Marriage: This is one of those times in your life when you start saying, “I get this.” And somehow you end up sending an SOS signal.
We need to reach out to each other because love does not come naturally to us and is difficult. And often when we are least willing.
It’s only natural that we (literally) reach for the ancient texts that wrote the book on love. Looking for poems about love and marriage? Start here.
poems about love and marriage
1. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7
“Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful. It is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way. It does not get irritated or resentful. It does not rejoice in evil, but rejoices in the truth. Love endures all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”
From the Top 40 to the Oscars, culture loves a peek at what love looks like. 1 John 3:16 clearly describes the love of God in its technicolor depiction of the life and death of Jesus. “By this we know love, that God laid down his life for us.”
Rather than continue to be fueled by emotion, God turns our love story upside down in these verses about love (and marriage). Love becomes an unrelenting way of life in the mundane and tough moments. True love requires noble persistence in conversations and fights, in washing towels and wiping tears, in romance and renewing car insurance.
2. Song of Solomon 1:1-4. 3:4
“Let me kiss me with the kiss of the mouth! Your love is better than wine. The oil of your anointing is fragrant, and your name is anointed oil. So the virgin loves you. Draw me after you. Let us run away. The king has led me into a room…. I have found him whom my soul loves.”
The newly wedded wife of ancient King Solomon poetically expresses her desire to connect with him through physical contact and sex. This entire passionate, biblical book touts God’s exquisite creation and heartfelt applause for sex in marriage. King Solomon and his eager young wife passionately and romantically shout about each other’s personalities and bodies.
In fact, through the anonymous “chorus” of this book, we find God Himself rooting for this couple’s whole-person intimacy, built on holistic love as God Himself loves.
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3. Song of Solomon 8:6-7, ESV
“Place me as a seal on your heart, and on your arm as a seal, for love is as strong as death, and jealousy as fierce as the grave. Its flashes are the flashes of fire, the very flame of the Lord. Water cannot quench love, nor can a flood drown love. If a man sacrifices all his household wealth for love, he will be completely despised.”
Perhaps someone’s seal in ancient times marked approval and finality of ownership, similar to how we use signatures in modern times. In these classic poems about love and marriage, the young wife of this ancient king implores to possess his heart forever and ever.
4. Romans 15:7, NIV
“Therefore, accept one another as Christ has accepted you, to the praise of God.”
The power of this comparison, “as Christ welcomed you,” rests in our understanding that Jesus welcomed his people. Early in the book, we learn that “God demonstrated his love for us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). When our rebellion marked us as arrogant enemies, God most generously showed His love and care by sacrificing His life to bridge the gap between Himself and humanity.
God welcomes us as we are and established a definitive precedent for a loving relationship. We love others in the midst of chaos and “bear one another’s burdens, thus fulfilling the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2).
5. Philippians 2:1-8, ESV
“Therefore, if you have encouragement in Christ, comfort in love, participation in the Spirit, love and compassion, fill my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being of one mind in perfect unity. Not out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility, consider others more important than yourself. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but emptied himself by taking the form of a servant and becoming obedient unto death.”
Understand these differences for people (and marriages) who follow Jesus. The love of Jesus and the Holy Spirit, combined with affection and empathy, bring about a passion for unity. It does not erase individuality or difference, but functions as a single whole in its differences, much like our own bodies (see 1 Corinthians 12). Husbands and wives also live in compassion and work together toward God’s purposes (see Psalm 34:3).
Similarly, in marriage and life, we set aside ambitions and egos that don’t fully take others into account. Instead, others become more important than us, like Jesus, who put aside what he deserved at the cost of his own life. Consider that in order to have a God-honoring marriage, it is extremely important to elevate your spouse’s needs and kill your own importance.
6. 1 Peter 3:8-9, 4:8
“Finally, all of you, be of one mind, have compassion, have brotherly love, have a kind heart, and a humble heart. Do not repay evil with evil, do not return abuse with abuse, but on the contrary, bless. For this is what you were called to do, to obtain blessings… Above all, continue to love one another earnestly, for love covers a multitude of sins.”
God sets a high bar in these verses about love, marriage, and all who follow Him. It’s about unity of mind (taking “pretending” off the list). I love you like family. A kind heart. The mind equates itself with God.
But this brand of love follows the example of Jesus, who substituted kindness for sin, no matter what was “deserved” (see Matthew 5:44; Luke 23:34; 22:47-51). Learning to truly love in this way gives you the power to overcome most of the most devastating obstacles in your marriage.
7. Romans 13:8-10
“No one owes anyone anything except to love one another. For those who love others have fulfilled the law, for they say, “You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not covet. ” and other commandments are summed up in these words: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Therefore, love is the fulfillment of the law.”
If you have only one rule to keep in mind in your marriage, let it be this great concept. It means loving God first, and then loving each other as you love yourselves, because you are both created in the image of God. If you do this successfully, you will be golden.
8. Ephesians 5:1-2, 25-30, 32
“Therefore, as beloved children, be imitators of God, and walk in love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. Husbands, wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her. that he might cleanse her and sanctify her by the washing of water with the word, that he might present her to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle, so that she might be holy and spotless.” In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. For no man hates his body any more than Christ hates his church. Because we are referring to Christ and the church. ”
The culture of marriage that follows God remains fundamentally different. Rather than personal happiness or fulfillment or even romantic love as the primary goal, God sets the tone for a self-sacrificing love that upholds the breathtaking holiness (“splendor”) of each other. Ultimately, Paul teaches us an important aspect of Christian marriage. It shows the world the nature of the relationship between Jesus himself and his bride, the church.
9. Ephesians 4:1-3, 32
“I urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, patiently bearing with one another in love, and zealous to maintain the unity of the Spirit in bonds of peace.…Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another as God in Christ has forgiven you.”
These poems about love and marriage can potentially establish a culture of relationships that endures a passion for peace and connection. Arrogance, impatience, and cocky independence are directly replaced by deep kindness, intentional unity, and complete forgiveness that reflects Jesus. It is what God deems “worthy” of His own humility, kindness, patience, and sacrifice for us.
And as a Spirit-filled couple, unity, or oneness, remains one of your top priorities. “I (Jesus) may be in them, and You (Father) in me, so that they may be completely one, so that the world may know that you sent me and that you loved them as you loved me” (John 17:23).
What are you willing to work on in your marriage for true oneness?
Copyright © 2026 by Janel Breitenstein. All rights reserved.
Janel Breitenstein is an author, freelance writer, speaker, and regular FamilyLife contributor. Her work has also been published in Focus on the Family and Christianity Today. After five years in East Africa, her family of six returned to Colorado where she continues to work with the poor with Engineering Ministries International. She is the author of Permanent Markers: Spiritual Life Skills to Write on Your Kids’ Hearts. “Save Us from Meltdowns: Other Real-Life Prayers for Parents” and the upcoming “How to Stop Screaming Down the Stairs: Stay Calm While Raising Children.” You can find her (“Awkward Mom”) having uncomfortable and important conversations at JanelBreitenstein.com and janelbreitenstein.substack.com.
