These awesome Bible verses about friendship will aid you and seeing who is a true friend.
What would life be without Friendship? With our friends, we divide times of joy and times of sadness.
And, many times, those companions on the journey become true brothers and sisters at heart.
The friends you keep in life will make or break you, so you need to be careful when choosing friends.
Also, you need to know how to deal with the people God has brought into your life.
Making friends can be easy, but keeping them requires wisdom – most of this wisdom is found in the word of God. David and Jonathan were the best of friends.
What does the bible say about friendship?
In Proverbs 17:17, God clearly tells us: “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.”
Love is a language of the heart. It excites, encourages, and makes friendships meaningful and fun. However, love affairs are rare gems.
These priceless treasures are the desire of many but the reality of few. Friendships without love are like ships without sails and tunnels without light at the end.
Love is the glue that holds friendships together, even in difficult and uncertain times, but not all friends are loving. Some friends only stay when things are going well for you.
They will say the right words at the right time and exhibit the qualities of a loving friend, but as soon as you encounter difficult times and cannot meet their demands and expectations, your love will become a distant memory.
This passage of the Bible implies that love is a trait of a good friend, and a good friend will love you at all times and in any situation, good or bad.
Good friends don’t look for opportunities to excuse themselves from expressing their love to you, but instead, they look for opportunities to further define their love to you.
Bible verses about Learning from each friend.
No matter how long they have in your life, each friend can teach you to be a better person. A great approach to life is to surround yourself with people you can emulate, those with experience (mentors, perhaps) that it would be wise to learn from.
On the contrary, a friend who challenges you in the right way and encourages you leaves you feeling healthy and happy. Surround yourself with positive people so that you can recognize a harmful friendship when it presents itself to you.
1.He who walks with wise men will be wise, But the companion of fools will be destroyed. (Proverbs 13:20)
2. Listen to counsel and receive instruction, That you may be wise in your latter days. (Proverbs 19:20)
3. Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another. (Romans 12:10)
4. The righteous should choose his friends carefully, For the way of the wicked leads them astray. (Proverbs 12:26)
5. No longer do I call you servants, for a servant, does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. (John 15:15)
6. The woman said to Him, “Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do you get that living water? (John 4:11)
7. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. (Philippians 2:3)
Also Related: Top 55 Proven Bible Verses to Strengthen Your Faith.
Bible verses about friendship as close to you as family.
If you’re ever frustrated that you and your friends don’t seem to get along, you can take heart from the fact that people have experienced frequent conflicts with their friends for thousands of years.
Friends may come and go in their lives, but some of them are more loyal and loving than people in their own family.
That is why many people consider their friends as their true family. Friends can be more supportive and vital in your life than the people you grew up with.
8. A man who has friends [a]must himself be friendly, But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. (Proverbs 18:24)
9. Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. (1 John 4:7)
10. Therefore, if there is any [a]consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy,
2 fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.
3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.
4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests but also for the interests of others. (Philippians 2:1–4)
11. As iron sharpens iron, So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend. (Proverbs 27:17)
12. And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also. (1 John 4:21)
13. A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. (John 13:34)
14. But the end of all things is at hand; therefore, be serious and watchful in your prayers. And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.” Be hospitable to one another without grumbling. (1 Peter 4:7–9)
Bible Verses about the Power of Friendship.
A friend is a person who is close to you from the heart. In a friendship relationship, there is mutual affection between two or more people. A friend feels what you feel and knows you and the things you can or cannot do.
Friends are always there to help. They are the ones who understand you. When friendship is authentic, that person is your helper, your guard, and the one who will be there when the world turns against you.
15. A perverse man sows strife, and a whisperer separates the best of friends. (Proverbs 16:28)
16. Make no friendship with an angry man, And with a furious man do not go, 25 Lest you learn his ways And set a snare for your soul. (Proverbs 22: 24-25)
17. And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise. (Luke 6:31)
18. Bear one another burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. (Galatians 6:2)
19. As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. (1 Peter 4:10)
20. It is like the dew of Hermon, Descending upon the mountains of Zion. For there the Lord commanded the blessing— Life forever. (Psalm 133:3)
21. The hypocrite with his mouth destroys his neighbor, but through knowledge, the righteous will be delivered. (Proverbs 11:9)
Bible Verses about Strength in Friendship.
It is God’s plan that we only allow those friends with a positive influence in our space. God expects us to protect our environment and filter out any toxicity that might discourage us.
Good friends influence us positively: they lead by example: they are aware that we allow them to enter our space: and they do everything possible to control, sharpen and encourage us on the path of justice.
22. He who loves purity of heart and has grace on his lips, The king will be his friend. (Proverbs 22:11)
23. Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God?
Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. (James 4:4)
24. And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by unrighteous [a]mammon, that when [b]you fail, they may receive you into an everlasting home. (Luke 16:9)
25. The righteous should choose his friends carefully, For the way of the wicked leads them astray. (Proverbs 12:26)
26. He who covers a transgression seeks love, But he who repeats a matter separates friends. (Proverbs 17:9)
27. Wealth makes many friends, But the poor is separated from his friend. (Proverbs 19:4)
28. Fear came upon me and trembling, Which made all my bones shake. (Job 4:14)
29. My friends scorn me; My eyes pour out tears to God. Oh, that one might plead for a man with God, As a man pleads for his [a]neighbor! (Job 16:20-21)
30. And the Scripture was fulfilled, which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was [a]accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God. (James 2:23)
Real friends are supportive and reliable.
Good friends stick around long enough to know when we’re sad, broken, and frustrated. They also know when we are happy and full of joy.
Loyal friends are always by our side. They still support our essential efforts, gracefully correct us when we make mistakes, and congratulate us on our accomplishments.
31. Ointment and perfume delight the heart, And the sweetness of a man’s friend gives delight by [a]hearty counsel. (Proverbs 27:9)
32. A friend loves at all times, And a brother is born for adversity. (Proverbs 17:17)
33. A man who has friends [a]must himself be friendly, But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. (Proverbs 18:24)
34. Therefore, [a]comfort each other and [b]edify one another, just as you also are doing. (1 Thessalonians 5:11)
35. For the sake of my brethren and companions, I will now say, “Peace be within you. (Psalms 122:8)
36. Bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. (Colossians 3:13)
37. And let us consider one another to stir up love and good works, 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching. (Hebrews 10:24-25)
Good friends make sacrifices for you.
Sacrifice is a fundamental quality of a good friendship.
In (1 Samuel. 18: 4), Jonathan and David’s friendship example reinforces Jesus’ statement in (John 15:13).
If you read the first verse of chapter 18 of 1 Samuel, you will notice that Jonathan loved David and embraced him as a friend.
Jonathan was the king’s son, but the king did not like David and wanted to assassinate him. But Jonathan, learning of his father’s plan, put his life in danger to help David.
38. Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits. (1 Corinthians 15:33)
39. Greater love has no one than this than to lay down one’s life for his friends. (John 15:13)
40. Two are better than one Because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, For he has no one to help him up. (Ecclesiastes 4: 9-10)
41. He who walks with wise men will be wise, But the companion of fools will be destroyed. (Proverbs 13:20)
42. Open rebuke is better than love carefully concealed. 6 Faithful are the wounds of a friend, But the kisses of an enemy are deceitful. (Proverbs 27: 5-6)
43. To him who is [a]afflicted, kindness should be shown by his friend, Even though he forsakes the fear of the Almighty. (Job 6:14)
44. For the perverse person is an abomination to the Lord, But His secret counsel is with the upright. (Proverbs 3:32)
45. A wise man is strong, Yes, a man of knowledge increases strength; (Proverbs 24:5)
46. Where you die, I will die, And there will I be buried. The Lord do so to me, and more also, If anything but death parts you and me. (Ruth 1:17)
47. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. (Romans 12:15)
In conclusion
Friendship is one of the best gifts we can give in our life.
However, it is not a gift. Lasting friendships require empathy, effort, and consistency. But the rewards of friendship are well worth the effort.
Friends who are willing to change their unhealthy ways are worth fighting for. But beware of friends who do not intend to turn their lives around.
If you are not attentive, they can contaminate you with their behaviors.
I hope these Bible verses about friendship help you appreciate the friends you have in your life.
If you have a friend you have lost touch with, perhaps today is the day you should pray for him.