I believe we have here one chief reason why so many in this day are inconsistent, trimming, unsatisfactory, and half-hearted in their conduct about the world. Their faith fails. They feel no

, and so feel a hesitancy about breaking with the world. They shrink from laying aside all the ways of the old man, because

. In short, I have little doubt that one secret cause of “halting between two opinions” is want of assurance. When people can decidedly say, ‘The Lord, He is the God,’ (1 Kings 18.39) their course becomes very clear.

J. C. Ryle,