Every day I find it most healthy to my soul to try to walk as a saint; but, in order to do so, I must continually come to Christ as a sinner. I would seek to be perfect; I would strain after every virtue and forsake every false way; but still, as to my standing before God, I find it happiest to sit where I sat when I first looked to Jesus—on the Rock of his person and work, having nothing to do with my own righteousness, but only with His.
Depend on it, my dear friends, the only way of living as a believer is to live as a poor sinner and as nothing at all, having Jesus Christ as all in all! You may have all your growth in sanctification, all your progress in graces, all the development of your virtues that you will; but I earnestly pray you will never put any of these where Christ must be. If you have begun in Christ, then finish in Christ.
If you have begun in the flesh and then go on in the flesh, we know what the sure results will be. But, if you have begun with Jesus Christ as your Alpha, let him be your Omega. I pray you never think that you are rising when you get above this; for it is not rising when anything is added to Christ, but slipping downwards to your ruin. Stand still to this:
“Nothing in my hands I bring;
Simply to thy cross I cling.”
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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