What is the difference between saving faith and mere mental assent?
Saving faith is genuine, Holy Spirit-driven belief that one’s eternal destiny is based on what Christ did on the cross. Mere mental assent is only saying a mental yes; it is not the real belief the Gospel requires. The Gospel is God’s power unto salvation, not works or a better way to heaven.
Les explains that the Gospel is what Paul can get across: Christ died for the sins of the world. He stresses that this is not merely making a mental assent and saying, “yeah, you’re all right.” Instead, saving faith is a genuine, Holy Spirit-driven belief that my eternal destiny is based on what He did for me on that cross. He connects this to Romans 6’s seed analogy: Christ died, we died; He was buried, we were buried; He arose, we arose to new life. The gospel is not our works or denomination but the power of God unto salvation, more than a better way to heaven.
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.