Bible Verses About Love (and What Scripture Means by It)

"Love" is the most used and most watered-down word we have. Scripture uses it differently — less as a feeling that happens to you, more as a decision you make and an action you take. Here are Bible verses about love, and the meaning underneath them.

The famous "love chapter," 1 Corinthians 13, doesn't describe a mood. Every line is a verb or a behavior: love is patient, love is kind, it keeps no record of wrongs. It reads like a job description, because that's closer to what the Bible means.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast... it keeps no record of wrongs.1 Corinthians 13:4-5

We love because he first loved us.1 John 4:19

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son.John 3:16

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God.1 John 4:7

A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.John 13:34

Love that starts before it's earned

"We love because he first loved us." The order matters. Biblical love isn't a reward for the lovable — it's given first, then it flows outward. That's a high standard, and also a relief: you're not the source, you're a conduit.

Wear the reminder

Words about love are easy to admire and hard to live. Carrying one keeps it in front of you. See how it sits alongside verses on strength and peace, or browse the collection.