The word of God

What if a large number of Christians throughout history didn't have the ability to read the bible, nor have any deep biblical/theological knowledge?  What if these brothers and sisters didn't miss out on hearing and living by the word of God?  What if owning your own copy (or several) of the bible and calling it "the Word of God" is a relatively new thing, only a couple of hundred years old?  What if we search the scriptures, learn them, teach them, and all the while miss the one thing that, Jesus taught, really counts?  What if all these Christians, without the ability to read, or without the means of purchasing a copy of the Bible, or simply living before the age of the printing press, got this one thing right?  What if the word of God simply is LOVE?