© 05 Colin Melbourne
Ditch Mental Assent and switch from make-believer to Bible believer
A man who claimed to have godly faith asked Christ,
What lack I yet? Holy Bible, Mtt. 19:20b KJV
The truth was he had mental assent, not real faith. His reaction to Christ’s reply proves it. Discover how to avoid falling into the same trap.
What Is Mental Assent?
Mental assent is a subtle form of self-deception, just one step removed from the demonic leaven (yeast) of hypocrisy.
Christ emphatically warned:
Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.
Lk. 12:1b KJV
To see a picture of Love on the boil read Matthew 23; the whole chapter is devoted to Christ railing against hypocrites. Read it once and your ears will burn. Then read it again realizing The Judge is speaking in perfect love. Worship Him, be thankful He’s put away your sins, and rest assured that He will judge your enemies in righteousness. Your job is to love and point them to Him.
The sin of hypocrisy is characterized as choosing not to practice what we preach. We are all familiar with it, and the huge blessing that comes the instant we repent. You don’t need anyone to explain hypocrisy.
Mental assent is equally common, just as crippling, but concealed from our awareness.
What is the difference between mental assent and hypocrisy?
Hypocrisy is knowing what we ought to do but choosing not to. It’s obvious both to yourself and those around you. Mental assent is a more personal, less public sin. Indeed, waking up to its presence usually comes as a shock.
You see; with mental assent you believe something in your head, you approve and confirm it is right, proper and godly. It carries your endorsement without qualm. You may not speak of it, but it bears your seal of approval.
However, the problem is you don’t realize that you are not fulfilling it. You think it, but don’t actually do it.
Why? Because you believe it in your head, not in your heart: Mental assent.
How To Believe
If you truly believed in your heart, you would put it into practice. You only believe God’s word as far as you obey and act on it.
Can you see why it is actually ignorant hypocrisy, unbelief, and just as toxic to your walk with God?
Switch from mental assent to Bible faith. Real faith is of the heart, not the head: your spirit, rather than your mind.
Here’s the Bible principle:
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.
Ro. 10:9-10 KJV
Put simply, when you believe in your spirit, your heart, you will do a thing. Believing is a verb; faith is an action. Faith without action is dead, and useless (Jas. Ch. 2). Merely agreeing, and assenting to something does not produce action. Heart faith always results in action.
Only by acting do you prove what you believe. You see why it is easy to approve of something in your mind, as though you were a participant, but not do it yourself? It is self-deceiving to claim to believe without corresponding action. That’s mental assent: utter failure, and must be repented of.
Examples of Mental Assent
You’ll now be able to recognize lots of examples:
- Take worship; many Christians claim to worship God, without a shred of genuine worship. They merely perform religious routines, and sing songs. Once you have tasted real worship, you’ll know what I mean. Nothing less satisfies a true Christian, or pleases God.
- Similarly with prayer: mouthing utterances without communication. Prayer meetings, without meeting God. Lord forgive us.
- How about repetitive prayers? Mental assent keeps asking for the same things in prayer. Heart faith asks once and knows God has answered according to His Promise. Smith Wigglesworth used to say that if you pray seven times before receiving, you asked six times in unbelief. He’s right.
- Love is another prime example: love must be sincere, of the heart not the head. Think carefully how many times you have assented to love, without loving. Oh dear.
Healing Blocked By Mental Assent
Healing is frequently prevented by mental assent. Christians claim and proclaim the healing promises; but fail to act on them. Mental assent: They stay sick or infirm. What a thrill it is to switch from mental assent to Bible faith.
Let me give a personal illustration:
Some years ago, I slipped and fell in a hotel bathroom, yelling in agony as my ankle swelled dramatically. It occurred only minutes before I was supposed to check out, and continue my journey evangelizing in S.E. Asia. Instead I crawled to bed, and lay there asking God to deliver me, quoting the healing Scriptures and believing them. It was serious, possibly broken.
Through gritted teeth I rebuked the Devil and the pain, and declared that by Christ’s wounds I have been healed. It grew worse. My train was due. The Devil advised me to postpone the trip, and rest a few days.
Then the Lord whispered to my heart, If you believe you are healed, why are you lying down?
I saw His point, so slowly I stood on my good leg; gingerly touching the injured foot to the floor I collapsed back on the bed as searing pain shot through the limb.
Colin, get up on the other leg. Jesus said to me.
It is a precious moment of truth when you discover what you really believe. It crystallized the point of this article: Repenting from mental assent.
I decided to obey. Sweating with pain, I stood on my good leg, raised the other and shouted, By His stripes I have been healed! and stamped the injured foot down as hard as I could.
Instantly all pain left, I grabbed my backpack, and praising God, hopped down three flights of stairs on the healed leg. Seconds earlier I couldn’t bear to have it touch the ground.
What made the difference?
I switched from mental assent to Bible faith, and caught my Gospel train perfectly healed.
Face to Face With Christ
The rich young ruler is a classic case of mental assent. Mtt. 19:16-23 He came to Christ asking what he should do to inherit eternal life. Jesus shrewdly told him to obey the commandments. You see that it was a tactical reply? With disarming naiveté the chap claimed to have kept them, and asked,
What lack I yet?
How gently the Lord dealt with the man. He tried to turn him from mental assent to heart faith by separating him from his wealth. But the sinner went away sad.
He loved his money more than he loved God.
The tragic cost of mental assent.
You can see that this man was not a plain hypocrite, he really thought he had kept those commandments, but only One Man has ever kept them. (Understand that you have not kept them either. The Law is a teacher that leads us to Christ.)
What To Do
Test yourself, examine your own heart now that you are alert to mental assent, then repent of each case the Lord shows you. As you do the right thing you’ll be instantly blessed for your obedience, will walk closer with God, and get Bible results.
Receive Christ and Get Right With God
© 05 Colin Melbourne
