Vietnam Evangelical Covenant Church – With permission to use content ideas from Salem Web Network, the Communications Team of Vietnam Evangelical Covenant Church is pleased to share with you a list of key verses arranged by topic from the Bible (Berean Standard Bible).
God created us to live in relationships, and friendship is one of the most precious gifts He gives. The Bible says quite a lot about friendship: how to choose friends, what a good friend looks like and the greatest friendship Jesus offers us.
The Bible verses about friendship below can be used for personal reflection, shared in a youth group, or sent to a friend who has walked with you through many seasons of life.
12 Bible Verses About Friendship
1. Proverbs 18:24
“A man of too many friends comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”
– Proverbs 18:24 (BSB)
Having many friends is not necessarily good. What is precious is one true friend who sticks closer than a brother.
2. Proverbs 22:24–25
“Do not make friends with an angry man, and do not associate with a hot-tempered man, or you may learn his ways and entangle yourself in a snare.”
– Proverbs 22:24–25 (BSB)
We easily become like the people we spend time with. So the Bible advises choosing friends wisely.
3. Proverbs 27:5–6
“Better an open rebuke than love concealed. The wounds of a friend are faithful, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.”
– Proverbs 27:5–6 (BSB)
A true friend dares to say hard things out of love. Sincere correction is worth more than false praise.
4. Ecclesiastes 4:9–10
“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor. For if one falls, his companion can lift him up; but pity the one who falls without another to help him up!”
– Ecclesiastes 4:9–10 (BSB)
Two are better than one. A good friendship means that when one falls, the other lifts him up.
5. John 15:12–15
“This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are My friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not understand what his master is doing. But I have called you friends, because everything I have learned from My Father I have made known to you.”
– John 15:12–15 (BSB)
Jesus calls us friends and laid down His life for us. This is the model for every Christian friendship.
6. Proverbs 17:17
“A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.”
– Proverbs 17:17 (BSB)
True friendship is tested in hard times. A good friend does not disappear when you face trouble.
7. Proverbs 13:20
“He who walks with the wise will become wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed.”
– Proverbs 13:20 (BSB)
Friends shape who we become. Stay close to people who are wise and fear God.
8. Proverbs 27:17
“As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.”
– Proverbs 27:17 (BSB)
Like iron sharpening iron, good friends help each other grow, sometimes even through friction.
9. Proverbs 12:26
“A righteous man is cautious in friendship, but the ways of the wicked lead them astray.”
– Proverbs 12:26 (BSB)
The righteous know how to guide their friends on the right path. A godly friend is a great blessing.
10. James 4:4
“You adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever chooses to be a friend of the world renders himself an enemy of God.”
– James 4:4 (BSB)
James warns about a dangerous kind of “friendship”: being so friendly with the world that we oppose God.
11. Job 29:4–6
“as I was in the days of my prime, when God’s friendship rested on my tent, when the Almighty was still with me and my children were around me, when my steps were bathed in cream and the rock poured out for me streams of oil!”
– Job 29:4–6 (BSB)
Job remembered the days when “God’s friendship” rested on his home. Friendship with God is the most precious thing a person can have.
12. Romans 12:10
“Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Outdo yourselves in honoring one another.”
– Romans 12:10 (BSB)
Friendship in the church is brotherly love that honors and respects one another.
Building Friendships According to God’s Word
Good friendships don’t happen by themselves. They take time, sincerity, forgiveness and the courage to be honest with each other. The Bible shows that the most beautiful friendship is one with God at the center, where two people help each other draw closer to Him.
This week, think of a friend who has supported you and send them a word of thanks. Or become the friend someone needs: a phone call, a coffee, a prayer.
Lord Jesus, thank You for calling us friends. Thank You for the friends You have placed beside us. Help us become faithful, honest friends who love as You love. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Compiled by: Ly Nguyễn
With permission from: Salem Web Network
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