“Salvation is of the Lord,” cried Jonah from the belly of the fish; and indeed it is. It is the Father who chose us, who set his love upon us from all eternity. It is the Son who redeemed us—The Lord our righteousness—who by his life and death both sanctified and justified us in God’s sight. It is the Holy Spirit who quickened the dead and made us to live. But all saving acts must be performed by the man himself.
Faith is the gift of God, but the Holy Spirit never believed for anybody; it is not his office to believe but to woo, draw, and teach us to believe. The sinner must believe! Repentance is the work of the Holy Spirit, but the Holy Spirit never repented. What has he to repent of? The sinner must repent!
There must be in every person who comes to Christ a personal repentance and a personal faith; and though these are wrought in him by the Holy Spirit, yet they are his own acts. They cannot be the acts of anyone else or the person has not repented and has not believed and there is no spiritual life in him. For instance, the Holy Spirit helps us to pray; he helps our infirmities. but we pray! True desires after God must be your own desires. The desire is wrought in you, but still it is yours!
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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