Theme
Bible verses about love
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The best-known passage about love in the Bible — the one read at a great many weddings — was written to a church that was arguing bitterly, and it is a rebuke as much as a celebration. Knowing that changes how it sounds.
Most of the biblical vocabulary of love describes commitment and action rather than feeling: keeping faith with someone, treating a stranger well, not retaliating.
The passages here cover both, with the context notes marking which is which.
10 passages
Each shows its reference and translation, and links to the chapter it comes from.
4Love is patient and is kind. Love doesn’t envy. Love doesn’t brag, is not proud, 5doesn’t behave itself inappropriately, doesn’t seek its own way, is not provoked, takes no account of evil; 6doesn’t rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; 7bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things.
7Beloved, let’s love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8He who doesn’t love doesn’t know God, for God is love.
34A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also love one another. 35By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
37Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38This is the first and great commandment. 39A second likewise is this, ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’
38For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from God’s love which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
18There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear has punishment. He who fears is not made perfect in love. 19We love him, because he first loved us.
Love doesn’t harm a neighbour. Love therefore is the fulfilment of the law.
And above all things be earnest in your love amongst yourselves, for love covers a multitude of sins.
Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.
Many waters can’t quench love, neither can floods drown it. If a man would give all the wealth of his house for love, he would be utterly scorned.
Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible British Edition, which is in the public domain. “World English Bible” is a trademark of eBible.org.