10 Bible Verses About Friendship and Walking in Love Like Jesus
- Ashland Watson
- May 7
- 4 min read
Here at Mosaic International, our hearts are anchored in relationships... first with Jesus, and then with the people He places in our path. From the villages of Tanzania to the Philippines, one truth continues to hold fast: we were made for connection.
Not the fleeting, surface-level kind, but deep, enduring, gospel-rooted friendship, the kind that walks through adversity, speaks truth with love, and reflects the heart of Christ.
Whether you're looking to strengthen existing friendships, build new ones, or simply understand what Godly community looks like, Scripture gives us a beautiful blueprint.
10 Bible Verses about Friendship
Here are 10 powerful Bible verses about friendship that remind us how to walk in love, like Jesus did, with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.
"One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother."
Real friends don’t walk away when things get messy. In fact, a true friend can be closer than a brother, offering loyalty and presence in ways that even family sometimes can’t. This verse reminds us to seek... and be... friends who stick close in every season.
"Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command… I have called you friends."
These words of Jesus are both stunning and sobering. The greater love He speaks of is sacrificial, servant-hearted, and utterly unlike the world’s idea of friendship. To be called His friends is an invitation to live in radical love, for one another and for the world.
"Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm."
Who we spend time with matters. This verse warns us not to entangle ourselves in a snare by walking with those who lead us astray. Instead, walks with the wise and pursue friendships that sharpen your faith and elevate your character.
"A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity."
Genuine friendship isn’t conditional. It doesn’t back out when the diagnosis comes, the money runs out, or the grief lingers. A true friend loves at all times, and walks with us through the hardest ones. A brother is born for adversity, not avoidance.
"Therefore, as God’s chosen people… clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience… And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity."
Friendship that reflects Christ requires intentionality. We must put on love which binds, on the days it feels natural and the days it doesn’t. It’s how we grow into the kind of community the world is desperate to see.
"Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses."
Sometimes, the most loving thing a friend can do is speak a hard truth. The wounds of a friend, offered in humility, not pride, can be trusted to heal, not harm. It's how iron sharpens iron, and how we grow in grace and wisdom.
"Do not make friends with a hot-tempered person… or you may learn their ways and get yourself ensnared."
Friendship is a gift, but it must be stewarded wisely. When we walk too closely with those consumed by rage or destruction, we risk becoming like them. This verse reminds us not to entangle ourselves in a snare through unchecked relationships.
"Two are better than one… If either of them falls down, one can help the other up."
Ministry, marriage, motherhood, missions, it’s all too much to carry alone. That’s why God designed us for friendship. When one of us stumbles, the other is there to lift. When we’re weary, a friend’s prayer is like perfume to the soul.
"Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart, and the pleasantness of a friend springs from their heartfelt advice."
A faithful friend brings not only encouragement, but wisdom. The pleasantness of a friend is found in the way they point us back to truth, not just in good times, but in the messy middle where growth often happens.
10. Galatians 6:2
"Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ."
To walk with a brother or sister in suffering is to participate in the ministry of Jesus. This is where friendship becomes sacred, when we choose to sit in pain, offer prayer, and hold up tired arms. It’s how we love like Jesus.
Real Friendship Starts With Jesus
At Mosaic, we’ve witnessed firsthand how verses about friendship come to life in the most unexpected places. Friendship, when rooted in Christ, has the power to transform not just individuals, but entire communities. It’s how movements like ours are built, not through flashy programs, but through years of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience... the very things Paul calls us to in Colossians.
An Invitation to Walk With Us
We launched Mosaic International in 2017 after nearly a decade of living on the field, serving families in poverty, and listening to local leaders tell us what they really needed: partners. Friends. People who would show up and stay.
Our mission is simple: equip local churches to become catalysts for lasting change in their communities. We believe in walking shoulder to shoulder, offering tools and training, but also encouragement, prayer, and love.
If these Bible verses about friendship stir something in your heart… if you’re longing for deeper connection or feel called to come alongside those making a difference across the globe, we invite you to join us.
Become a part of The Circle Giving Community, our network of monthly supporters who are making ministry possible in places that the world often overlooks. When you give, you’re not just sending resources, you’re sending friendship that lasts.
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