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Christian Faith

Bible Verses About Friendship

God loves friendship, and his Word reflects that! Learn what the Bible says about friendship, including the purpose of friends and how to be a good one.

What Is Friendship?

Friendship is a bond of mutual affection between two people. Our friends are special, sticking by our side when we suffer and laughing alongside us when we experience joy.

The Bible is full of examples of people who held a special bond with each other and whose relationships were filled with warmth and affection. After all, God created us with a need for community and a desire for connection.

The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.

— Genesis 2:18, NIV

Here, we dive into God’s word to discover the truth about friendship. You’ll find many Bible verses about friendship, including those about the importance of friends and how to be a good friend to others.

What’s Here:

Bible Verses About Friendship

What is the purpose of friendship? Friends walk beside us in life, helping to strengthen us and encourage us.

As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.
— Proverbs 27:17, NIV
A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.
— Proverbs 17:17, NIV
Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart, and the pleasantness of a friend springs from their heartfelt advice.
— Proverbs 27:9, NIV
Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.
— Ecclesiastes 4:9-10, NIV

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Bible Verses About Good Friends vs. Bad Friends

Good Friends

Good friends add so much joy to life. They give us good advice, even when it’s hard to hear. They stand by our side when others leave. They care about us fully and help us when life gets hard.

Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.
— Proverbs 27:6, NIV
The righteous choose their friends carefully, but the way of the wicked leads them astray.
— Proverbs 12:26, NIV
Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here; the LORD has sent me to Bethel.” But Elisha said, “As surely as the LORD lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel.
— 2 Kings 2:2, NIV
Look,” said Naomi, “your sister-in-law is going back to her people and her gods. Go back with her.” But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.”
— Ruth 1:15-16, NIV

Bad Friends

Not sure if someone is a true friend? Scripture warns us of the pain that bad friends can cause and what to watch out for when choosing our friends.

Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm.
— Proverbs 13:20, NIV
Do not make friends with a hot-tempered person, do not associate with one easily angered, or you may learn their ways and get yourself ensnared.
— Proverbs 22:24-25, NIV
A perverse person stirs up conflict, and a gossip separates close friends.
— Proverbs 16:28, NIV
Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.”
— 1 Corinthians 15:33, NIV
Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister or judges them speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it.
— James 4:11, NIV
Anyone who withholds kindness from a friend forsakes the fear of the Almighty.
— Job 6:14, NIV

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Bible Verses About Being a Good Friend

Some Bible verses about friendship teach us how to be good friends. Here are examples of how good friends and fellow Christians should treat one another.

Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
— 1 John 4:11, NIV
Do not forsake your friend or a friend of your family, and do not go to your relative’s house when disaster strikes you — better a neighbor nearby than a relative far away.
— Proverbs 27:10, NIV
Whoever would foster love covers over an offense, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends.
— Proverbs 17:9, NIV
How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!
— Psalm 133:1, NIV
Do to others as you would have them do to you.
— Luke 6:31, NIV
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
— Philippians 2:3-4, NIV
Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
— Galatians 6:2, NIV
Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
— Colossians 3:12-14, NIV
Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.
— 1 Peter 4:8-10, NIV
Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.
— 1 Thessalonians 5:11, NIV
Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.
— Romans 12:10, NIV
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.
— Ephesians 4:2-3, NIV

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Bible Verses About Friendship With God

All of these Bible verses about friendship will help you navigate the important relationships in your life. But remember, there’s one friendship we have that’s greater than all the others: friendship with God, which we can experience because of Jesus.

God’s friendship lasts forever. He loves us unconditionally and never leaves us. He’s the best definition of a true friend.

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 no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.
— John 15:13-15, NIV
And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend.
— James 2:23, NIV
Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”
— Hebrews 13:5, NIV