29 Bible Verses On What It Takes To Be A Good Friend

ByVictoria Updated:

We all need a few good friends. The way to attract great friends is to be one. However, the qualities that make a good friend are not always easy to identify.

Understanding what the Bible says about being a good friend is essential in becoming and attracting lifelong exemplary friends. So let’s dig into 29 Bible verses you can study on friendship.

Bible Verses On What It Takes To Be A Good Friend

I was running one day when my mind started to wander to all I have learned through the years about making and keeping good friends and how most of what I have learned has come straight from the Bible. I then began thinking of key verses that have helped me through the years in the area of friendship.

I want to clarify before sharing these 29 verses on friendship that have helped me so much: I am not a perfect friend. I am one moody and introverted person–thankfully, my friends offer me grace and forgiveness repeatedly.

However, over two decades ago, having moved thousands of miles from anyone I knew, God began a work in my heart through His word on what it takes to be a good friend and I started applying it. Since then, I have made some of the deepest friendships of my life. Friends who are so close to my heart, I honestly can say they are like family to me.

 29 Bible Verses On What It Takes To Be A Good Friend

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I am not going to talk about every verse. Instead, I am going to let the verses speak for themselves.

Proverbs 12:26, "The righteous choose their friends carefully, but the way of the wicked leads them astray." (NIV)

 Good friends must be chosen wisely

Before we dig into the verses on what makes a good friend, let’s review a few verses that address why it is important not to become friends with just anyone.

1. Proverbs 12:26, “The righteous choose their friends carefully, but the way of the wicked leads them astray.” (NIV)

2. 1 Corinthians 15:33 “Do not be misled: Bad company corrupts good character.” (NIV)

3. Proverbs 22:24-25 ” Make no friendship with an angry man, and with a furious man do not go, Lest you learn his ways and set a snare for your soul.” (NKJV)

 

Proverbs 16:28 "Troublemakers start fights; gossips break up friendships." (The Message)

 Good friends don’t gossip

4. Proverbs 16:28 “Troublemakers start fights; gossips break up friendships.” (The Message)

5. Proverbs 17:9 “Whoever would foster love covers over an offense, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends.” (NIV)

 

Proverbs 17:17, " A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity. (ESV)

Good friends are loyal

6. Proverbs 17:17, “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” (ESV)

7. 1 Samuel 18:3 “And Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself.” (NIV)

8. Proverbs 18:24 “One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” (NIV)

Proverbs 27:5-6, "Better is open rebuke than hidden love. Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses." (NIV)

Good friends speak the truth

9. Proverbs 27:5-6, “Better is open rebuke than hidden love. Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.” (NIV)

 

Proverbs 27:17, "You use steel to sharpen steel, and one friend sharpens another." (The Message)

Good friends sharpen one another

10. Proverbs 27:17, “You use steel to sharpen steel, and one friend sharpens another.” (The Message)

 

Proverbs 27:9, "Oil and perfume make the heart glad; so does the sweetness of a friend's counsel that comes from the heart." (AMP)

Good friends offer great advice

11. Proverbs 27:9, “Oil and perfume make the heart glad; so does the sweetness of a friend’s counsel that comes from the heart.” (AMP)

12. Proverbs 13:20 “Walk with the wise and become wise; associate with fools and get into trouble.” (NLT)

 

Romans 12:15, "Laugh with your happy friends when they're happy; share tears when they're down." (The Message)

 Good friends laugh and cry with their friends

13. Romans 12:15, “Laugh with your happy friends when they’re happy; share tears when they’re down.” (The Message)

 

Mark 12:31, "The second is this; 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these."  (NIV)

Good friends practice healthy self-love

14. Mark 12:31, “The second is this; ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”  (NIV)

Proverbs 25:17, "And when you find a friend, don't outwear your welcome; show up at all hours, and he'll soon get fed up." (The Message)

Good friends know boundaries

15. Proverbs 25:17, “And when you find a friend, don’t outwear your welcome; show up at all hours, and he’ll soon get fed up.” (The Message)

 

John 15: 12-13, "This is my command: Love one another the way I loved you. This is the very best way to love. Put your life on the line for your friends." (The Message)

Good friends are willing to sacrifice

16. John 15:12-13, “This is my command: Love one another the way I loved you. This is the very best way to love. Put your life on the line for your friends.” (The Message)

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10, "Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up." (NIV)

Good friends lend a helping hand

17. Ecclesiastes 4:9-10, “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.” (NIV)

James 4:11 (NIV)

Good friends are not judgmental

18. James 4:11 “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.” (NIV)

1 Peter 4:8 "Above all things, have unfailing love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins." (MEV)

Good friends love without conditions

19. Samuel 18:1 “Now when he finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. (NKJV)

20. 1 Peter 4:8 “Above all things, have unfailing love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins.” (MEV)

21. 1 Corinthians 13:4 “Love does not give up. Love is kind. Love is not jealous. Love does not put itself up as being important. Love has no pride.” (NLV)

22. John 15:13 “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friend.” (ESV)

23. Romans 13:10 “Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.” (NKJV)

Colossians 3:13-14 "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. " (NIV)

Good friends forgive

24. Colossians 3:13-14 “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.” (NIV)

Galatians 6:2 "Bear ye one another burden's, and so fulfil the law of Christ." (KJV)

Good friends are there on the tough days

25. Galatians 6:2 “Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.” (KJV)

"Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken." Ecclesiastes 4:12 (NKJV)

Good friends offer support

26. Ecclesiastes 4:12 “Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.” (NKJV)

1 Samuel 18:4 (NKJV)

Good friends are giving

27. 1 Samuel 18:4 “And Jonathan took off the robe that was on him and gave it to David, with his armor, even to his sword and his bow and belt.” (NKJV)

Colossians 3:12 (NASB)

Good friends are compassionate, kind, humble, gentle, and patient

28. Colossians 3:12 “So, as those of you who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.” (NASB)

29. Philippians 2:3 “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather in humility value others above yourselves.” (NIV)

Now that we have covered the verses you need to study, here are a few ways to succeed in hiding them in your heart so that you can apply them to real-life situations.

Simple Ways To Sprinkle Scripture On Friendship Throughout Your Home

Simple Ways To Sprinkle Scripture On Friendship Throughout Your Home

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1. Grab your free PDF copy of the verses in this post

Sign up for my email through this form and you will get your free PDF copy of all 29 verses to print out and use in one of the following ways.

2. Write them on a chalkboard

Did you know you can buy framed Chalkboards from Amazon? You can even buy the sandwich board style that would be so cute placed outside your front door with one of these verses.

3. Write them on a whiteboard

A magnetic whiteboard placed in the entryway to your home is handy for more than notes–use it to put a scripture where you will see it every day as you enter and leave your home.

4. Put them on a felt board

Felt letter boards are all the rage! Place one in your home in an area people pass daily.

5. Display them on a clipboard

It doesn’t take long to open up your word processing program, type out a Bible verse on friendship, and create a black and white printable with it. All you need to do is play around with the fonts and spacing until you like what you see.

Print your verse out, place it on a clipboard with a hole in the top, and hang it wherever you want in your home using command hooks. You could even make a wall full of clipboards with verses.

6. Stick them on your walls

Amazon sells several different removable wall decals that contain scriptures.

7. Stick them to just about everything you own 

If you have a Cricut, the ideas for where to place scripture are endless. These machines can put verses on t-shirts, walls, glassware, binders, cups, and so much more.

Of course, you can place scripture around your home using other art mediums, including hand-lettering on canvas, paper, or wood.

Memorizing scripture isn’t enough to become and make great friends now; you need to take action. You have to apply the lessons within the scriptures to real life. You need to get out there and meet potential friends.

How Do You Meet People Who Could Become Friends?

How Do You Meet People Who Could Become Friends?

Luckily I have already written some great articles on how to get out there and meet people who could become your closest friends.

How to attract potential friends

Places to find potential friends

How To Keep Up Friendships Alive

But don’t just take my advice; search for more perspectives on how to make and keep friends from the following books. Below is a list of books that will help you meet potential friends and take those friendships to the next level.

Books On The Topic Of Making And Deepening Friendships

Books On The Topic Of Making And Deepening Friendships