Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law? - Galatians 4:21
The holy law of God does not require that you do the best that you can; it requires you to do the best that God can do! The law does not command you to love God as you are able but that you love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength! The law does not demand that you show love to your neighbor but that you love him as you love yourself! The law not only requires that you do no evil, but that you think no evil. The law does not require a good life, but a perfect life! Except your righteousness exceed the best that any man has done so far, you will in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:20).
The true believer loves the law of God and delights in all his Word and commandments, but he in no way seeks to be justified by that law or to find in it his sanctification. When he comes to some understanding of God's holiness and the righteousness of God's law, he throws up his hands in guilt and helplessness, crying for mercy, grace, and righteousness in Christ.
Nothing shuts a man up to Christ alone like a view of God's holiness and the requirements of his law. Nothing makes the obedience and death of Christ so precious as to see him as our Representative before the justice of God.
About Henry Mahan
Henry T. Mahan was born in Birmingham, Alabama in August 1926. He joined the United States Navy in 1944 and served as a signalman on an L.S.T. in the Pacific during World War II. In 1946, he married his wife Doris, and the Lord blessed them with four children.
At the age of 21, he entered the pastoral ministry and gained broad experience as a pastor, teacher, conference speaker, and evangelist. In 1950, through the preaching of evangelist Rolfe Barnard, God was pleased to establish Henry in sovereign free grace teaching. At that time, he was serving as an assistant pastor at Pollard Baptist Church (off of Blackburn ave.) in Ashland, Kentucky.
In 1955, Thirteenth Street Baptist Church was formed in Ashland, Kentucky, and Henry was called to be its pastor. He faithfully served that congregation for more than 50 years, continuing in the same message throughout his ministry. His preaching was centered on the Lord Jesus Christ and Him crucified, in full accord with the Scriptures. He consistently proclaimed God’s sovereign purpose in salvation and the glory of Christ in redeeming sinners through His blood and righteousness.
Henry T. Mahan also traveled widely, preaching in conferences and churches across the United States and beyond. His ministry was marked by a clear and unwavering emphasis on Christ, not the preacher, but the One preached. Those who heard him recognized that his sermons honored the Savior and exalted the name of the Lord Jesus Christ above all.
Henry T. Mahan served as pastor and teacher of Thirteenth Street Baptist Church in Ashland, Kentucky for over half a century. His life and ministry were devoted to proclaiming the sovereign grace of God and directing sinners to the finished work of Christ. He entered into the presence of the Lord in 2019, leaving behind a lasting testimony to the gospel he faithfully preached.
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