Our interpersonal relationships are an integral part of our human existence. It is no wonder that in the Bible, there are several instructions and principles on having and maintaining interpersonal relationships.
These relationship verses in the bible serve as guidelines for Christians to navigate through in their relationships.
The biblical standpoint on relationships is centred around the premise that human relationships are of two natures —between man and God and between man and his fellow man.
Relationship Verses in the Bible
The Bible provides several admonitions and lessons on building healthy relationships with the following verses:
Mark 12:30-31
“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 neighbour as yourself.” There is no commandment greater than these.”
When asked for the greatest commandment from the laws, Jesus Christ explained that the commandment on love for God and another man is the greatest. Here, it is evident that love is vital for the two natures of relationship a person should have —between man and God and between man and his fellow man.
This bible verse advises Christians to love God wholeheartedly. The detailed nature of this love the Bible explains —with all thine heart, with all thine soul, and with all thine might — depicts a wholesome expression of love that is not pretentious or partial, but rather genuine and conscious. In the same way, this verse also advises Christians to love one another in the same way we love ourselves. These instructions form the bases of all healthy interpersonal and spiritual relationships.
Ephesians 4:29
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs may benefit those who listen.
Since human relationships thrive on positive perceptions of one another, it is essential that a person’s public image has to be shown in good light. Misrepresenting or outrightly tainting a person’s public image can adversely affect the person and cause strains on their interpersonal relationship. If you’re the one damaging their public image, it would also be hard for you to maintain a healthy relationship with them, especially when they have been made aware of your actions. Hence, this is one of the relationship verses in the Bible admonishes against saying things that would be tainting or destroying the public image of others.
Also, providing an alternative for which people should be inclined to —fostering other people’s growth with words, thoughts and deeds that would help them.
As a person actively interested in building sound relationships, it is imperative to build other people and be supportive. Not only would this make people naturally drawn to you, the quality of your relationships would also be healthy.
John 13:34
“A new commandment I give to you is that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also love one another.”
Here, this is yet one of the related verses in the bible where Jesus Christ used his selfless act of love for man as a metaphor for Christians following in his footsteps to emulate in their interpersonal relationships. With a nature of love in their hearts for one another, it would be easy for Christians to bond with other people, become likeable, and tolerate the excesses of others.
1 Peter 4:8
“Above all, keep loving one another earnestly since love covers a multitude of sins.”
This relationship verse, in a way, validates the popular notion that “love is blind”.
When interacting daily with other people or in interpersonal relationships, it is easy to find the shortcomings of others and faults in their actions. Reciprocating these shortcomings when dealing with them can be counterproductive if you want a solid relationship with them. This is why the bible, in this verse, advises us to have love in our hearts towards the people we interact with because this would give us the ability to be forgiving, overlook their mistakes and avoid pettiness.
So, just like Jesus had told his disciples to love one another, Peter counselled the early church Christians in his letter to them that they should love themselves for one another, as this would prevent conflict.
2 Peter 1:5-7
For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love.
This is one of the relationship verses in the Bible that highlights the importance of positive virtues —faith, goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, mutual affection and love— in our lives. These positive qualities not only put us in the right standing with God but also with our fellow humans when we exhibit them in our daily interactions with other people.
2 Corinthians 6:14
Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?”
Are you looking for relationship verses in the bible that advise against being in close relationships with people who don’t share the same faith? Especially for romantic relationships, being with someone who doesn’t share your beliefs can be disrespectful to your faith and even detrimental to your walk with God.
Conversely, relating with people who share in your faith and beliefs can boost your spiritual relationship with God and strengthen your faith.
Hence, Christians should consciously avoid interpersonal or social relationships with people of contrasting faiths.
Genesis 2:24
Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.”
In this verse, the Bible speaks on the concept of marital union in its introductory books. This relationship verse in the Bible outlines that a man will eventually have to build his own family, which will happen when he is of age and leaves his parents to marry his spouse.
Ephesians 5:25-26
“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the Church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word.”
This is one of the popular relationship verses in the bible. Since marriages are a biblically-approved union, the Bible also provides principles for having and maintaining marital relationships.
Expressly directed at married couples, this relationship 7verse in the Bible speaks on marital relationships and advises the husband to love the wife in the exemplary manner Jesus Christ loved the Church; selflessly and sacrificially.
With this verse, we can learn that love is essential for marriages to thrive, fundamental even, and, as such, should not be lacking in a marital union.
Hebrews 10:24-25
And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another —and all the more you see the Day approaching.”
This is one of those relationship verses in the bible that encourages habitual fellowship with one another to encourage them, lift their spirits, and build them up as life goes on. With each day’s drawing, it is easy to lose hope and faith in God’s promises, especially when facing difficult situations; this is why encouraging and inspiring others to do better and not lose hope is a great way to maintain positive relationships.
Furthermore, building up other people and encouraging them through difficult times is also self-serving; to wit, you also end up being encouraged, and your faith is lifted when you encourage others.
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.
In the final verse in this list, Paul addressed the Church in Corinth on the importance of having love as essential virtue a Christian should possess. Not only for interpersonal relationships but also for a healthy spiritual relationship with God because he expects it from us. In all these relationship verses in the Bible, he also provided a detailed outline of what love is and its benefits, which we could use in our daily life and our daily walk with God.
These relationship verses in the bible are also helpful for Christians to understand love in a way that they can use to evaluate their actions and thoughts, which is a great tool for individuals who want to cultivate the attitude of love and build better relationships.
Conclusion
Having a strong bond with your partner, friends, and family is beneficial. It enhances your well-being, mental health, and mood. It’s crucial to keep them maintained. Time and dedication are required. Although no relationship is flawless, it must make you happier than stressful.
With these relationship verses in the bible highlighted above, it is easy to deduce that love plays a very vital role in healthy interpersonal relationships, a fundamental one at that. As such, the bible encourages people to cultivate a nature of love in order to have blissful relationships.
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