47 Inspirational Bible Verses about Community
What does the Bible say about Community?
The Bible teaches us that the church is the people of God, who have been called out of the world to receive God’s mercy and grace.
As faithful stewards of God's varied grace, we are instructed to use the spiritual gifts we receive from the Holy Spirit to equip one another for the work of ministry (Ephesians 4:12). Our good deeds, when done through faith in Christ, bring glory to God (Matthew 5:14-16).
The church is being conformed by the Holy Spirit into the image of our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 8:29). As his church, we are called to do God's.
Jesus encourages his disciples to do God’s work together in Christian community by loving, serving, and encouraging one another as we love God and neighbor.
Christian Community is Formed by God's Grace
Christian community is a by-product of God's grace. It forms as people repent from their sins and turn to Jesus for spiritual healing. The early church formed when the apostle Peter, empowered by the Holy Spirit, boldly proclaimed the gospel of Jesus Christ. People were struck to their heart. The Holy Spirit convicted them of their sin. People turned to God, receiving Jesus as their savior, and began practicing his teachings about loving God and loving one another.
Acts 2:38
And Peter said to them, "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."
The early church was faithful to the teachings of Jesus.
Luke 10:27
"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself."
Empowered by the Holy Spirit, they demonstrated their faithfulness to Jesus' teachings daily.
Acts 2:42-47
And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles.
And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.
And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.
People who had formerly been divided by sex, race, class and culture, found a new identity in Christ.
Galatians 3:26-28
"For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus."
They became unified in their love for God and one another, giving to one another as any had need.
Acts 4:32-35
Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common.
And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.
There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need.
So Christian community flows from our shared commitment to follow Jesus, obeying his teachings, and exalting his name in worship. When we seek community apart from Christ, we destroy it, fashioning it in our own image, to meet our perceived needs. Deitrich Bonhoeffer, author of Life Together, warned that when we love our dream of Christian community, we destroy it, but when we love one another, we build Christian community.
Community is born out of our love for God and one another. The following bible verses about community teach us how to build up the church by loving one another. Before we can love one another, we must receive God's love. This bible verse written by the apostle John drives home the point, "We love because God first loved us" (1 John 4:9).
We cannot experience authentic Christian community apart from the love we receive from Jesus. As we abide in Christ's love, keeping his commandment to love one another, we glorify God and enrich Christian community.
John 15:8-10
"By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love.”
God must always come first in our pursuit of Christian community. God has ordered his church in this way: we first recognize the preeminence of Christ in all things. It is Jesus who holds his church together in perfect unity by his love. As we exalt Jesus we are bound together in Christian love.
The book of Hebrews was written to encourage the church to persevere in faith under the duress of persecution. Before exhorting the church to greater faithfulness, the author of Hebrews exalts Christ, pointing us to the one who establishes us in Christian community.
Hebrews 1:8-9
But of the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions.
If you find yourself longing for the intimacy of Christian community, first turn to Christ. Exalt him in worship. Praise his holy name. Recognize his preeminence in all things. Receive his love into your heart and you will be empowered to share God's love with others.
Our experience of Christian community may wax and wane, as our hearts temporarily give in to selfish ambition and self seeking behaviors. Everyone wants to be loved, but we don't always feel equipped to love others. True community is established when we learn to give and receive. If our desire to be loved is not rightly ordered by God's word, it can become a destructive force sapping Christian community of its grace. God's word teaches us what true love looks like.
What is Christian love?
The Corinthian church was experiencing disunity. The apostle Paul restored the church by pointing them to God's grace, reminding them of their identity in Christ (1 Corinthians 1:30), and exhorting them to love one another by using the gifts they had received from the Holy Spirit to build up the church in love (1 Corinthians 12-14). These verses teach us what Christian love looks like. It is much different than the sentimental love we see in movies. Christian love is selfless, building others up with patience and kindness.
1 Corinthians 1:10-11
“I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. For it has been reported to me by Chloe's people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers.”
1 Corinthians 13:4-7
“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.”
We build Christian community as we serve God and one another. These Bible verses about community teach us to focus our attention on loving God and others. As we receive God's love, it overflows to others, compelling us to share Christ's love with the world. As we faithfully fulfill Christ commands together, we grow in love and dependence upon one another.
The Greatest Commandment
The Greatest Commandment teaches us to love God and others.
Mark 12:28-31
"Which commandment is the most important of all?" Jesus answered, "The most important is, 'Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.'
The second is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these."
The Great Commission
The Great Commission teaches us to share God's love with the world by helping others to obey the teachings of Jesus.
Matthew 28:18-20
And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."
Love Comes from God
1 John 4:19
We love because he first loved us.
1 John 4:7
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.
1 John 4:9-11
In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
John 13:34-35
A new commandment I give you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.
The following scripture helps us to understand how to love one another with the love of Christ. Pray through these scripture passages verse by verse with another church member to grow in God's grace.
"One Another" Bible Verses
John 15:12
This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
Romans 12:10
Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.
Romans 12:16
Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight.
Romans 14:13
Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother.
Romans 15:14
I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another.
2 Corinthians 13:11
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.
Galatians 6:2
Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
Ephesians 4:32
Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
Ephesians 5:18-21
And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.
Colossians 3:9
Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices.
Colossians 3:12-14
Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.
Colossians 3:16
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
1 Thessalonians 4:9
Now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another.
1 Thessalonians 5:11
Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.
1 Thessalonians 5:15
See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone.
Hebrews 3:13
But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called "today," that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.
Hebrews 10:24-25
And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
1 Peter 4:8
Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.
1 Peter 4:9
Show hospitality to one another without grumbling.
1 Peter 4:10
As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace.
1 Peter 5:5
Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."
Proverbs 27:17
Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.
Bible Verses about Unity
Psalm 133:1
Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!
1 Corinthians 1:10
I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment.
1 Corinthians 12:13
For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.
Galatians 3:28
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
Ephesians 4:1-3
I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Colossians 3:11
Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.
Hebrews 4:2
For good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened.
1 Peter 3:8
Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind.
Bible Verses about the Christian Life
Romans 12:9-16
Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.
Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight.
Colossians 3:12-17
Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.
And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Christian Quotes about Community
These Christian quotes are taken from Life Together: The Classic Exploration of Christian Community by Dietrich Bonhoeffer’
"The person who loves their dream of community will destroy community, but the person who loves those around them will create community." - Dietrich Bonhoeffer
"Nothing can be more cruel than the leniency which abandons others to their sin. Nothing can be more compassionate than the severe reprimand which calls another Christian in one's community back from the path of sin." - Dietrich Bonhoeffer
"The exclusion of the weak and insignificant, the seemingly useless people, from a Christian community may actually mean the exclusion of Christ; in the poor brother Christ is knocking at the door." - Dietrich Bonhoeffer.
"I can no longer condemn or hate a brother for whom I pray, no matter how much trouble he causes me." - Dietrich Bonhoeffer
A Prayer for Christian Community
Lord God,
You are good and your steadfast love endures forever. Through the Lord Jesus Christ you gave me eternal life, and established me as a believer in your church.
You have poured out your love on me. I am able to love others because you first loved me.
You sent your son, Christ Jesus, to break the power of sin in me and to cleanse me of unrighteousness. By God's grace, I am able to cast off selfishness, deceit, envy, and sexual immorality.
You have filled me with your Spirit. You have filled me with your love. You have called me to a life of purpose. You have called me to a life of love.
I confess my brokenness to you Lord. I ask for your healing. Forgive me of my sins and help me to forgive those who have hurt me, so I won't bring bitterness into my relationships with others.
I repent of my selfish ambition. I repent of trying to find fulfillment in the things of this world instead of submitting to scripture. I repent of my lack of faith, and not attempting great things for God by God's grace and with God's people.
Thank you for the freedom I have in Christ Jesus. You have freed me from sin, and set me apart to serve you with my life. You have blessed me with your Spirit. Now I am free to strengthen the church by sharing my gifts with others.
Thank you for your forgiveness. Thank you for your love. Thank you for healing me of my brokenness. Even when I feel like others are far from me, Lord you are near. I have fellowship with you and for that I am thankful.
Help me to experience authentic Christian community. Help me to love others the way you have loved me. Help me to be selfless, to take up my cross and follow you.
Help me to love, honor, forgive, and be kind to others. Help me to encourage, exhort, and instruct others with the knowledge you have given me. Help me to use the gifts you have given me to build up the church, so we might be unified in Christ.
Help me to find others who want to honor you and serve you, so we might be faithful stewards of God's love as we serve one another worship you together.
Keep the church in perfect unity and give us faith to live in submission to the Holy Spirit.
I pray these things in the name of my Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.
Additional Resources
The following books are great resources for learning more about Christian community.
Life Together by Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Life Together is bread for all who hunger for Christian fellowship.
Used by Bonhoeffer’s underground seminary in Nazi Germany, this book gives practical advice on how to sustain life in Christ through Christian community.
Resident Aliens by by Stanley Hauerwas and William H. Willimon
When the Church lives out its scandalous Jesus-centered tradition, it will transform the world.
Resident Aliens is a prophetic vision for how the Church can reclaim its mission to nourish souls, while standing firmly against the eroding values of today’s culture.
Good Works: Hospitality and Faithful Discipleship by Keith Wasserman and Christine Pohl
Christians who hunger for life giving involvement in their local communities will find inspiration in this quiet but powerful Appalachian ministry with the homeless.
This book is for those who know that loving God and neighbor is the starting point, but who aren’t sure where to go from there.
These recommended resources are for sale on Amazon. Clicking on the link will take you to the Amazon store. As an Amazon associate I earn a percentage of the sale from qualifying purchases. The revenue I earn from Amazon supports the maintenance of this site.
