Phōs

Conception Before Birth

Chapter 5 · The Rule of Three · John Wright Follette · Bibliothēkē

You may not believe with me on this point, but how many know that you are intellectually converted before you are converted in your heart? The heart must have something to which your mind has given mental assent before your heart believes it. The mind has reached out its hand, taken the truth and laid it before you, and you are convinced that this is the truth. Because your mind is convinced and converted to the fact, your heart becomes operative, and with your heart you believe, and the change comes because you believe with your heart the thing which your mind already has set­tled.

Every normal, natural birth has first its conception. Things do not just happen. There are many who give mental assent to truth which amounts to a conception of the Word, but there is no HEART FAITH which lays hold to give the new birth. Any number of people know as much about salvation as some who are saved, but they are not born again because there has been no birth. There has been a mental assent, but let that Word begin to move in them and they refuse to lay hold with the heart, which is the reason why we have so many hundreds of thousands of people who are not born of the Spirit but who, nevertheless, have given mental assent to the truth.

God does not ask people to believe unless He has given them something to believe. Give the seeker some simple basic thing of which he can take hold. Your salvation and anything else you have received from God has been obtained through that process.

And once you have settled the fact that you believe what God has said, you need not be concerned about His glory. The only requirements made of you is to believe and let God take care of the worry and the glory.

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