10 Bible Verses About Marriage to Build a Strong Relationship

Much has been written on the subject of marriage as every couple is different. You may be married to your childhood friend, or to someone who is from another country. You may have always shared the Christian faith, or one of you may have come to faith during the marriage. Alternatively, you may be married to a non-believer. Regardless, you are husband and wife living in a covenant relationship. While it won’t always be smooth sailing, there is much advice in Scripture on how to build a strong marriage. Take note of these 10 Bible verses about marriage that help in developing a loving relationship with your spouse.

10 Bible Verses About Marriage

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. – Proverbs 3:3-4, NIV

Solomon is suggesting we show truth and mercy to others, as well as love and faithfulness to our significant other. We need to realize that all relationships require work, just like a house will fall into disrepair if not maintained.

When being loving is at the forefront of our minds, then it follows that our marriage will be stronger. Acting in an unloving way, and being unfaithful through some kind of betrayal, big or small, will sour the relationship that God has planned for companionship and joy.

In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church – for we are members of His body. – Ephesians 5:28-30, NIV

This means that husbands and wives should love each other sacrificially. In a way, when you get married, you give up your individual life for that shared with another. As Christ gave His life for the church, the church gives her life for Christ.

Although this requires work, this kind of love is a blessing for both the giver and receiver. In this Bible verse about marriage for Christians, we see that loving sacrificially moves us closer to Christ and we can grow into His likeness. Paul intends to show that in marriage you are one body.

Let all that you do be done in love. – 1 Corinthians 16:14, ESV

In this verse, Paul is exhorting us to be strong and courageous in our faith, doing everything with a love that springs from the knowledge that He loved us first. In marriage, Christian partners should do their best to love one another, being patient and kind toward one another.

This is not easy for two sinners living together. By praying and asking for God’s help, the overriding motivation should be to reject animosity in the relationship and strive for love and respect.

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. – 1 Thessalonians 5:11, NIV

Spiritually, Christians should be alert and active as well as purposeful given the prospect of Christ’s return. This should be the binding force keeping married couples together: the prospect of eternal life in Heaven with our Lord.

While not a Bible verse about marriage specifically, this is a great reminder to couples to witness to each other daily through loving and serving one another wherever possible, building each other up rather than focusing on individual needs.

Love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness and peace kiss each other. – Psalm 85:10, NIV

These words stress again the goodness and faithfulness of our all-seeing God. We can be assured of His restorative power and assurance of help in troubled times. We are saved by His grace. In reading it as a Bible verse about marriage, the advice for Christians is to take the time each day to be in God’s Word and to feel joy at God’s presence in our lives. He will smooth the path that is ahead for you both.

Husbands, in the same way, be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers. – 1 Peter 3:7, NIV

Verse 3 begins with Peter stating that a wife’s true beauty comes from within. He then instructs husbands on how to live with their spouses; to honor and respect them. This a radical idea at that time, as women were often treated as inferior, and oppressed.

To treat your wife as an equal was revolutionary, an outward sign of the inner change received by grace through faith in Christ. This Bible verse about marriage is particularly relevant in today’s culture, where women are expected to perform the same tasks as men, while not being treated as equals.

Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. – Ecclesiastes 4:12, NIV

This symbolizes God’s knot in the marriage relationship. The joining of two people and God, as it was He who taught us how to love. How incredible to think that, when we marry in God’s sight, He is the third strand; the Holy Spirit binding together in an unbreakable fashion.

He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the Lord. – Proverbs 18:22, NIV

Marriage is a good thing, but it does not mean you are less loved if you do not. In reading this Bible verse about marriage, the advice would be to pick a spouse who is valuable, trustworthy, and upholds the Lord’s principles. While marriage is not going to always be easy, the companionship it brings and the opportunity to create a family are good things that should be celebrated.

Houses and wealth are inherited from parents, but a prudent wife is from the Lord. – Proverbs 19:14, NIV

Again these Bible verses about marriage stress the point about a aodly spouse being of more value than physical wealth. They are a true gift from the Lord. The marriage advice for Christians here is that husbands and wives should both help one another become more Christ-like in their actions and thinking.

David’s wife, Abigail, was such a woman who saved him from a difficult situation for which he thanked both her and God. She proved a true blessing and sets an example for today’s women to follow.

Let marriage be held in honor above all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous. – Hebrews 13:4, ESV

The consequence of sexual sin is presented in these words. Fidelity in marriage as well as abstaining from sex before marriage is important in God’s eyes. Sexual sin leads to inevitable results (Romans 1:24-27).

God in His judgment could simply leave you to your fate, so repent and ask the Lord for forgiveness. Marriage advice for Christians couldn’t be clearer in this case if you wish your marriage to survive and thrive.

The Bible contains much wisdom for building a strong marriage, where there is mutual respect and selfishness is put off, and sacrificial love is put on. In each of these instances, the individual’s relationship with God is of critical importance.

Love God first, and then love your spouse. Of all human relationships, marriage is the closest. It is ordained by God needing to be handled with care and nurtured in the most loving way possible.

This is not an easy task, but the advice is clear. Remember, “With God, all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26, NIV) If you’re looking for additional support beyond these Bible verses for marriage, reach out to our office. The counselors at Irvine Christian Counseling in California are here to support you as you build a strong, biblical marriage.