Bible
Bible Verses About Love
Love is at the center of the Christian message: God's love for the world, Christ's love for the church, and the love believers are called to show to God and to each other. Below are curated KJV passages with brief explanations.
God's love
The Bible begins with God's love for what he made and climaxes in the cross. These verses anchor that arc.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
The Bible's most famous summary of the gospel. God's love is the motive for the incarnation and the cross.
But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
God's love does not wait for us to deserve it. It moves first, while we are still in opposition to him.
In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
Loving others
Jesus called this the second great commandment, second only to loving God. The New Testament repeats it constantly.
A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.
Charity in the KJV is agape, the same self-giving love ascribed to God. The point is not sentiment but action.
Love in marriage and family
Paul applies the love-as-Christ-loved-the-church pattern directly to the marriage relationship. The classic 1 Corinthians 13 description of love's character is read at weddings for good reason.
Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
Love and obedience
Jesus and John connect love for God with keeping his commandments. Love proves itself in action.
If ye love me, keep my commandments.
For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.
We love him, because he first loved us.
Examples
God's love
John 3:16, Romans 5:8, 1 John 4:9-10
Loving others
John 13:34, 1 John 4:7-8, 1 Peter 4:8
Love and marriage/family
Ephesians 5:25, 1 Corinthians 13:4-7
Love and obedience
John 14:15, 1 John 5:3
How it works
The page groups verses into four themes that follow how love appears across the New Testament:
- God's love for the world and his people.
- Loving others as the central ethical command.
- Love in marriage and family as a particular case of self-giving love.
- Love and obedience as inseparable: love expressed through keeping God's commands.
All verse text below is from the King James Version (1611), public domain in the United States.
Frequently asked questions
John 3:16 is the most-quoted: 'For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.' 1 Corinthians 13, sometimes called the love chapter, is the most-quoted passage about the character of love.
Two appear regularly. Agape (ἀγάπη) is the self-giving, covenant love most often used for God's love and the love Christians are commanded to show. Phileo (φιλέω) is brotherly affection or friendship love. Eros (passion) and storge (family affection) appear in Greek thought but are not common in the New Testament vocabulary.
Paul argues that without love, spiritual gifts (tongues, prophecy, faith, even martyrdom) are worthless. He then describes love's character: patient, kind, not envious or proud, not self-seeking, not easily angered, keeping no record of wrongs, rejoicing in truth, bearing all things. Love, he concludes, is the greatest of the abiding virtues.
Yes, in the United States. The King James Version was first published in 1611 and is in the public domain in the U.S. (it remains under crown copyright in the United Kingdom). All verse text on this page is KJV.
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