Stephen Charnock “Existence and Attributes of God”
Men may have atheistical hearts without atheistical heads. Their reasons may defend the notion of a Deity, while their hearts are empty of affection to the Deity.
A.W. Pink
The Attributes of God
A spiritual and saving knowledge of God is the greatest need of every human creature.
“Assurance”
https://gracegems.org/Pink/assurance.htm
Intellectual orthodoxy qualifies none for Heaven. There must be a moral and spiritual transformation, a miracle of grace wrought within the soul, which begins at regeneration and is carried on by sanctification.
C.H. Spurgeon's "Treasury of David" on Psalm 119:32 "Enlarge my heart"
It is one of the great lacks of our age that heads count for more than hearts, and men are far more ready to learn than to love, though they are by no means eager in either direction.
D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
"Do You Know God?" a sermon on John 8:19
https://www.mljtrust.org/sermons/book-of-john/do-you-know-god/
Knowing about God is not knowing God.
Experiencing the New Birth: Studies in John 3
The Devil can counterfeit experiences and gifts and most other things, but there is one thing the Devil cannot do, and that is give us a desire for a personal knowledge of God. The Devil can give you an interest in theology and encourage it; as you go on, you become more and more proud of your vast knowledge. That is not what I am talking about. I am talking about the crying out of a child’s need for his or her Father; the true filial cry and desire. The Devil cannot counterfeit that; he knows nothing about it, and he cannot produce it. Only one person can produce it; that is God himself through the Spirit as he implants within us a seed of this living life.
“The Living God”
https://recognizingchrist.com/2012/05/16/martyn-lloyd-jones-the-living-god/
The fact that men talk a lot about God does not mean that they really believe in the living God. They are talking about God; they are making statements about God; they are experts on the attributes of God; but they seem to shut out the living God, God Himself, the acting God.
Romans, “Saving Faith”, Vol. 10, p. 174
So you do not become a Christian in cold blood, unmoved, undisturbed. You do not sit down in a detached manner and say, ‘Well, I have agreed with that doctrine, and therefore I am a Christian.’ Not at all! You have been through the stages – conviction, repentance, fear, desire for deliverance, recognition of Him, casting yourself upon Him, thankfulness and praise, glorying in Him, greeting His truth, desiring to know more and more about it!
On Romans 10:9-10
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSeI44ylU0E
Faith…is not merely an intellectual awareness of the truth, or even an intellectual acceptance of the truth. You can have that and still be without faith. Faith means a real trusting in Him and what He has done on our behalf and for our salvation…
A.W. Tozer The Size of the Soul
Are you a Christian in fact or merely a student of Christianity?