Charity's Bond - A Christian Hip Hop Song: The Perfect Tie of Love

About Charity's Bond

"Charity's Bond" is a scripture-rooted Christian hip hop song from Malachi Ben-David — a conscious rap and gospel hip hop cut with a warm neo soul feel. Built almost entirely from the love passages of the New Testament, it opens in the voice of 1 John — "let us love one another, for love is of God" — and moves through the charity of 1 Corinthians 13, the brotherly love of Romans 12, and the perfect love that casts out fear of 1 John 4. The song makes one argument across every verse: that love, not activity, is the tie that binds the body of Christ together. It's a hip hop meditation on love one another, in deed and truth.

Lyrics for Charity's Bond

Beloved, let us love one another, For love is of God, Every one that loveth is born of Him, Knowing His light. Charity suffereth long, is kind, envieth not, Beareth all things, hopeth, endureth the night.

Charity's bond, the perfect tie, Above all things, let it unify. Love one another as He loved you, In deed and truth, let it shine through.

Be kindly affectioned with brotherly love, Forbearing in meekness, serving with grace. If God so loved us, we ought to love too, Covering sins, in unity's embrace.

No fear in love, it casteth out torment, Perfect in us, as God dwelleth within. Love thy neighbor as thyself, without grudge, In fervent charity, let forgiveness begin.

Charity's bond, the perfect tie, Above all things, let it unify. Love one another as He loved you, In deed and truth, let it shine through.

Behind the Song

The song opens by handing the mic to Scripture. "Beloved, let us love one another, / For love is of God" — the first lines are 1 John 4 almost verbatim, and that's deliberate. The song doesn't argue its way toward love; it starts from love as the ground of everything, the evidence of being "born of Him." Then it moves straight into the definition no other passage improves on: "Charity suffereth long, is kind, envieth not, / Beareth all things, hopeth, endureth the night." That closing phrase — "endureth the night" — is the one place the song stretches Paul's words, and it earns it. Love that only works in daylight isn't the charity of 1 Corinthians 13. This love holds through the dark.

The chorus gives the song its title and its thesis in a single image: "Charity's bond, the perfect tie, / Above all things, let it unify." It's Colossians 3:14 — "above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness." Of all the virtues a believer can put on, love is the one that ties the rest together and holds them. And the measure of that love isn't sentiment — "Love one another as He loved you, / In deed and truth, let it shine through." John 13 sets the standard (as He loved you), and 1 John 3 sets the proof (not in word, but in deed and in truth).

The second verse turns practical, gathering the "one another" commands of the epistles. "Be kindly affectioned with brotherly love, / Forbearing in meekness, serving with grace" braids Romans 12 and Ephesians 4 into a single line — affection, patience, humility, service. Then the logic underneath all of it: "If God so loved us, we ought to love too" (1 John 4:11). Our love isn't the source; it's the overflow. And love's hardest work gets named plainly — "Covering sins, in unity's embrace" — because 1 Peter 4:8 says fervent charity covers a multitude of sins. Love doesn't broadcast the failures of the body. It covers them.

The bridge reaches the song's deepest water. "No fear in love, it casteth out torment, / Perfect in us, as God dwelleth within." This is 1 John 4:18 — perfect love casts out fear — paired with the promise that when we love one another, God abides in us. Fear and love can't share the same room; where His love is perfected, torment has to leave. The bridge then closes the circle back to the oldest command: "Love thy neighbor as thyself, without grudge, / In fervent charity, let forgiveness begin." From Leviticus to Christ to the epistles, it all lands on the same doorstep — forgiveness. Charity isn't complete until the grudge is gone.

Christian hip hop suits this because the genre can carry dense text — it can hold this much Scripture in a verse without breaking stride, letting the words themselves be the hook. The neo soul underneath gives it the warmth the subject demands; a song about love that sounds cold would betray itself. Message. Music. Encounter. Movement.

Biblical Background

"Charity's Bond" is woven almost entirely from the New Testament's teaching on love, beginning with John's letters. "Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God" (1 John 4:7). Paul's great definition supplies the song's opening description: "Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not… Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things" (1 Corinthians 13:4–7). And the title itself comes from Paul's word to the Colossians: "And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness" (Colossians 3:14).

The command to love is anchored in Christ's own words — "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you" (John 13:34) — and its proof in action comes from 1 John 3:18, "let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth." The practical verses gather Romans 12:10, Ephesians 4:2, 1 John 4:11, and 1 Peter 4:8, "for charity shall cover the multitude of sins." The bridge rests on 1 John 4:18, "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear," alongside the command to "love thy neighbour as thyself" (Leviticus 19:18; Matthew 22:39).

Every reference is listed below in the order the song travels through it.

Scripture References (song order)

  • 1 John 4:7–8 — love one another, for love is of God and God is love; "let us love one another, / For love is of God" (Verse 1)

  • 1 Corinthians 13:4–7 — charity suffers long, is kind, bears and endures all things; "Charity suffereth long, is kind, envieth not" (Verse 1)

  • Colossians 3:14 — put on charity, the bond of perfectness, above all things; "Charity's bond, the perfect tie, / Above all things, let it unify" (Chorus)

  • John 13:34–35 — the new commandment to love one another as He loved us; "Love one another as He loved you" (Chorus)

  • 1 John 3:18 — love not in word only, but in deed and in truth; "In deed and truth, let it shine through" (Chorus)

  • Romans 12:10 — be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; "Be kindly affectioned with brotherly love" (Verse 2)

  • Ephesians 4:2 — with lowliness and meekness, forbearing one another in love; "Forbearing in meekness, serving with grace" (Verse 2)

  • 1 John 4:11 — if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another; "If God so loved us, we ought to love too" (Verse 2)

  • 1 Peter 4:8 — fervent charity covers a multitude of sins; "Covering sins, in unity's embrace" (Verse 2)

  • 1 John 4:18 — no fear in love; perfect love casts out fear; "No fear in love, it casteth out torment" (Bridge)

  • 1 John 4:12, 16 — if we love one another, God dwells in us; "Perfect in us, as God dwelleth within" (Bridge)

  • Leviticus 19:18; Matthew 22:39 — love thy neighbour as thyself, without a grudge; "Love thy neighbor as thyself, without grudge" (Bridge)

FAQ

What is Charity's Bond about? It's a Christian hip hop song about love as the tie that binds believers together. Built from the New Testament's love passages, it moves through loving one another, the patient charity of 1 Corinthians 13, brotherly love and service, and the perfect love that casts out fear — landing on forgiveness as love's final work.

Why does the song use the word "charity" instead of "love"? "Charity" is the older English word for the deepest kind of love — the self-giving, enduring love described in 1 Corinthians 13 and Colossians 3:14, where it's called "the bond of perfectness." The song keeps that word to point to that specific, sacrificial love rather than mere affection or feeling.

What scriptures inspired Charity's Bond? The song is built on 1 John 4 (love is of God, perfect love casts out fear), 1 Corinthians 13 (the definition of charity), Colossians 3:14 (the bond of perfectness), John 13:34, 1 John 3:18, Romans 12:10, Ephesians 4:2, 1 Peter 4:8, and the command to love your neighbor from Leviticus 19:18. The full list is above in song order.

Is Charity's Bond based on the Bible? Yes. Nearly every line is drawn directly from the New Testament's teaching on love, and the verses quoted throughout the story stay faithful to the passages they come from.

What genre is Charity's Bond? It's a Christian hip hop song — conscious rap and gospel hip hop — carrying a neo soul warmth underneath the bars.

Where can I listen to Charity's Bond? Stream it on Spotify, Apple Music, and Audiomack, and follow Malachi Ben-David on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and TikTok. The song is also available in the Facebook, Instagram, & Threads Music Library and as a TikTok Sound.