Yes, you can know — true belief is heart belief in Christ's death and resurrection, not merely mental agreement.
Les Feldick contrasts head knowledge with heart faith. He says many people know Jesus lived, was crucified, and was raised, but that is only head knowledge. The Bible's promise is that when you believe with your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved, and Les says God is duty bound to keep that promise.
Romans 10:9-10 — Paul directly answers the question by putting saving faith in the heart rather than the head and attaching God's promise of salvation to that heart faith.
The apostle Paul anchors assurance in the gospel promise: 'That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.' The next verse makes the location of faith explicit: 'For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.' Scripture therefore locates genuine saving faith in the heart, not merely in intellectual agreement.
Les teaches that true biblical believing involves the heart, not just the head. He points to Romans 10 and says Paul doesn't even allude to the things people often think are necessary; all Paul says is that if we believe with all our heart that God in Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose from the dead, we will be saved. That promise, however, must reach the heart. Les warns against what he calls 'easy-believism.' Genuine faith is rock-solid: 'with all my being, I know that Christ died for me. I know that my sins have been forgiven, because His blood has taken care of it. I know without a shadow of a doubt that He was arisen from the dead.' He also uses Philip's words to the Ethiopian eunuch, 'If thou believest with all thy heart,' to show that heart faith has always been the standard, and he contrasts Simon in Acts who believed only with the head because he was thinking of material gain. For assurance, Les says self-examination is appropriate: 'Am I just believing a head knowledge, or am I believing with all my innermost being?' When you can say, 'God, you've said it; I believe it with all my heart,' God becomes duty bound to fulfill His Word — otherwise the Book is a lie. He also explains that truly biblical believing has a supernatural quality: 'We know. How do we know? The Book says so. That's faith,' and understanding it is an act of God responding to faith.
Les says, 'For with the heart, not with the head, not with the mind, but with the heart man believeth unto righteousness.' A lot of people can have the head knowledge that Jesus lived and that Rome executed people by crucifixion, but that is just head knowledge. True believers know that when Christ died, He died for us, and that when He was buried, we were buried with Him. Even Simon in Acts believed outwardly, but he did not get it in the heart.
In Acts, Philip tells the Ethiopian eunuch, 'If thou believest with all thy heart' before baptism. Les says this reflects the same heart-faith Paul describes in Romans 10. Believing is not something you do with your hands or your feet; it is an attitude of the heart. The kind of heart faith Les describes is not easy believism — it is a faith so rock-solid that you can honestly say with all your being, 'I know that Christ died for me. I know that my sins have been forgiven, because His blood has taken care of it. I know without a shadow of a doubt that He was raised from the dead.'
Les says the promise of Romans 10 is not watered down. When you can say, 'God, you've said it; I believe it with all my heart,' God becomes duty bound to fulfill His Word; otherwise, 'this Book is a lie.' The promise is plain: 'If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.'
Les describes true biblical believing as knowing, and knowing begins with the Book: 'How do we know? The Book says so. That's faith.' He also says that when he later understood things he had not understood before, he realized, 'that's an act of God responding to my faith.' In other words, heart belief is not merely convincing yourself; it is a work God does in response to faith.
What Saves You? Head Knowledge vs. Heart Belief
I'm, as your introduction just said, I'm a layman, I'm a rancher, and we just do this for the Lord without any compensation. We just love to do it, and we're just laying it up. We trust in glory, and we trust that in the process we can bring people who do not know the Lord to a knowledge of Him, and we can help believers come into a closer walk and realize that this is an exciting book.
Heart Belief vs. Head Belief in Romans 10
Les points to Paul's phrase 'with the heart man believeth unto righteousness' and says the required faith must be in the heart, not just the head; Simon in Acts didn't get it in the heart.
Self-Examination and God's Duty-Bound Promise
Les urges self-examination: are you only believing head knowledge or with your innermost being? When you believe with your heart, God becomes duty bound to fulfill His word.
True Biblical Believing Comes from the Book
Les explains that true biblical believing is based on 'the Book says so,' and understanding Scripture is an act of God responding to faith.
Not Easy-Believism — Rock-Solid Assurance
Les clarifies that faith alone is not easy believism; true saving faith is so rock-solid that you can say with all your being that Christ died for you, your sins are forgiven, and He arose from the dead.
The Ethiopian Eunuch and the Heart Requirement
Les contrasts Simon's head-only belief with the Ethiopian eunuch's heart belief, showing that Scripture requires believing with the whole innermost being.
Believing Is an Attitude of the Heart
Les emphasizes that believing is not done with hands or feet, but is an attitude of the heart, and heart belief in the resurrection carries the promise 'thou shalt be saved.'
Head Knowledge Isn't Enough
Les shows that many people acknowledge the historical facts of Jesus' life, crucifixion, and resurrection but only as head knowledge; true believers know He died for us and we were buried with Him.
Romans 10:9: That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
This is the promise Les repeatedly holds out to those who wonder if they truly believe.
Romans 10:10: For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Paul deliberately places faith in the heart, which Les says excludes head-only knowledge.
Acts 8:37: And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
Philip's requirement for baptism shows the biblical standard of heart faith that Les applies to the assurance question.
Les says the place to begin is self-examination: 'Am I just believing a head knowledge, or am I believing with all my innermost being that Christ died for the world, for me?' If your faith has moved from the head to the heart — so that you can say with confidence that Christ died for you — you are not merely agreeing mentally; you are believing.
Yes. Les says many people have head knowledge that Jesus lived and was crucified, but that is only mental agreement. He points out that Romans 10 puts saving faith in the heart, and he uses Simon in Acts as an example of someone who believed with his head because he saw material gain.
Philip said, 'If thou believest with all thy heart' before baptizing the eunuch. Les says this shows that faith must be with the whole being, the innermost heart, and matches Paul's teaching in Romans 10.
Watch the Teaching: What Saves You? Head Knowledge vs. Heart Belief