Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.
Parallel translations
- WEB Above all these things, walk in love, which is the bond of perfection.
- KJV And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.
- BSB And over all these virtues put on love, which is the bond of perfect unity.
- NKJV But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.
- NASB In addition to all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Above all, they must put on love, which binds all the virtues together in perfect unity. Love is the crowning grace.
Overview
'Above all these things, walk in love'—love is the supreme virtue that completes the rest. It is 'the bond of perfection,' holding the other graces together and uniting the church in maturity. Without love the other virtues remain incomplete; with it they cohere into a Christlike whole.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 17
- 1 Pet 4:8And above all things be earnest in your love among yourselves, for love covers a multitude of sins.
- Eph 5:2Walk in love, even as Christ also loved you, and gave himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling fragrance.
- 1 Cor 13:1–13If I speak with the languages of men and of angels, but don’t have love, I have become sounding brass, or a clanging cymbal.
- Col 2:2that their hearts may be comforted, they being knit together in love, and gaining all riches of the full assurance of understanding, that they may know the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ,
- Rom 13:8Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.
- John 13:34A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also love one another.
- Eph 4:3being eager to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
- 1 Jn 4:21This commandment we have from him, that he who loves God should also love his brother.
- 1 Tim 1:5but the goal of this command is love, out of a pure heart and a good conscience and sincere faith;
- John 15:12“This is my commandment, that you love one another, even as I have loved you.
- 1 Th 4:9But concerning brotherly love, you have no need that one write to you. For you yourselves are taught by God to love one another,
- 2 Pet 1:7and in godliness brotherly affection; and in brotherly affection, love.
- 1 Jn 4:7–12Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves has been born of God, and knows God.
- John 17:23I in them, and you in me, that they may be perfected into one; that the world may know that you sent me, and loved them, even as you loved me.
- Eph 1:4even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and without defect before him in love;
- 1 Jn 3:23This is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, even as he commanded.
- Heb 6:1Therefore leaving the teaching of the first principles of Christ, let us press on to perfection — not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works, of faith toward God,
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Original language
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