Yes — believing with the heart means a wholehearted trust, not merely mental agreement, that Christ died, was buried, and rose again, and God promises salvation to that faith.
Les Feldick teaches that Romans 10 is not about head knowledge or giving mental assent to historical facts. Believing comes from the heart, from the innermost being. When that heart belief is present, God's Word says 'thou shalt be saved' and God is duty-bound to keep His promise.
Romans 10:9-10 — This is the passage Paul uses to tie heart-belief to righteousness and salvation, and Les Feldick points to it as the biblical explanation of what heart belief means.
Romans 10:9-10 says: "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. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." This is the foundational passage for the question. Paul shows that believing is an act of the heart, and it is to the heart that righteousness is credited. Scripture elsewhere describes the gospel content that must be believed: Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again the third day (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). And in Acts 8:37, Philip conditions baptism on believing 'with all thine heart,' showing the same heart-faith requirement.
Les Feldick teaches that believing with the heart is a true heart belief, not head knowledge. He stresses that many people believe the historical facts of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection, but that mental assent is not biblical faith. Believing, he says, does not come from the head; it comes from the heart — it is an attitude of the innermost being. When the Gospel — that Christ died, was buried, and rose from the dead — is believed with the whole heart, the promise is settled: 'thou shalt be saved.' Les says God is duty-bound to fulfill His Word, and as soon as a person believes, God imputes His righteousness. He contrasts this with Simon in Acts 8, who 'believed' with his head because he saw material gain; Peter said his heart was not right with God. True heart belief, Les says, is a genuine, Holy Spirit-driven trust that rests one's entire eternal destiny on what Christ did on the cross.
Les says many people believe in the historical fact that Christ lived, died, and rose from the dead, but that is only mental assent. Believing does not come from the head — it comes from the heart. He uses the expression that many will 'miss heaven by 12 inches' because they had the truth in the head but never got it in the heart. Heart belief means trusting your whole eternal destiny on the Gospel, not merely agreeing with facts. He also addresses the question 'how do I know I have believed enough?' by showing the issue is not how much you believe, but whether it is actually a heart belief.
Les points to Simon in Acts 8. The Scripture says Simon 'believed,' but Peter told him his heart was not right in the sight of God. Simon was in it strictly for what he could gain materially; he saw the apostles' power and wanted it for himself. Les says Simon was a fake. His was a head belief, not a heart belief. In contrast, Philip told the Ethiopian eunuch he could be baptized if he believed with all his heart, and the eunuch responded, 'I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.'
Les teaches that Romans 10 gives a promise, not a possibility. If you believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead — and since He died, the resurrection implies His death — the promise is 'thou shalt be saved.' It is not 'maybe' or 'I hope so.' God has said it, and God is duty bound to fulfill His Word. When a person believes the Gospel, God imputes His righteousness. This is the settled certainty of heart faith.
Les says the Gospel is that Christ died for the sins of the world, was buried, and rose from the dead. It is possible to associate those events with history, but for true believers it is much more: we know that when Christ died, He died for us. Heart belief is not giving mental assent to a historical fact; it is a genuine, Holy Spirit-driven belief that my eternal destiny is based on what He did for me on that cross. If a person has that kind of heart faith, Les says he can rest in it rather than fear the eternal doom that awaits those who do not.
Peter's Exposure of Simon's False Belief
Les shows Simon's belief was fake because he was in it for material gain, and connects this to Romans 10 to show real belief is with the heart.
God Is Duty Bound to Save When You Believe
Les says when a person can say 'God, you've said it, I believe it with all my heart,' God is duty bound to fulfill His Word and imputes righteousness.
Head Knowledge Is Not Believing
Les answers the question of whether you have believed enough by saying believing does not come from the head but from the heart.
Missing Heaven by 12 Inches
Les explains that many people have truth in their head but never in their heart; true heart belief trusts one's eternal destiny on the Gospel.
The Promise Attached to Heart Belief
Les explains Romans 10:9: believing is an attitude of the heart, and if you believe in your heart that God raised Jesus (which implies His death), the promise is 'thou shalt be saved.'
Heart Belief, Not Just Historical Knowledge
Les stresses that Romans 10:10 qualifies the earlier verse: it is not head knowledge. True believers know Christ died for them, not just as an historical event.
Believing With All Thy Heart in Acts 8
Les contrasts Simon's head-belief with Philip's requirement for the eunuch to believe with all his heart, showing heart faith is the biblical standard.
Holy Spirit-Driven Belief Based on Christ's Death
Les describes true belief as a genuine, Holy Spirit-driven belief that one's eternal destiny is based on what Christ did for them on the cross.
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 Paul's direct statement that heart belief in the resurrection leads to salvation.
Romans 10:10: For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
This verse explicitly names the heart as the place where saving faith and righteousness begin.
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 shows that biblical belief must be with the whole heart, not merely the head.
1 Corinthians 15:3-4: For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
This is the Gospel content that must be believed from the heart: Christ died, was buried, and rose again.
No, Les says that is not believing. Many people give mental assent to the fact that Christ lived, died, and rose from the dead, but true believing comes from the heart. Head knowledge can leave you 12 inches short of heaven. Heart belief means trusting your entire eternal destiny on what Christ did for you.
Les teaches that when you believe the Gospel with all your heart, God promises 'thou shalt be saved.' God is duty bound to fulfill His Word, and He imputes His righteousness the moment you believe. You do not need to wonder whether it is enough because God has made a promise.
Simon's belief was not real heart belief. He saw the material gain of the apostles' power and wanted it for himself. Peter told him his heart was not right in God's sight. Les describes Simon as a fake who was in it strictly for what he could gain physically and materially.
Watch the Teaching: Is Baptism Required for Salvation? What Acts 8 Really Says