BIBLICAL FOUNDATION
MARRIAGE
Genesis 1:27
"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them." (ESV)
Colossians 3:14-17
"And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." (NIV)
Mark 10:9
"Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate." (NIV)
Matthew 19:4-6
"'Haven't you read,' he replied, 'that at the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female,' and said, 'For this reason, a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh'? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.'" (NIV)
Psalm 85:10-11
"Steadfast love and faithfulness meet; righteousness and peace kiss each other. Faithfulness springs up from the ground, and righteousness looks down from the sky." (ESV)
LOVE
Romans 13:8
"Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law." (ESV)
9. 1 Corinthians 13:2-7
"If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.
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." (NIV)
1 Corinthians 16:14
"Let all that you do be done in love." (ESV)
Song of Solomon 8:6-7
"Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm, for love is strong as death, jealousy is fierce as the grave. Its flashes are flashes of fire, the very flame of the Lord. Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it. If a man offered for love all the wealth of his house, he would be utterly despised." (ESV)
Psalm 143:8
"Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul." (ESV)
1 John 4:11-18
"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. This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. 18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love." (NIV)
Ephesians 4:2-3
"Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace." (NIV)
1 Peter 4:8
"Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins." (NIV)
John 15:12
"This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you." (ESV)
1 Corinthians 13:13
"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." (NIV)
Song of Solomon 4:9
"You have captivated my heart, my sister, my bride; you have captivated my heart with one glance of your eyes, with one jewel of your necklace." (ESV)
John 13:34
"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." (ESV)
21. Isaiah 54:10
"'For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,' says the Lord, who has compassion on you." (ESV)
RELATIONSHIPS
Ruth 1:16-17
"But Ruth said, 'Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the Lord do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.'" (ESV)
Romans 12:10
"Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves." (NIV)
Ephesians 4:32
"Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you." (NIV)
26. Genesis 2:18
"Then the Lord God said, "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him." (ESV)
James 1:19-20
"Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God." (ESV)
Titus 1:8
"but hospitable, a lover of good, without a lack of self-control, upright, holy, and disciplined." (Abbreviation, ESV)
COMMITMENT
Proverbs 3:3-4
"Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man." (NIV)
1 John 4:20
"If anyone says, 'I love God,' and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen." (ESV)
Galatians 6:8-9
"For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." (NIV)
Philippians 3:13-14
"Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." (ESV)
1 Thessalonians 5:11
"Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing…" (ESV)
37. Proverbs 16:3
"Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans." (NIV)
HUSBAND
Ephesians 5:25-33
"Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body. 'Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.' This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband." (ESV)
Colossians 3:19
"Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them." (ESV)
Proverbs 18:22
"He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord." (ESV)
Malachi 2:14-15b
"But you say, 'Why does he not?' Because the Lord was witness between you and the wife of your youth, to whom you have been faithless, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant. So guard yourselves in your spirit, and let none of you be faithless to the wife of your youth." (ESV)
Titus 2:6-7
"Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled. Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity…" (ESV)
WIFE
Proverbs 31:10-12
"A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life." (ESV)
Proverbs 3:13-18 NIV
"Blessed is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding, for the gain from her is better than gain from silver and her profit better than gold. She is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire can compare with her. Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her; those who hold her fast are called blessed." (NIV)
Proverbs 12:4a
"A wife of noble character is her husband's crown…" (ESV)
1 Peter 3:7
"Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman… since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered." (Abbreviation, ESV)