Valentine’s Day, celebrated globally as a day of love and affection, provides an opportunity for reflection on the profound biblical principles surrounding love.
This compilation explores 30 Bible verses that convey the essence of love, accompanied by commentaries to illuminate the scriptural wisdom on the different facets of love for God, self, and others.
These verses serve as a source of inspiration and guidance, encouraging believers to embody the transformative power of love in their lives.
Valentine’S Day Bible Verses
1 Corinthians 13:4-7
“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”
Commentary: Often referred to as the “Love Chapter,” these verses from Corinthians provide a comprehensive definition of love, emphasizing its virtues and selfless nature.
John 15:13
“Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.”
Commentary: Jesus’s profound statement encapsulates the ultimate expression of love—sacrifice for others. This sacrificial love serves as a model for believers.
Romans 13:10
“Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.”
Commentary: Paul asserts that love is the essence of fulfilling God’s commandments, emphasizing its role in promoting righteousness and harmony among believers.
1 John 4:16
“So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and anyone who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.”
Commentary: This verse underscores the divine origin of love, portraying God as the embodiment of love and inviting believers to dwell in this transformative and unifying force.
Ephesians 4:2
“With all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love.”
Commentary: Love is portrayed here as the foundation for maintaining unity and harmony within the community of believers, emphasizing humility, gentleness, and patience.
1 Peter 4:8
“Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.”
Commentary: Peter underscores the power of love to forgive and overlook faults, encouraging believers to embrace a love that transcends shortcomings.
Colossians 3:14
“And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.”
Commentary: Love is presented as the unifying force that brings together all virtues, creating a harmonious and spiritually rich life.
1 John 4:19
“We love because he first loved us.”
Commentary: This verse highlights the reciprocal nature of love—our capacity to love stems from experiencing and understanding the love that God has graciously bestowed upon us.
Matthew 22:37-39
“And he said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'”
Commentary: Jesus encapsulates the essence of love in these commandments, emphasizing the vertical love for God and the horizontal love for neighbors.
1 Corinthians 16:14
“Let all that you do be done in love.”
Commentary: Paul’s simple yet profound instruction encourages believers to infuse love into every aspect of their lives, making it the guiding principle for all actions.
Romans 12:9
“Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.”
Commentary: Authentic love involves a rejection of evil and a steadfast commitment to goodness. Paul urges believers to embody sincere and virtuous love.
Proverbs 10:12
“Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses.”
Commentary: This proverb contrasts the divisive nature of hatred with the unifying power of love, emphasizing its ability to foster reconciliation and forgiveness.
Galatians 5:22-23
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things, there is no law.”
Commentary: Love stands as the first fruit of the Spirit, setting the foundation for a life characterized by virtues that align with God’s nature.
1 John 4:7
“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.”
Commentary: John connects love with divine origin, asserting that those who genuinely love are born of God and intimately know Him.
Psalm 143:8
“Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.”
Commentary: The psalmist’s prayer reflects a desire to experience God’s steadfast love as a guiding force, entrusting the soul to divine wisdom.
1 John 4:12
“No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.”
Commentary: The invisible God becomes visible through the tangible expression of love among believers. As they love one another, God’s presence is made evident, and His love reaches its full expression.
Luke 6:31
“And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.”
Commentary: Commonly known as the Golden Rule, this principle encourages reciprocal love and kindness, urging believers to treat others with the same love and respect they desire for themselves.
1 Corinthians 16:14
“Let all that you do be done in love.”
Commentary: Reiterated for emphasis, Paul’s instruction underscores the universal applicability of love in every aspect of life—actions, words, and attitudes.
1 John 3:16
“By this, we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.”
Commentary: Jesus’s sacrificial act becomes the benchmark for understanding love. Believers are called to emulate this selfless love by being willing to sacrifice for one another.
Romans 8:38-39
“For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Commentary: Paul’s assurance emphasizes the unwavering nature of God’s love. Nothing in all creation can separate believers from the love that is found in Christ Jesus.
1 John 4:20
“If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.”
Commentary: John exposes the inconsistency of claiming to love God while harboring hatred toward fellow human beings. Genuine love for God is inseparable from love for others.
Song of Solomon 8:7
“Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it. If a man offered for love all the wealth of his house, he would be utterly despised.”
Commentary: The enduring nature of love is depicted as more powerful than the forces of nature. This poetic verse extols the immeasurable worth of love.
1 Corinthians 13:13
“So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”
Commentary: Paul elevates love as the greatest virtue, emphasizing its preeminence among the foundational Christian virtues of faith and hope.
Deuteronomy 6:5
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.”
Commentary: Known as the Shema, this commandment emphasizes the totality of love directed toward God—heart, soul, and strength.
Romans 13:8
“Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.”
Commentary: Paul links love with the fulfillment of the law, emphasizing its pivotal role in righteous living and interpersonal relationships.
John 14:15
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”
Commentary: Jesus intertwines love with obedience, highlighting that genuine love for Him is expressed through a life aligned with His teachings.
Ephesians 5:25
“Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.”
Commentary: The sacrificial love of Christ becomes the model for marital love, with husbands called to emulate Christ’s selflessness in their relationships.
Matthew 5:43-44
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”
Commentary: Jesus challenges conventional understanding by extending the command to love beyond neighbors to include enemies. This radical love mirrors God’s boundless grace.
1 John 4:18
“There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.”
Commentary: Love and fear are portrayed as incompatible. Perfect love, characterized by God’s love, dispels fear, as it is rooted in assurance and trust.
Galatians 2:20
“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
Commentary: Paul articulates the transformative impact of Christ’s love. Believers, identified with Christ, are called to live a life of faith, rooted in the profound love demonstrated on the cross.