The Central Truth of Religion

That God is love, is the central truth of religion. That God is love, is the basis of Christian living. Everything that has come to us from Christ has its source in this truth.

The apostle John places great emphasis on this fact, repeating it over and over over and over again. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that "God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him." "Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins." "And we have known and believed the love God hath for us. God is love: and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in Him."

Everything in the whole plan of redemption comes from this truth - God is love. Here is the source of our redemption, and all the blessings, all the comforts, all the consolidations, that come to us through that redemption.

"The greatest discovery of my life is that I am a sinner and that God loves me," said a man whose name is known for an important scientific discovery. The realization of our sins, of our unworthiness, of how little we love God, brings home to us the greatness and wonder of His love.

Only the conviction that God is love, that He loves us, can sustain our faith in the worth of life, and steady our courage in the midst of life's trials and disappointments. It is the one thing that saves us from discouragement, despair and bitterness. What security, what peace, what joy are ours in the knowledge that God is love.