Successful relationships aren’t an accident. They take intentional effort, strength, and strategies. Whether you’re looking to build your professional relationships or your personal life, numerous Bible verses can help guide you through the process. The following is a list of 21 Bible verses about building relationships.
Bible Verses about Building Relationships
Building relationships is one of the keys to building a successful business and growing your network. Relationships are so meaningful that God talks about them in both the Old and New Testaments.
Ephesians 4:15
but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ,
Ephesians 4:15(NASB)
Even though much of the Church has fallen into gross apostasy, let us seek to use our spiritual gifts as Paul instructs – to develop unity and build relationships in Christ through faith; to increase in knowledge of the Son of God, and bring all believers to spiritual maturity.
Luke 16:9
And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings.
Luke 16:9(ESV)
Using “mammon” or “unrighteous wealth” to make friends in the world strikes us as improper, and Jesus’ promotion of such an idea strikes us as odd, but this is what it means: Use the monetary resources you have to reach out to others. As a result, friendships will last forever: the souls we meet in this world will someday welcome us into “eternal dwellings.”
Philippians 2:3
Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves;
Philippians 2:3 (NASB)
Internal division jeopardizes the Spirit’s unity in forming relationships between believers.
To be like-minded, have the same love, be one in Spirit, and do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit – but rather, in humility of heart, valuing each other above ourselves – is Paul’s antidote to most of the difficulties in Christian communion.
Romans 12:10
Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.
Romans 12:10 ESV
This attitude of godly love for one another reaches a climax with Paul’s exhortation to us all… “love one another with brotherly affection and strive to outdo one another in showing honor and respect to your brothers and sisters in Christ.”
To build our relationship with one another, all who profess to be Christians are called and commanded to love in the same way that Christ loved us.
John 15:13
Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends
John 15:13 ESV
In this Bible verse, to build a strong relationship, we are to abide in Him, reflect His love, and love others as He has loved us. Only as we grow in our love for Jesus and all He has done for us will we be able to allow His love to flow into us and through us to others so that in His power and strength, we, too, may lay down our lives in service to Him as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, in Jesus name.
1 Peter 4:8
Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins.
1 Peter 4:8(NASB)
Shouldn’t we, who have received such a deep love and forgiveness from our precious Savior, show that love to others? “Love one another as I have loved you,” Christ commanded the Church. Shouldn’t our love for one another reflect the Lord Jesus’ pure, selfless love for us, in that Christ died for us while we were still sinners?
Ephesians 4:1-3
I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Ephesians 4:1-3(ESV)
In any relationship in our lives —We must be humble, patient, kind, and eager to listen in all of our relationships — romantic, friendship, and family. If we channel the Holy Spirit in everything we do, we will attract the same qualities in a partner.
James 1:19-20
Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
James 1:19(ESV)
Too often in life, we discover the folly of opening our mouths and responding in haste to the words and actions of others. Too often, we react in annoyance or anger, only to discover that we had misunderstood the facts of the situation, causing us to regret that we spoke so quickly and responded so hastily.
James discusses in this verse the relationship between faith and works. Since we believe in Christ, we have to follow his instruction.
John 13:34
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
John 13:34(NASB)
We must never forget to love each other just as much as God loves us unconditionally. Relationships can only be built if we open our hearts to love just as Jesus Christ Loved us.
1 Thessalonians 5:11
Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing.
1 Thessalonians 5:11(NASB)
Encouraging and inspiring others is an integral part of loving them as yourself, as it creates opportunities for relationship building. It is imperative to provide encouragement and inspiration because most people you meet are suffering in some way.
Ecclesiastes 4:12
And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart.
Ecclesiastes 4:12(NASB)
Life on Earth is complex, and our time here is limited, but we have choices every day of our lives, in the relationships we build and the activities we pursue. May we make wise decisions and engage in intelligent activities, and may Christ always be the third strand in every relationship and our heavenly guide in all our choices.
Bible verses about building relationships KJV
Ecclesiastes 4:10
For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up.
Ecclesiastes 4:10(KJV)
In every relationship, mutual love, respect, and assistance have to be shown to be successful. Nobody is meant to go through life alone. God has placed people in our lives to help us better see His goodness and love, whether a spouse, a family member, a good friend, or even a caregiver.
Matthew 7:12
In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
Matthew 7:12(NASB)
On the other hand, this verse is unquestionably a guiding principle for Christians on building relationships with others, and it should influence our attitudes and motives, as well as our visible and unseen actions. It should be a life principle that impacts every aspect of life and is exercised on everyone we contact.
1 Thessalonians 3:12
and may the Lord cause you to increase and abound in love for one another, and for all people, just as we also do for you;
1 Thessalonians 3:12(NASB)
May we, like Paul, remember to lift our fellow Christian brothers and sisters in continuous and loving prayer and heartfelt intercessions – that their hearts would also be established in the Lord and blameless before Him and that they would walk in holiness before our God and Father, encouraging one another as they await the any-day appearance of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
Bible verses about building relationships with God
I John 4:20
If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.
1 John 4:20(NASB)
Love is one of God’s perfect and eternal attributes, and John explains that whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in Him. “If someone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen,” warns John.
In this verse, John emphasizes the futility of professing to love the Lord while harboring hatred for their brother. The closer we are to Christ in Spirit, to build better and stronger relationships, we have to reflect God’s love in our words and actions.
Luke 10:27
And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.
Luke 10:27(KJV)
Thank You, Heavenly Father, for showing me that I will never be able to meet the perfect standard that You require for entrance into eternal life.
What incredible love you demonstrated to me by having Jesus pay the total price for my sins in His finished work on Calvary. Help me love You with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love my neighbors and those in my life. AMEN, I pray in Jesus’ name.
John 6:44
No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.
John 6:44 (ESV)
We are all so enslaved by sin that unless God draws us, none of us have the will or the strength to seek the Lord. But, in His grace, He sent the Holy Spirit into the world to convict a fallen man of sin, righteousness, and judgment and to draw sinful man into Jesus’ saving arms. This Bible verse reminds us to build our relationship with God.
Bible verses about building relationships with others
Proverbs 27:17
Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another
Proverbs 27:17(ESV)
When I think of this passage, I imagine two iron rods rubbing against each other. As the friction between them increases, the heat between them allows them to spark. Although it may be uncomfortable for the rods to rub together, the spark that results, when fanned, becomes an uncontrollable flame.
As the body of Christ, we forget that part of our job is to sharpen the other brothers and sisters in Christ so that the flame placed in their hearts by the Holy Spirit continues to burn.
Hebrews 10:24-25
And let us be concerned about one another in order to promote love and good works, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.
Hebrews 10:24-25(HCSB)
As Christians, we are also commanded to be concerned about our brothers and sisters in Christ and encourage one another in love and good works.
We are to look out for one another and consider how we can encourage one another to love as Christ loved us and perform the good deeds that God has planned for us to do. As Christians, we are instructed to invite others to love and do good works.
And, just as love begets love, provoking others to do good works by our example will encourage good results in them as well. This is a general appeal for all believers to participate in building relationships with others through brotherly encouragement
1 Corinthians 12:12-13
For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body–Jews or Greeks, slaves or free–and all were made to drink of one Spirit.1 Corinthians 12:12-13 (ESV)
We are to work together in holy love and Christian harmony as members of Christ’s Body. Christ is to be made manifest to a broken and hurting world through the Body of Christ, which is the Church – for we are His witnesses both individually and collectively.
1 Corinthians 1:10
Now I exhort you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment.
1 Corinthians 1:10 (NASB)
God calls us all to be holy and set apart for Him, but we are also called to fellowship with our Christian brothers and sisters in Christ – we are urged to be of the same mind and judgment.
The divisions and disunity visible in the Corinthian Church so long ago are still visible in the Church today. Paul lovingly encourages each of us to agree amongst ourselves so that there is no disharmony, disagreement, or discord.
