Humans are social beings. One of the most important aspects of life is being social. Whether you are introverted or extroverted, everyone needs relationships. These relationships could be friendships, romantic relationships, family relationships, or community relationships (i.e. clubs, church).

Relationships are sources of deep satisfaction but can also cause us deep pain. They are some of the most complicated parts of our lives.

Social media has made them even more complicated. At one point in time, humans were limited by their geographic region. If you lived in a town of 500 people, you could theoretically make 500 friends. Now, through social media, the potential for connections is essentially unlimited.

You can meet people around the world and keep up with friends from grade school who moved to the other side of the country. It feels like humanity is closer than ever before. While it appears this way, people are actually feeling lonelier than ever.

A study by Cigna found that “nearly half of Americans report sometimes or always feeling alone (46 percent) or left out (47 percent).” Those numbers are pretty high, especially when any of these people could message a friend or set up a video chat. Despite being more connected than ever, people are beginning to feel more and more isolated from each other.

God did not design us to be isolated. In fact, God designed us to be in a relationship, first and foremost with himself, but secondarily with other human beings. The Bible is basically a story about relationships.

Our relationship with God and with all of the other people in our lives. As a result, there are plenty of Bible verses on relationships throughout Scripture. Let’s take a look at a few verses about relationships from the Bible.

Verses About Friendship in The Bible

Here are some Bible verses about friendship:

One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. –Proverbs 18:24

Do not make friends with a hot-tempered person, do not associate with one easily angered, or you may learn their ways and get yourself ensnared. – Proverbs 22:24-25

Don’t be fooled by those who say such things, for “bad company corrupts good character.” – 1 Corinthians 15:13

The Bible paints a very specific picture of friendship. Not everyone we add on social media is our friend. There are many people who we are in relationship with who we call friends but actually treat us quite poorly. The Bible speaks about being very careful about who you associate with.

Friends in the Bible are reliable, patient, self-controlled people. They will tell you the truth, but don’t need to be heard. And they won’t put unhealthy expectations over you.

After reading these verses, step back and think about your friendship? Do some of your friendships cause more drama and difficulty than actual joy? Sometimes we need to reevaluate who we want to spend time with. This is when we can choose to spend time with real, biblical friends and not “friends” who bring us down.

Bible Verses for Couples

The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.” That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh. – Genesis 2:23-24

This is the foundational verse on marriage. It is the first instance of marriage in the Bible and in all of time. While this verse about married life may seem simple, it is packed with meaning.

It acknowledges that both man and woman come from separate families, carrying their own understanding of the world and ways of doing things. However, as they come together, they aren’t to try to insert the other into their way of living life. Instead, they are to be combined, unifying into one flesh.

The language of one flesh comprises all areas of life: mind, body, and spirit. Becoming one with another is one of the most beautiful and painful things in the world. It requires both humility and strength and is the foundation of marriage.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. – 1 Corinthians 13:4-8

1 Corinthians 13 is one of the most famous passages about love in the whole Bible. But, we can’t let this become cliché to us. It is too important. We need to stop and read this passage afresh because it is calling us to a very high standard.

It is calling us to humble, patient, and other’s oriented, which are some of the hardest things to be, especially in marriage. We really need to take time and take this passage to heart because we have promised to love another, and this passage tells us how to do that.

Verses about Family in the Bible

Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. – Exodus 20:12

Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged. – Colossians 3:21

As you grow up, you begin to realize that family can be very complicated. It is very rare for everyone to get along, especially when it comes to family. If you have close, loving relationships with family, then the verses above will be easy.

But, for those who have a terser relationship with their family, then these verses may be more difficult. The first is for children, of any age. At all times of life, we are called to honor our parents. This doesn’t mean we have to agree with them, but we need to honor them.

Sometimes this will mean trying to see the best in them or keeping quiet and not letting our frustrations leak. As children, we are called to love our parents by honoring them, and this will look different in different seasons.

As parents, the Bible calls us to not embitter our children. Few parents are seeking to do this, but it isn’t uncommon for it to happen. One of the best ways to prevent this is for parents to remain open and humble as their children grow up.

Even the best parents make mistakes and when children start to express pain from their lives, parents can acknowledge their mistakes, thereby, preventing bitterness. By doing so, growing children are able to feel heard and forgive their parents, rather than grow bitter that no one will acknowledge their pain.

It’s a balance, but by remaining open and humble, you can create space to communicate with your kids so you can strengthen your relationships.

Verses About Church Community

And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them. – Luke 6:31

If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. – Romans 12:18

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. – Colossians 3:15

Finally, church community is another very important relationship in the Bible. The most common analogy used for the church is that of a body. When you join the church, you are not a spectator, you are a participant. Two of the things that should define the church are unity and love.

Jesus told his disciples that the world would know them by their unity and love. Unfortunately, the church is often known for judgement and division, the exact opposite. But as Christian, we should constantly be seeking to live at peace and in harmony with people inside and outside of the church.

Christian Counseling for Relationship Issues

As you can see, there are a lot of Scriptures on relationships in the Bible. You can find verses about friendship, marriage, family, and church community. Since God designed us for relationships, it is one of the most important parts of the Bible.

As you likely already know, relationships can be quite tricky. That’s why the Bible spends so much time talking about how to live in relationships well so that we can avoid the pain that we too often get ourselves into.

If you’re looking for some additional help dealing with relationship issues or other concerns, feel free to contact one of the counselors listed in our counselor directory.