Paul wrote, “With the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Rom. 10:10).
There must be no confession of the mouth where there is no genuine believing with the heart. But when true faith is found in the heart, there will be a bold, firm, and continual confession of Christ in word, works, and will. This confession of Christ embraces the whole of a person’s life.
I do not think that a person merely saying, “I accept Jesus as my personal Saviour, and I will be baptized and join the church,” is what Paul teaches here as confessing Christ with the mouth. Confessing Christ is the whole of a person’s life, revealing outwardly what God has worked inwardly. It is the confession by word, act, deed, and attitude of what God, by his Spirit, has created within our heart.
“One tree is not a forest,” it has been said. So one public act is not a confession of Christ.
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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