6

“But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

Christ-centered self-worth is equivalent to humility. When we are humble we know our faults well and we don’t try to cover them up or strive to make up for them. We know there is no amount of striving we can do to erase our sins. Therefore that humility leads us to grace rather than self-sufficient pride.

We are valuable because God values us. We aren’t just valuable when we’re at our best. No matter how good or bad we seem to be doing, God will always give grace freely and abundantly. We can meditate on these 20 Bible verses about self-worth as we rest in our worth in God.

1 John 4:19-21

“We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.”

Many times the very best thing we can do for our sense of self-worth is to learn to love others well. Often those who are most critical of others, are also most critical of themselves. Jesus knew this and so gave us the commandment to love those around us. We get the power to love our brothers, and thus ourselves because God first loved us. His love is the pattern we use in our lives for how we treat others and how we view ourselves.

Conclusion

There are many elements of Christ-centered self-worth that make it a powerful force in our lives. The first is the constant reminder that we have value because God loves us unconditionally – he knows every detail about our lives and sees into even the darkest parts of who we are. 

Second, living with no fear or judgment from others gives us the freedom to be ourselves without being afraid of what people think. We know they may judge but it doesn’t matter as long as God accepts us for who we are! 

Finally, when you love those around you well, your sense of self-worth will increase exponentially because loving others demonstrates faithfulness to Jesus’ commandment. You can do this by giving freely or sacrificially out of gratitude for all that you’ve been given in Jesus.

Ready to dive into what the word of God says about your health and worth? Grab a girlfriend and go through our Healthy Habits Bible Study together! Another beautiful way to get the truth of God in your mind consistently is to listen to Podcasts for Christian Women as you drive, fold laundry, or take a walk outside..