As we step into 2026, there’s no better foundation for the year ahead than understanding God’s perfect love and how we’re called to love others. Love is the cornerstone of Christian faith, the greatest commandment, and the defining characteristic of those who follow Christ.
This comprehensive guide explores transformative Bible verses about love that will inspire, challenge, and encourage you throughout the coming year.
Why Love Matters in 2026?
In an increasingly divided world, love remains the most powerful force for transformation. As we navigate the challenges and opportunities of 2026, these timeless truths about love provide guidance, hope, and practical wisdom for our daily lives.
Whether you’re seeking to deepen your relationship with God, improve your relationships with others, or simply understand what biblical love truly means, these verses offer divine insight.
The Foundation: God’s Love for Us
1. John 3:16 (NIV)
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
This is perhaps the most famous verse in the Bible, and for good reason. It reveals the depth of God’s love—so profound that He sacrificed His own Son for our salvation. In 2026, let this verse remind you that you are deeply loved by the Creator of the universe, regardless of your circumstances or failures.
2. Romans 5:8 (ESV)
“But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
God’s love isn’t conditional on our performance or worthiness. He loved us at our worst, demonstrating that His love is purely gracious. This year, embrace the truth that you don’t have to earn God’s love—it’s already yours.
3. 1 John 4:9-10 (NLT)
“God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.”
Real love takes initiative and makes sacrifices. God didn’t wait for us to get our act together before loving us. He moved first, and His love transforms everything.
4. Jeremiah 31:3 (NIV)
“The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: ‘I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.'”
God’s love for you is not temporary or fickle—it’s everlasting. No matter what happens in 2026, His love remains constant and unchanging.
5. Psalm 136:26 (ESV)
“Give thanks to the God of heaven, for his steadfast love endures forever.”
Throughout the challenges and triumphs of the year ahead, God’s steadfast love endures. This verse appears repeatedly in Psalm 136, emphasizing that God’s love is the foundation we can always count on.
The Greatest Commandment: Loving God
6. Matthew 22:37-38 (NIV)
“Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.”
Loving God isn’t just an emotional feeling—it’s a comprehensive commitment involving our emotions (heart), our spiritual life (soul), and our thoughts (mind). Make 2026 the year you pursue God with your whole being.
7. Deuteronomy 6:5 (ESV)
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.”
This ancient command remains as relevant today as it was thousands of years ago. Total devotion to God should be the organizing principle of our lives.
8. 1 John 4:19 (NIV)
“We love because he first loved us.”
Our capacity to love—both God and others—flows from experiencing God’s love for us. You can’t give what you haven’t received. Start 2026 by soaking in God’s love for you.
9. John 14:15 (ESV)
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”
True love for God manifests in obedience. It’s not about legalistic rule-following but about aligning our lives with the ways of the One we love.
10. Mark 12:30 (NLT)
“And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.”
This comprehensive call to love God includes our physical strength—how we use our bodies, our energy, and our daily actions all reflect our love for God.
Loving Others: The Second Great Commandment
11. Matthew 22:39 (NIV)
“And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.'”
Jesus connects loving others directly to loving ourselves. Healthy self-regard, rooted in understanding our value to God, enables us to love others well.
12. John 13:34-35 (ESV)
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
Christian identity isn’t primarily about doctrinal correctness or religious practices—it’s about demonstrating Christ-like love. In 2026, let your love for others be your most visible testimony.
13. 1 Peter 4:8 (NIV)
“Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.”
Deep, authentic love creates space for grace, forgiveness, and restoration. Make 2026 a year of extending radical grace to those around you.
14. Romans 13:10 (ESV)
“Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.”
When we truly love others, we naturally avoid harming them. Love isn’t just an addition to morality—it’s the fulfillment of all moral requirements.
15. Galatians 5:14 (NLT)
“For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.'”
All of God’s commands distill down to this simple yet profound principle. In 2026, use this as your decision-making filter: does this action demonstrate love?
The Nature of Love: 1 Corinthians 13
16. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (NIV)
“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.”
This passage provides the most comprehensive description of love in Scripture. Use it as a mirror in 2026—how does your love measure up? Where do you need to grow?
17. 1 Corinthians 13:8 (ESV)
“Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away.”
While spiritual gifts and human knowledge are temporary, love is eternal. Invest in what lasts forever.
18. 1 Corinthians 13:13 (NIV)
“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”
Among all virtues, love holds the supreme position. Faith and hope are essential, but love is greatest because it most perfectly reflects God’s nature.
Practical Love in Action
19. 1 John 3:18 (ESV)
“Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.”
Talk is cheap. In 2026, move beyond merely saying you love people to demonstrating it through tangible actions that cost you something.
20. Romans 12:9-10 (NIV)
“Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.”
Sincere love isn’t performative or manipulative. It’s authentic, devoted, and puts others first.
21. Ephesians 4:2 (ESV)
“With all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love.”
Loving others requires patience and the willingness to bear with their imperfections, just as God bears with ours.
22. Colossians 3:14 (NIV)
“And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”
Love is the glue that holds all other virtues together. Without love, even good qualities become harsh and ineffective.
23. 1 Thessalonians 3:12 (ESV)
“And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you.”
Love should continuously grow and expand. Make 2026 the year your capacity for love increases.
Difficult Love: Loving Enemies and Challenging People
24. Matthew 5:44 (NIV)
“But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”
This is perhaps Jesus’s most challenging command. In 2026, identify who your “enemies” are and begin intentionally praying for them and seeking their good.
25. Luke 6:27-28 (ESV)
“But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.”
Jesus doesn’t just call us to tolerate difficult people—He calls us to actively bless them. This supernatural love demonstrates God’s kingdom breaking into our world.
26. Romans 12:20-21 (NIV)
“On the contrary: ‘If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
Practical love for enemies involves meeting their tangible needs. This disarms hostility and demonstrates God’s transformative power.
27. Proverbs 10:12 (ESV)
“Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses.”
Where hatred divides and destroys, love builds bridges and heals wounds. Choose to be a peacemaker in 2026.
Love in Marriage and Relationships
28. Ephesians 5:25 (NIV)
“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.”
For those who are married, this sets an incredibly high standard—sacrificial, selfless love modeled after Christ’s love for His people.
29. 1 Corinthians 7:3-4 (ESV)
“The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband. For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does.”
Mutual love in marriage involves generosity, consideration, and prioritizing your spouse’s needs.
30. Song of Solomon 8:6-7 (NLT)
“Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm. For love is as strong as death, its jealousy as enduring as the grave. Love flashes like fire, the brightest kind of flame. Many waters cannot quench love, nor can rivers drown it. If a man tried to buy love with all his wealth, his offer would be utterly scorned.”
True love is powerful, enduring, and cannot be purchased. It’s a gift that must be freely given and received.
Love as Christian Identity
31. John 15:12 (ESV)
“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.”
Jesus’s love for us—sacrificial, unconditional, and transformative—is the standard for how we should love others.
32. 1 John 4:7-8 (NIV)
“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.”
Love isn’t just something God does—it’s who God is. When we love, we reflect His very nature.
33. 1 John 4:16 (ESV)
“So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.”
Living in love means living in God’s presence. Make your life a dwelling place for divine love in 2026.
34. 1 John 4:11-12 (NIV)
“Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.”
We make the invisible God visible through our love for others. Your love is the primary way people encounter God.
35. Romans 8:38-39 (ESV)
“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.”
Nothing—absolutely nothing—can separate you from God’s love. Let this assurance anchor you throughout 2026, regardless of what challenges you face.
Practical Applications for 2026
- Start Your Morning with Love: Begin each day by reading one of these verses and asking God to help you love like He loves.
- Love Journal: Keep a journal throughout 2026 where you record specific ways you’ve demonstrated love and instances where you’ve experienced God’s love.
- Monthly Love Challenge: Each month, focus on one aspect of love from 1 Corinthians 13 (patience, kindness, not envying, etc.) and intentionally practice it.
- Accountability Partner: Find someone to hold you accountable in your journey to love more deeply and authentically.
- Memorize Scripture: Choose 3-5 verses from this list to memorize. Scripture hidden in your heart will guide you in moments when love is difficult.
- Act on Conviction: When these verses convict you about a relationship that needs repair or a person you need to love better, take immediate action.
- Prayer Focus: Make love the central theme of your prayer life in 2026. Pray for increased capacity to love God and others.
- Serve Regularly: Find practical ways to serve others in your community, demonstrating Christ’s love through tangible action.
- Extend Forgiveness: Make 2026 the year you release grudges and extend forgiveness to those who have hurt you, demonstrating the love that covers offenses.
- Celebrate Growth: Take time quarterly to reflect on how your capacity for love has grown and thank God for His transforming work in your life.
The Greatest Love Story
At the heart of all these verses is one central truth: God’s love for you is the foundation for everything. Before you can love others well, you must first receive and understand the depth of God’s love for you. Jesus demonstrated this love most powerfully on the cross, where He willingly laid down His life for humanity’s redemption.
This sacrificial love isn’t just ancient history—it’s a present reality that transforms how we live today. When we grasp that we are deeply, unconditionally, eternally loved by the Creator of the universe, it changes everything. We no longer need to earn love, manipulate for affection, or fear rejection. We’re secure in God’s love, which frees us to love others without strings attached.
Making 2026 a Year of Love
As you step into 2026, let love be your defining characteristic. Not the shallow, sentimentalized version of love promoted by popular culture, but the robust, sacrificial, transformative love described in Scripture. This kind of love:
- Chooses to act even when feelings fade
- Seeks the good of others above personal comfort
- Extends grace when others fail
- Perseveres through difficulty and disappointment
- Reflects God’s character to a watching world
- Creates communities of genuine belonging and acceptance
- Heals wounds and builds bridges
- Costs something and requires sacrifice
- Transforms both the lover and the beloved
The world desperately needs this kind of love. In an age of increasing division, hostility, and isolation, Christians who genuinely love as Jesus loved will stand out dramatically. Your love can be a powerful witness that draws people to Christ more effectively than any argument or program.
Common Questions About Biblical Love
Is love a feeling or a choice?
Biblical love is primarily a choice and commitment, though feelings often follow. Love chooses to act for someone’s good regardless of emotional state.
How can I love someone I don’t like?
Biblical love doesn’t require liking someone—it requires seeking their good and treating them with dignity as image-bearers of God.
What if I’m not experiencing God’s love?
Spend time meditating on verses about God’s love, ask Him to reveal His love to you, and look for evidence of His love in your life—provision, relationships, answered prayers.
How do I balance loving myself with dying to self?
Healthy self-love recognizes your value to God and cares for yourself appropriately. Dying to self means releasing selfish ambitions and pride, not neglecting legitimate self-care.
Can I love too much?
Biblical love has healthy boundaries. Enabling destructive behavior or neglecting your own health isn’t love—it’s codependency.
Final Thoughts
These Bible verses about love provide a comprehensive picture of what love truly means according to Scripture. From God’s initiating love for us, to our responsive love for Him, to the practical ways we love others—including enemies—these verses chart the course for a transformed life.
As you navigate 2026, return to these verses regularly. Let them challenge you when you’re tempted toward selfishness, comfort you when you feel unloved, and guide you in every relationship. Make this the year love becomes not just a belief you hold but a reality you live.
Remember you are deeply loved by God, called to love Him with everything you have, and commissioned to love others as Christ has loved you. There’s no higher calling, no greater privilege, and no more powerful witness than a life marked by genuine, biblical love.
Prayer for 2026
Heavenly Father, thank You for Your amazing, unconditional love demonstrated through Jesus Christ. As I enter 2026, fill me with Your love so completely that it overflows to everyone I encounter. Help me love You with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength. Teach me to love others as You have loved me—sacrificially, genuinely, and persistently. Transform my capacity for love, especially toward those who are difficult to love. Make me a living demonstration of Your love in this world. In Jesus’s name, Amen.
Robert Hugh Benson shares inspiring Bible verses and faith-filled reflections on Prayer Forest to guide readers toward peace, hope, and prayer.