The 60 Best Bible Verses About Loving Others (for Every Occasion)

🌺  Written by Guest

Sometimes it’s easy to love others, but sometimes…it’s hard. Whether we desperately want to show love or are struggling to do so, there are many Bible verses about loving others that God has left for us as a guide. Check them out below!

Women with arms around each other. Text says Bible Verses on Loving Others for Every Occasion.Have you felt convicted lately because you know that you should love someone who has hurt you, but you just find yourself unable to do so?

Maybe you’re having a hard time loving your neighbor or the poor.

Or maybe you just want to read some loving words that will help you better connect with your spouse or valentine.

No matter what we are experiencing in our lives, God has provided us with many Bible verses about loving others that can help guide us on our journey of showing more love to those around us.

 

We can see several Scriptures throughout the Bible where God calls us to love one another.

Perhaps the most popular love one another Bible verse is found in 1 John 4:7-12.

It says:

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

 

God is clear in his message in this Bible verse when he says, “Let us love one another.” Although this Bible verse about loving others is helpful, sometimes as we go through life’s trials, we still need additional reminders of what that looks like. When we love others, we show obedience to Him.

Thankfully, all of the guidance and advice that we need is already in the Bible! We don’t need to go our own way. God provides several Bible verses about loving others that we can use to help!

 

Bible Verses About Loving Others for Valentine’s Day

 

Valentine’s Day is seen as a day to show those that we care about how much we love them. If you’re a Christian, there’s also a great opportunity here to use Scripture to spread love to others.

Whether you jot these down in a card or text or decide to lead a Bible study on what love looks like in the Bible, there are some remarkable Bible verses about loving others that are perfect for this love-filled holiday.

 

Song of Solomon 2:16

“My beloved is mine and I am his; he browses among the lilies.”

 

Song of Solomon 1:2

“Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth – for your love is more delightful than wine.”

 

1 Corinthians 13:4-8

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.”

 

Song of Solomon 4:1

“How beautiful you are, my darling!”

 

Mark 10:9

“Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”

 

Genesis 29:20

“So Jacob served seven years to get Rachel, but they seemed only like a few days to him because of his love for her.”

 

Song of Solomon 3:4

“Scarcely had I passed them when I found the one my heart loves. I held him and would not let him go.”

 

Song of Solomon 1:16

“How handsome you are, my beloved! Oh, how charming!”

 

Related Reading: Five Marriage-Boosting Christian Valentine’s Day Gift Ideas

 

Bible Verses About Loving Your Spouse

 

The Bible teaches us a lot about Jesus’s perfect love for us, which can be a leading example for our marriages. Marriage is a powerful covenant that we enter into with our spouse and God.

Wondering what the Bible says about loving your spouse? The Bible verses about loving others below share more of what marriage and affection should look like biblically.

 

Ephesians 5:25

“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.”

 

Ephesians 5:33

“However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.”

 

Proverbs 19:14

“House and wealth are inherited from parents, but a prudent wife is from the Lord.”

 

1 Peter 3:7

“Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect.”

 

Matthew 19:4-6

“Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ and said, “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become flesh? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”

 

Colossians 3:19

“Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them.”

 

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor. If either of them falls down, one can help the other up.”

 

Ecclesiastes 9:9

“Enjoy life with your wife, whom you love.”

 

Song of Solomon 4:10

“How delightful is your love, my sister, my bride! How much more pleasing is your love than wine, and the fragrance of your perfume more than any spice!”

 

Proverbs 31:10

“A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies.”

 

Bible Verses About Loving Your Friends

 

There are many instances of true biblical friendship in the Bible. From Jesus and Lazarus to Paul and Timothy, we can see many instances of what friendship looks like and we can refer to the parts of the Bible that reference these friendships.

Although sometimes it’s nice just to read Bible verses about loving others, in this case loving your friends. Take a look at these Bible verses where God shares the value of true friendship.

 

John 15:13

“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”

 

Proverbs 17:17

“A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.”

 

Proverbs 18:24

“One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”

 

Galatians 6:10

“Therefore, as we have the opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.”

 

Proverbs 27:9

“Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart, and the pleasantness of a friend springs from their heartfelt advice.”

 

1 John 4:7

“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.”

 

Romans 12:10

“Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.”

 

Ruth 1:16

“But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.”

 

Bible Verses About Loving Your Neighbor

 

When it comes to loving our neighbors, sometimes it’s easy and other times it’s a little more difficult. Referring back to the Bible to see what God asks of us is helpful to keep us on track with letting our love shine through to others.

Check out these Bible verses about loving others below to help you love your neighbor even when it’s not so easy to do.

 

Matthew 22:37-39

“Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God will all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.'”

 

Mark 12:33

“To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

 

1 John 4:21

“And he has given us this command. Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.”

 

Matthew 19:19

“Love your neighbor as yourself.”

 

Matthew 5:43-45

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and unrighteous.”

 

Romans 13:8-9

“Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. The commandments, “You should not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,” and whatever other commands there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

 

Leviticus 19:18

“Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.”

 

Hebrews 13:1-2

“Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters. Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.”

 

Matthew 25:35-36

“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.”

 

Related Reading: What Mary and Elizabeth in the Bible Can Teach Us About Friendship

 

Need a Little Reminder on How to Love Your Neighbor?

scriptures on loving your neighbor

Are you having a hard time loving your neighbor?

It could be due to different beliefs, opinions, or something else entirely, but no matter the reason that we are struggling to love our neighbor, we can see several instances in the Bible where God demands that we love them anyway.

Having Scripture close by to reference can be a helpful way to keep our minds on God’s intentions for us and our lives.

Download these “Loving Your Neighbor” Scripture cards and place them where you’ll see them often (on your fridge, in the car, in your purse).

These beautiful Scripture cards will help you on your journey to loving your neighbor even when it’s difficult!

Get your “Loving Your Neighbor” Scripture cards here.

 

Bible Verses About Loving Others When It’s Hard

 

We all go through seasons where loving others is difficult. Whether it’s due to jealousy, hurt, or something else, it’s important for us to remember that we’re called to love one another even when we don’t really want to or our burdens feel too heavy.

Take a look below at some Bible verses about loving others when it’s hard.

 

Romans 12:10

“Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.”

 

Ephesians 4:2

“Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.”

 

1 John 4:11

“Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”

 

John 15:12

“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.”

 

Romans 12:17

“Be careful not to repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone.”

 

Luke 6:31

“Do to others as you would have them do to you.”

 

Matthew 7:3-4

“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?”

 

1 Peter 4:8

“Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.”

 

1 John 4:19

“We love because he first loved us.”

 

John 13:35

“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

 

Philippians 2:1-4

“Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of others.”

 

Bible Verses About Loving Others Who Hurt You

 

As humans, it’s in our nature to hurt others. Although we don’t always intend to, it happens. Our human nature is why God sent Jesus Christ to die on the cross to cover our sins.

Even if we understand that, when you’re the one who has been hurt as a result of someone else’s wrongdoing, it can feel difficult to forgive. Read below to see some Bible verses about loving others who hurt you so that you can forgive and move forward in good conscience.

 

Proverbs 10:12

“Hatred stirs up conflict, but love covers over all wrongs.”

 

Luke 6:35

“But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.”

 

Romans 13:8

“Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law.”

 

Luke 6:27-31

“But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. Give to everyone who asks you and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you.”

 

Leviticus 19:18

“Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself.”

 

Colossians 3:13

“Bear with each other and forgive one another if anyone of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”

 

Ephesians 4:32

“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each another, just as in Christ God forgave you.”

 

1 Corinthians 13:1

“If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.”

 

Related Reading: How to Let Go of Past Hurts and Move Forward

 

Bible Verses About Loving the Poor

 

Whether we realize it or not, there are many poor people living in our communities. It’s our responsibility to spread God’s faithfulness with others by loving and supporting them! Read below to see some Bible verses about loving others, specifically about loving the poor.

 

Deuteronomy 10:18

“He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing.”

 

Psalm 9:18

“But God will never forget the needy; the hope of the afflicted will never perish.”

 

Matthew 25:35-36

“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.”

 

Matthew 25:40

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”

 

1 John 3:17

“If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?”

 

Proverbs 31:9

“Speak up and judge fairly; defend the right of the poor and needy.”

 

Proverbs 14:31

“Whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God.”

 

Matthew 19:21

“Jesus answered, ‘If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.'”

 

I hope these Bible verses about loving others for any occasion encourage you to continue sharing love with others even when it’s difficult. What Bible verses about loving others spoke to you the most? Comment below to share!

Brittany Ann Equipping Godly Women

About the author

Brittany Ann is an ECPA bestselling author of “Fall in Love with God’s Word” and “Follow God’s Will” and the founder of EquippingGodlyWomen.com, a popular Christian-living website dedicated to helping busy Christian moms find practical ways to go "all in" in faith and family. Her work has been featured on CBN, The Christian Post, Crosswalk, and more.

{"email":"Email address invalid","url":"Website address invalid","required":"Required field missing"}