What does it mean to believe the gospel — is head knowledge enough?
Believing the gospel means a true heart belief and trust in the gospel, not mere head knowledge or mental assent to historical facts that Christ lived, died, and rose. Head knowledge alone is not enough; believing comes from the heart, the central part of us that relates to the spirit world, where God begins and finishes His work.
Les explains that many people, especially in our beloved nation, believe the historical fact that Christ lived and died, and may even give a head knowledge assent that He rose from the dead, but that is not believing. Believing does not come from the head; it comes from the heart. When the Bible speaks of the heart, it is not talking about the pumping organ, but that central part of us that has a relationship with the spirit world, and it is there God must begin and finish His work. Les warns that many will miss heaven by 12 inches: they had it in the head but never got it in the heart. So true believing, trusting, and having faith in the gospel is not just mental assent; it is heart belief, with one's whole eternal destiny resting on it, and God opens that ability to believe.