The Bible is a book of love, and it can be challenging to remember that the Bible talks about love extensively. It speaks of God’s love for humans, our love for our creator, and our love for one another. But what is expected of us when it comes to love? Here, in no particular order are the 15 things The Bible says about love.
1) Romans 13:8 “…for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.”: This shows us the importance of love in the Bible. We focus a lot on the love between man and God and our obligations to him, but people forget how vitally important it is to love one another. This passage is a reminder. Paul tells us that if we genuinely love each other, we have fulfilled the entire law of The Bible. If we truly loved each other, we would not want to sin as sins would disrupt a community’s harmony. Loving each other is so powerful that Paul argues it fulfills all of God’s wishes for us.
Prayer-“May we learn to love our neighbor so powerfully that sin never has space to enter our minds. Amen!”
2) Genesis 2:24 “…hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.”: This shows how, in marriage, we cease to be separate people. Through our love for one another, we merge into one. We create so many marriage problems by our desire to live our own lives in marriage, but The Bible clarifies that this is not possible. Married couples are one flesh, one person, and each must be considered when making any decisions.
Prayer- “May our marriage be one love, one flesh, and may we live under God’s good graces. Amen!”
3) 1 Corinthians 13:2: ” if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.”: We talk a lot about faith and a belief in God in Christianity, but this reminds us that it is not enough. We are a community and must have faith and love in God and love for our neighbors. As this powerful passage points out, if we have faith but no love, we have nothing.
Prayer” May our faith in our Lord and our love for one another grow every day. Amen”
4) 1 John 2:9-10: “Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness…”: You hear a great deal of what people hate these days, but hate is not a Christian concept. This scripture is explicitly pointing to the people you probably know that claim to love God but hate all his creations. This passage says you can’t have both. If you are a good Christian but hate your brother or sister, you are still lost.
Prayer- ” May we stay in the light and learn to love and banish the darkness that whispers for us to hate. Amen!”
5) Song of Solomon 8:7: “… If one were to give all the wealth of his house for love, it would be utterly scorned.” We worship wealth in our society, but this passage instructs us that love is the real currency. All the promises of wealth and riches cannot buy true love, and the one who has a genuine love is already rich beyond measure. This passage reminds us that helping our fellow person is more important than collecting wealth for love is eternal.
Prayer- “May I not heed that call of riches but listen to the call of love. Amen!”
6) 1 John 4:8, “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.”: Christ is love. That’s a big idea. That means when you hate, insult, or commit violence against another; you are moving further from God. To truly understand God, one of our most fervent wishes, we must understand love. You cannot conceptualize God without understanding love since they are the same thing.
Prayer- “May I learn to love deeper and, in so doing, see God’s plan clearer. Amen!”
7) Ephesians 4:2: “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.”: This seems to be the opposite of the way many wish to hold themselves in our society. So many want to boast about their accomplishments and brag about all they’ve done. Truthfully they’ve done nothing without the help of God. When one understands that God’s hand is behind all things, there is no reason for vanity or hostility, as God is the moving force behind all actions.
Prayer-“May I learn to accept God’s path for my life and be humble and happy. Amen!”
8) 1 Corinthians 13:4-5: “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud…” This passage describes the nature of love. When one is genuinely in love, one is humbled by the power of the emotion. True love means there is no room for jealousy or arrogance. Love in all its power blocks out those baser emotions, and washes us clean. To truly love is to purify yourself before God and put yourself in his hands.
Prayer- “May I embody God’s idea of love and live my life in a positive, life-affirming way. Amen!”
9) John 15:12: “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.”: This is a powerful passage. Christ loved us with all our faults and all our problems. Yet so often, we turn our backs on our neighbors for their sinful behavior. Christ did not choose who he loved and who he didn’t. He loved everyone. We should emulate Christ by loving our fellow man as Christ loved us.
Prayer- “May I accept God’s love for me and learn to love others as deeply as Christ loves me. Amen!”
10) 1 Peter 4:8: “Above all, love each other deeply because love covers over a multitude of sins.” Love is not only part of God’s plan for all of us, but this passage teaches us that by loving, God will look kindly on us. We all sin, and we all long to be forgiven. If we want God to forgive us and forget our sins, we can show our willingness to walk in his path through love.
“May God accept my acts and love and forgive me for my sins. Amen!”
The Bible’s messages of love need to reach our hearts and instruct how we act so we can truly live in God’s light.