When you need encouragement in your marriage, these are the best Bible verses about marriage for you to consider. You can study them and meditate on them for guidance and practical help. Meditate on these Bible verses about marriage when you are seeking God’s will about your marriage.
Bible Verses About Marriage
Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” – Genesis 2:18
God instituted marriage before sin entered the world. It is his beautiful plan to have husbands and wives relieve loneliness for each other and be helpers for one another. This is still his plan for your marriage as well.
Then the man said, “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.” Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. – Genesis 2:23-24
When you are married, God considers you to be of one flesh. Everything that affects the husband affects the wife, and vice versa. To keep the unity of one flesh, you cannot allow other things to take priority, including your original families. If in-laws are creating problems in your marriage, you can find help from these Bible verses about marriage or even a Christian counselor.
And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” – Matthew 22:37-39
Jesus established a system of priorities for us. We are to put God first, loving him fully with every part of us. Then we need to love others. Some have wrongly concluded that this verse is telling us that we need to love ourselves in order to love others, but this misses the point Jesus was making. He isn’t telling us to love ourselves first so that we can love others – quite the contrary. He’s telling us to love others because and in the same way that we already do love ourselves.
You can gain guidance for your relationship with God, your view of yourself, and your relationship to your spouse through reading more Bible verses about marriage and if necessary, pursuing Christian marriage counseling.
Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. – Romans 12:10
It’s common for married couples to experience a fade in affection as the years pass. Doing little things to help your spouse feel special will create an atmosphere of love and honor. Think about the small changes you can make to help your spouse feel loved and appreciated, then do something every day toward that goal.
Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. – 1 Corinthians 13:4-7
If every married person put these verses into daily practice, there would hardly be any marriage problems to discuss. But we are all sinful by nature, and we all fall short of God’s standard. However, you can pray that the Holy Spirit will bear more of the fruit of love in you day by day. You can turn to this passage to check yourself for areas where improvement may be needed.
Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. – Philippians 2:3-4
In every divorce, selfishness is present. You must do all you can to keep selfishness out of your marriage. Instead, make humility a daily pursuit, and your marriage will be blessed. Follow Jesus’ example as outlined in Philippians 2, seeking to put your spouse above yourself each day.
Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world. – Philippians 2:14-15
Grumbling and arguing are present in many marriages. These negative behaviors slowly erode goodwill toward one another. It’s important to pick your battles and not continually bring up past offenses. You can both work on expressing daily gratitude to one another rather than grumbling, which will increase the peace in your marriage.
…with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love. – Ephesians 4:2
Humility, gentleness, and patience are virtues that can make a big difference in your marriage. They infuse your relationship with the strength to get you through hard times. God will help you grow these virtues by the power of the Holy Spirit. Ask him to supply them to you, and he’ll be sure to answer your prayer.
Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. – Ephesians 4:32
Forgiveness and kindness are essential to the health of your marriage. They both need to be practiced daily so your hearts stay tender toward one another. Compassion is another key component of a healthy marriage. It helps you identify with your spouse’s feelings and allows you to give them the benefit of the doubt even in disagreements.
…submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. – Ephesians 5:21
Submission isn’t a popular idea in our culture of individualism. However, it’s a fundamental aspect of Christian marriage. Note that our submission is based on our relationship to Christ first. It flows out of the reverence we have for his lordship over our lives. Because he has sacrificed so much for us, we can readily submit to him. Since he asks us to submit to one another, we can obey out of our love for Him and each other.
However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband. – Ephesians 5:33
In this verse, husbands are challenged to love their wives, and wives are challenged to respect their husbands. God knows that we will be tested in these areas. But we are wired to crave these gifts from each other, and that’s why God designated them for us. Wives feel loved the most when they are cherished, and husbands feel loved most when they are respected. You can gain additional insight into this concept through additional Bible verses about marriage.
Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous. – Hebrews 13:4
The unity God wants for a husband and wife should not be destroyed by sexual sin. If adultery or sexual immorality has infiltrated your marriage, it’s important to seek help and healing from a Christian counselor. Your marriage can get back on track even if you have struggled with problems in this area.
Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. – James 5:16
Confessing your sins to your spouse is a powerful way to cultivate peace in your marriage. Praying for each other is a great way to strengthen your bond. You can work daily prayer and confession into your schedule, which will bless both of you as you open your hearts to each other.
Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. – 2 Corinthians 13:11
God wants full restoration in your marriage. He wants you to encourage each other, have the same mind, and live in peace. God promises to be with you every day of your marriage, in the tough times and the good times. He would love for you to rejoice in your marriage and experience more of his love and peace.
Christian Counseling for Marriage
Marriage is one of the greatest blessings you can experience. But it can also be filled with challenges. If you are feeling stuck or frustrated in your marriage, you can benefit by speaking with a Christian counselor. Your counselor will offer an objective perspective on your problems and suggest practical solutions from a biblical perspective. Don’t hesitate to reach out for help today.
“The Word of God”, Courtesy of Humble Lamb, Unsplash.com, CC0 License; “Just Married”, Courtesy of Andres Molina, Unsplash.com, CC0 License; “Bible”, Courtesy of Tim Wildsmith, Unsplash.com, CC0 License; “Bride and Groom”, Courtesy of Leon Seibert, Unsplash.com, CC0 License
- Kate Motaung: Curator
Kate Motaung is the Senior Writer, Editor, and Content Manager for a multi-state company. She is the author of several books including Letters to Grief, 101 Prayers for Comfort in Difficult Times, and A Place to Land: A Story of Longing and Belonging...
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