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Bible verses about love: 18 passages for when you want to love better

Updated · By the Versiah team

The Bible says love starts with God: God is love (1 John 4:8), he loved us first (1 John 4:19), and nothing can separate us from that love (Romans 8:38-39). From there, love becomes something we do, patient and kind and practical (1 Corinthians 13:4-7), even toward people who are hard to love. These passages are shown in the Berean Standard Bible, with the King James wording alongside.

When you wonder what love really is

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no account of wrongs. Love takes no pleasure in evil, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (BSB)

Paul wrote this to a church that was proud, divided and competitive. Almost every line describes what love does or refuses to do, so it reads less like a greeting card and more like a job description.

King James VersionCharity 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.
And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love; but the greatest of these is love.
1 Corinthians 13:13 (BSB)

The King James says charity here, an older English word for the Greek agape: a love that chooses the good of the other person. Faith and hope will one day be fulfilled; love is what lasts.

King James VersionAnd now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.
Beloved, let us love one another, because 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.
1 John 4:7-8 (BSB)

John does not say God has love or shows love, but that God is love. Every real act of love, however small, comes from him.

King James VersionBeloved, 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.
We love because He first loved us.
1 John 4:19 (BSB)

The order matters. You are not earning God’s love by loving well; you are answering a love that was already there.

King James VersionWe love him, because he first loved us.

When you need to know that God loves you

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16 (BSB)

Perhaps the best-known verse in the Bible, it measures love by what it gives. It was spoken to Nicodemus, a religious teacher who came to Jesus at night with questions.

King James VersionFor God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
But God proves His love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5:8 (BSB)

God did not wait for us to become lovable. The timing is the proof: while we were still sinners.

King James VersionBut God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have drawn you with loving devotion.
Jeremiah 31:3 (BSB)

Loving devotion is the BSB’s rendering of the Hebrew hesed, a loyal, covenant love that does not quit. This promise was given to a nation in exile.

King James VersionThe LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.
The LORD your God is among you; He is mighty to save. He will rejoice over you with gladness; He will quiet you with His love; He will rejoice over you with singing.”
Zephaniah 3:17 (BSB)

A rare picture of God singing. It comes at the end of a hard book of warnings, which makes the tenderness land even more.

King James VersionThe LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.
Because of the loving devotion of the LORD we are not consumed, for His mercies never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness!
Lamentations 3:22-23 (BSB)

These lines sit in the middle of a book of grief written after Jerusalem fell. Hope here is not denial; it is remembering God’s mercy while the ruins are still visible.

King James VersionIt is of the LORD’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor principalities, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:38-39 (BSB)

Paul lists everything that might come between you and God, from death to the unknown future, and rules each one out.

King James VersionFor I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

When love is hard to give

A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you also must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another.”
John 13:34-35 (BSB)

Spoken at the Last Supper, hours after Jesus washed the disciples’ feet. What made the command new was the standard: as I have loved you.

King James VersionA new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
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,
Matthew 5:43-44 (BSB)

Jesus pairs loving enemies with praying for them. Prayer is often where love for a difficult person begins, long before the feelings do.

King James VersionYe have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
Above all, love one another deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.
1 Peter 4:8 (BSB)

Covering does not mean pretending nothing happened. It means choosing not to keep exposing and replaying a wrong once it has been dealt with.

King James VersionAnd above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.
Love must be sincere. Detest what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Outdo yourselves in honoring one another.
Romans 12:9-10 (BSB)

Sincere translates a Greek word meaning without hypocrisy, and a hypocrite was first a stage actor. Paul then turns love into a friendly contest: try to outdo each other in honor.

King James VersionLet love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;
And over all these virtues put on love, which is the bond of perfect unity.
Colossians 3:14 (BSB)

Paul has just listed compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Love is the outer garment that holds all of them together.

King James VersionAnd above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.

When love needs to be more than words

Little children, let us love not in word and speech, but in action and truth.
1 John 3:18 (BSB)

John writes as an old pastor to people he calls little children. His test for love is simple: can you see it?

King James VersionMy little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”
Mark 12:30-31 (BSB)

Asked for the single greatest commandment, Jesus gave two, joining Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18. Love for God and love for people belong together.

King James VersionAnd thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.
There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves punishment. The one who fears has not been perfected in love.
1 John 4:18 (BSB)

Fear keeps score and braces for punishment. Love that has settled in God’s acceptance does not need to.

King James VersionThere is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

How to live these verses this week

  1. Read 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 with your own name. Put your name where it says love. The lines that feel untrue are the ones to pray about.
  2. Receive before you give. Spend a few minutes with John 3:16 or Romans 8:38-39 and let it be true for you before you try to love anyone else.
  3. Pick one hard person. Pray for them by name each day, as Jesus says in Matthew 5:44. You do not have to feel warm to do it.
  4. Do one thing, not just say it. 1 John 3:18 asks for action. A meal, a message, a job done without being asked.

If you want to understand a passage more deeply, the Study verse feature in Versiah lets you tap a verse to see its context and meaning, and you can ask follow-up questions that are answered from Scripture.

Questions people ask

What does the Bible say about love?

The Bible says love comes from God, because God is love (1 John 4:8). It shows that love most clearly in Jesus giving his life (John 3:16, Romans 5:8), then calls us to love God with everything and our neighbour as ourselves (Mark 12:30-31). Biblical love is described mostly by what it does: it is patient, kind, and keeps no record of wrongs.

What is the most famous Bible verse about love?

John 3:16 is the best-known verse about God’s love, and 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 is the best-known description of how love behaves. The Corinthians passage is read at many weddings, though Paul first wrote it to help a quarrelling church get along.

What are the different kinds of love in the Bible?

The New Testament often uses agape for the self-giving love God shows and asks of us, and phileo for the affection of friends. The Old Testament’s hesed describes loyal, covenant love. The words overlap, so the context matters more than the label.

Does the Bible really say to love your enemies?

Yes. Jesus says it plainly in Matthew 5:44 and Luke 6:27. Loving an enemy does not mean trusting them or staying in harm’s way; it means wishing them good, praying for them, and refusing to repay evil with evil.

Which Bible translation is used on this page?

Each passage is shown in the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), a modern public-domain translation, with the King James Version (KJV) under it. Where the KJV says charity in 1 Corinthians 13, it means the same self-giving love.

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