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What does the Bible say about emotional attachment?

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The Bible teaches that emotional attachments are good gifts when they are ordered by love for God, governed by wisdom, and expressed faithfully rather than becoming idols or sources of sinful dependence. Genesis 2:24 portrays the deep, covenantal bond of marriage, in which husband and wife become one flesh. Proverbs 15:13-14 shows that the heart’s condition shapes both our joy and our desires, calling us to seek understanding rather than be ruled by feelings. Philippians 3:13-14 encourages believers not to be imprisoned by the past but to press on toward Christ. Above all, John 3:16-17 anchors our deepest security in God’s saving love through Jesus.

Top passages, ranked by readers

Rankings: OpenBible.info Topical Bible (CC BY) · Scripture: World English Bible

  • Genesis 2:24

    Therefore a man will leave his father and his mother, and will join with his wife, and they will be one flesh.

  • Proverbs 15:14

    The heart of one who has understanding seeks knowledge, But the mouths of fools feed on folly.

  • Philippians 3:13-14

    [13] Brothers, I don't regard myself as yet having taken hold, but one thing I do. Forgetting the things which are behind, and stretching forward to the things which are before, [14] I press on toward the goal for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

  • John 3:16-17

    [16] For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. [17] For God didn't send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through him.

  • Proverbs 15:13-14

    [13] A glad heart makes a cheerful face; But an aching heart breaks the spirit. [14] The heart of one who has understanding seeks knowledge, But the mouths of fools feed on folly.

  • 1 Corinthians 6:1-2

    [1] Dare any of you, having a matter against his neighbor, go to law before the unrighteous, and not before the saints? [2] Don't you know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters?

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