7 Bible Verses for Love
If I were to ask you to tell me what the Bible says about love, no doubt most of the responses would be quotes of 1 Corinthians 13:4–8. You know the passage, it starts with “Love is patient, love is kind…”
If you’ve ever been to a wedding or heard a sermon on marriage, the passage should be very familiar. But the Bible says a lot more about love than just 1 Corinthians 13, and there is a lot more to biblical love than just marriage advice.
Love informs how all of our relationships should function. Love is the basis for our relationship with God. In fact, the Bible even tells us that God is love—love is an essential and inseparable part of God’s character.
Let’s take a journey through what the Bible tells us about love and how we can apply it to our own lives.
Here are 7 Bible verses about love that are important to know, and can help us in our every day walk. Use this guide as part of a personal devotion, family discipleship, or however you find it helps you the best.
1 John 4:7–8
“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.”
These two verses will be the foundation of how we view love. It’s so important to understand what John is teaching us about love here.
God is love. John tells us that love is a part of God’s divine nature. God cannot be separated from love. He doesn’t just love us, in the verb sense. He is love, as an essential part of His person.
The love that we get to experience is an outflow of the love that God has given to us—it’s part of His gifts to all people.
Finally, one of the truest marks of a believer is the love that we have for one another, and indeed for all people. Our relationships and demeanor should be saturated with love. The way that we love others is a reflection of how we love God.
The whole book of 1 John is essentially a primer on what it means to love, and why it’s important. If you want to read more about what the Bible says about love, start there! (But also keep reading)
Colossians 3:14
“And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.”
Love is important. It probably doesn’t take that much convincing. In fact, in the hierarchy of needs, love comes only behind things like food and safety.
Love should be at the forefront of everything we do. Love should be the centerpiece of everything.
One way to think about this verse is to imagine love as the thread that holds everything together. Just as a thread is necessary to sew different pieces of fabric together to make a garment, love is necessary to bring different pieces of our lives together. Without love, our relationships, our work, and our daily activities would fall without real substance or meaning.
When we put on love, we are choosing to actively seek it out in our lives. We are choosing to surround ourselves with it and to make it a priority in all that we do. As we put on love, we will begin to see it in the relationships we have, in the work we do, and in the way we interact with others.
So today, let us remember the importance of love and make it a priority in our lives.
1 John 3:18
“Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.”
It’s easy to say that we love someone, but it’s another thing entirely to demonstrate that love through our actions.
Remember that love is best viewed as a verb. It’s something we must actively do, not simply something that exists within us, but it’s something we must put into action.
When we do put love into action, we will notice a huge shift in our relationships, our spiritual life, and our witness.
Every day we are faced with choices about how we will interact with the people around us. Will you choose to show love or will you choose to be indifferent? Will you choose to help or will you choose to ignore?
When we choose to love in deed and in truth, we are choosing to actively seek out ways to show love to those around us. We are choosing to put others before ourselves and to make a difference in the world.
So today, let us choose to love in deed and in truth. Let us look for ways to show love to those around us, and let us see the difference it makes in our lives and in the lives of those around us.
Romans 13:8
“Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.”
This is a tough verse the more you dwell on it. Paul is saying that the only thing we owe to others is to love them. By loving others, we fulfill the law, which is a commandment from God to love our neighbors as ourselves.
How hard is it to imagine love as a debt that we owe to others? Just as we owe money to those we borrow from, we owe love to those around us. When we choose to love others, we are fulfilling this debt and showing that we are following God’s commandment.
That’s a hard concept to embrace. Culture would tell that love is something earned, and that few deserve it. The gospel reminds us that just as we don’t deserve the love that God freely gives, we are to give love to those who may or may not “deserve” it by our standards.
Love is necessary to support the law. Without love, the law is just a set of rules and regulations. But when we choose to love others, the law becomes a reflection of God’s love for us and for all people.
When we choose to love others, we are choosing to put God’s commandment into action. We are choosing to show love to those around us, even when it’s difficult.
So today, let us choose to love others.
Proverbs 10:12
“Hatred stirs up strife,
but love covers all offenses.”
Sometimes I’m drawn to conflict. I’ll admit that sometimes it’s easier to just get mad and fight about something rather than show love.
Imagine the destructive power of hatred. When we hate, we are focused on the negative aspects of a person or situation, and it becomes easy to lash out and to create conflict.
On the other hand, when we choose to love, we are choosing to see the best in people, and we can overlook and forgive when they make mistakes. Remember that this isn’t just blind optimism. We should use wisdom and discernment when it comes to trusting people in relationships. But whether or not trust exists, we can love others as image-bearers of God.
Just as the right ointment or balm can cover and heal a wound, love can cover and heal the wrongs that people commit. When we choose to love, we are choosing to bring healing and reconciliation to relationships that have been damaged by hatred and conflict.
Just like the previous verse, it can be a tough pill to swallow. It’s not easy to extend love when we’re in conflict with others. But we can choose to put that aside.
When we choose to love, we are choosing to act in a way that is consistent with God’s character. God is love, and when we love others, we are reflecting his character in our lives.
Romans 12:9–10
“Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.”
Genuine love among the believers is an important part of a healthy Christian community. It is vital for all believers to be devoted to one another in love.
What message does it send to a sinful world when all they see is Christian infighting and a complete lack of love within the body of Christ? Is that the best way to show the world the love of Jesus? What if every one of us took steps to honor one another above themselves?
We are called to choose to love others sincerely, and to actively reject what is evil and cling to what is good. This means that we must be constantly aware of our actions and attitudes, and make sure that they align with God’s will.
We are called to be devoted to one another, and to put the needs of others before our own. I love the ESV translation of verse 10: “Outdo one another in showing honor.” It paints this picture of everybody striving and competing to honor the other person more.
In the healthiest sense, it becomes a chain reaction. I show you love and honor, and in response, you commit to show me more love and honor than I did for you. But my response is to increase the measure of love and honor even more. And so on and so on. Do you see how amazing that could be?
This means that we must be willing to sacrifice our own wants and needs for the sake of others, and to always put their well-being above our own.
Today, let us choose to love sincerely, hate what is evil and cling to what is good, and to be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Let us honor one another above ourselves and see how it reflects God’s love in our lives.
1 Corinthians 16:14
“Let all that you do be done in love.”
This simple verse is the perfect way to sum up our brief look at biblical love.
It’s not a reminder to do some things in love. It’s not a reminder to love people when they deserve it. This verse doesn’t remind us that there are moments we should think about love. What it tells us to saturate everything we do in love.
I don’t quote The Message translation often, but I love its rendering of this verse: “Love without stopping.”
This verse is a call to action.
It is not enough to simply say that we love; we must actively demonstrate that love through our actions. This means that we must be willing to sacrifice our time, energy, and resources for the sake of others.
So today, let us choose to do everything in love. Let us be mindful of our actions and make sure that they align with God’s will. Let us be willing to sacrifice our time, energy, and resources for the sake of others and see how it reflects God’s love in our lives.
Buy the Printable Companion to This Post
1 Corinthians 16:14 -
"Let everything you do be done in love."
Help your children learn the importance of showing love to others. The Bible is full of important teaching about how to love, included here are 7 key verses for study.
This printable comes with devotional content so that you can work on learning about biblical love each day with your child, as well as activity guides for children of all ages, and memory aids to help memorize 1 Corinthians 16:14.
