What does the Bible say about love?
Love is the very nature of God and the central command of Scripture. The Bible defines love not as a feeling but as a costly, self-giving action, supremely demonstrated in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for humanity.
Key Verses
9
supporting KJV passages
How to use this page
Read the full explanation, then explore each verse with its context. The FAQs at the bottom answer the most common follow-up questions.
Summary Answer
Love is the very nature of God and the central command of Scripture. The Bible defines love not as a feeling but as a costly, self-giving action, supremely demonstrated in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for humanity.
What does the Bible say about love?
No theme runs more deeply through Scripture than love. From the first chapters of Genesis, where God creates humanity in His own image and walks with them in the garden, to the final invitation of Revelation, the entire Bible is the story of a God who is love pursuing a world that needs to be loved.
The apostle John makes the most radical statement in all of Scripture: "God is love" (1 John 4:8). Love is not merely something God does; it is the essence of who He is. This means that every act of creation, every covenant, every act of discipline, every promise, and ultimately the cross itself flows from the unchanging nature of a loving God.
The Bible's most famous definition of love comes in 1 Corinthians 13, where Paul describes love through fifteen specific characteristics. Love is patient, kind, not envious, not boastful, not proud, not rude, not self-seeking, not easily angered, keeps no record of wrongs, rejoices not in evil but in truth, and bears, believes, hopes, and endures all things. Crucially, Paul writes this not as a description of romantic feeling, but as a description of active, wilful, enduring commitment, the kind of love that can be commanded.
Jesus, when asked to name the greatest commandment, responded with two: to love God with all your heart, soul, and mind, and to love your neighbour as yourself (Matthew 22:37-39). He later expanded this second command radically: love your enemies (Matthew 5:44). This is love that transcends natural affection and extends even to those who oppose us.
The ultimate expression of biblical love is the cross. "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:13), and Jesus did this not only for friends but for enemies, sinners, and the unworthy. Romans 5:8 puts it plainly: "God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
This love is not just to be received but to be transmitted. John writes: "We love him, because he first loved us" (1 John 4:19). The whole Christian life is a response to a love already given, and an outward flow of that love toward God and toward others.
Supporting Bible Verses
Key KJV passages that speak directly to what the Bible says about love.
John 3:16
“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.”
Context
The most quoted verse in the Bible summarises the entire gospel: God's love is demonstrated through the sacrifice of Christ for all who believe.
1 Corinthians 13:4-5
“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.”
Context
Paul's definition of love sets the gold standard for how genuine love behaves, active, patient, and self-giving in all relationships.
1 John 4:8
“He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.”
Context
John makes the declaration that love is not merely something God does but is fundamental to who He is, His very nature.
Romans 8:38-39
“For 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.”
Context
Paul's triumphant declaration assures believers that nothing in all creation can sever them from God's love revealed in Jesus Christ.
Matthew 22:37-39
“Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.”
Context
Jesus distills the entire Law into two inseparable loves: love for God and love for people, the dual foundation of the Christian life.
Romans 5:8
“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
Context
God's love is not conditioned on our goodness; He demonstrated it at our lowest point, sending Christ to die for the undeserving.
John 15:13
“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”
Context
Jesus defines the ultimate expression of love as self-sacrifice, a principle He Himself fulfilled on the cross hours after speaking these words.
1 John 4:19
“We love him, because he first loved us.”
Context
Our capacity to love God and others originates in God's prior love for us, love is always a response to what He has already done.
1 Corinthians 13:13
“And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.”
Context
At the climax of his love chapter, Paul ranks love above even faith and hope, identifying it as the supreme virtue of the Christian life.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does the Bible define love?
1 Corinthians 13 gives the most detailed biblical definition: love is patient, kind, not envious or boastful, not self-seeking or easily angered, and endures all things. John adds the foundational truth: God is love (1 John 4:8), making love an expression of His very nature.
What is the greatest love in the Bible?
Jesus identifies the greatest love as laying down one's life for another (John 15:13), which He did on the cross. Romans 5:8 emphasises that He did this "while we were yet sinners," making it an act of entirely undeserved love.
What are the different types of love in the Bible?
The New Testament uses several Greek words for love: agape (unconditional, self-giving love, God's love), philia (brotherly affection and friendship), and storge (family love). Agape is the highest and is what 1 Corinthians 13 describes.
What does the Bible say about loving your enemies?
In Matthew 5:44, Jesus commands, "Love your enemies, bless them that curse you." This radical love, extending beyond natural affection, reflects God's own love which falls on the just and unjust alike (Matthew 5:45).
How can I grow in love according to the Bible?
John's logic is key: "We love him, because he first loved us" (1 John 4:19). Growing in love begins with a deeper understanding of God's love for you, then overflows naturally toward others. Prayer, meditation on Scripture, and acts of service are all biblical means of growing in love.