Introduction

Throughout human history, scarcity has been the backdrop against which value is defined. Currency, trade, labor, and the pursuit of wealth arise because human beings cannot simply create what they desire ex nihilo. Yet the biblical image in Ezekiel 7:19—of people throwing their gold into the streets because it is useless in the day of judgment—forces us to imagine a reality where material scarcity collapses. In such a condition, even precious metals lose their hold as stores of value. What, then, is intrinsically worthwhile to beings who can create whatever they need?

This paper explores the nature of value in a world where beings face no constraints of production, linking the theological warning of gold discarded in judgment to the philosophical and ethical contours of post-scarcity existence.

The Collapse of Instrumental Value

In a society where creation is effortless and limitless, all goods become infinitely reproducible. The scarcity that underwrites price and exchange evaporates. Gold and jewels, once markers of wealth, can be manufactured at will. Their worth as currency vanishes; they no longer mediate trust or scarcity. As Ezekiel’s vision suggests, they are relegated to the dust of the street—ornamental at best, meaningless at worst.

Without scarcity, instrumental value ceases to exist. The “means to an end” logic that fuels markets becomes irrelevant. What remains is a search for what cannot be manufactured by fiat.

What Is Intrinsically Valuable?

For beings who can create anything they wish, intrinsic worth must lie in realms untouched by mere fabrication:

Authentic Relationships Trust, loyalty, love, and companionship cannot be conjured ex nihilo. One may simulate them, but true relationality requires reciprocity and vulnerability. The act of choosing another being freely, in love or friendship, remains valuable because it cannot be compelled or fabricated. Wisdom and Understanding Knowledge can be generated endlessly, but the lived comprehension and discernment to use it well emerges only from experience, reflection, and responsibility. In biblical tradition, wisdom is described as more precious than rubies (Proverbs 8:11). For post-scarcity beings, wisdom remains irreducibly valuable. Moral Integrity Character—the tested quality of one’s being—cannot be manufactured. It is forged through choice, suffering, and persistence. When gold is thrown into the street, righteousness becomes the only “currency” that endures. Time and Attention Even for beings who can create endlessly, time remains finite in its lived dimension. To grant attention, to listen, to be present—these acts of devotion retain value because they cannot be mass-produced. Transcendence and Worship The biblical critique of wealth points toward a higher ordering of value: God Himself. In a society that can make all else, the eternal Creator, unmade and unmanipulable, becomes the true object of devotion. As Revelation describes, the redeemed cast their crowns before the throne, recognizing that glory belongs to God alone.

Biblical Resonance: Gold in the Streets

The prophetic vision of gold discarded echoes a consistent biblical theme: material wealth is temporary, while spiritual and relational goods endure. When the idols of exchange collapse, beings are stripped to their true worth. This anticipates the eschatological reality where the only treasure is the treasure laid up in heaven (Matthew 6:19–21).

Thus, in the biblical imagination, post-scarcity existence is not a utopia of endless possessions, but a revelation of what matters beyond possessions.

Implications for Human Imagination

Though humanity has not yet reached a post-scarcity reality, the thought experiment clarifies our present:

It exposes the contingency of money and markets. It reorients us toward intrinsic goods that even now exceed economic calculation. It cautions against idolatry of material wealth, reminding us that currency is fragile, while relationships, wisdom, and moral character endure.

Conclusion

For beings who can create without limit, the worth of things is not determined by scarcity but by permanence, authenticity, and truth. The biblical imagery of gold cast into the streets illustrates this inversion: when all material measures fail, what remains of value is wisdom, righteousness, love, and communion with God. These alone endure when every other good can be manufactured at will.