A Tale of Two Testimonies: From “I Know the Church Is True” to “Jesus Saved Me”

How LDS and Evangelical Christians Use the Word “Testimony” Very Differently

This evening we went to a baptismal service at a local church. Before each person was baptized, they were asked to share their “testimony.” Each one, without exception, spoke about how they had been lost—and how Jesus had found them, forgiven them, and made them new.

No one said, “I know this church is true.”
No one listed doctrinal points.

They just talked about Jesus—what He had done for them, how He had changed them, and why they were trusting Him with their lives.

As I listened, I couldn’t help but think back to the kinds of testimonies I used to hear—and give—during monthly Fast & Testimony meetings as a Latter-day Saint.

I’m not just thinking of the travelogues and thankimonies and kids being coached by their parents (though I heard plenty of those). I’m thinking of the sincere, well-intentioned, and often emotional testimonies that filled those meetings.

They often began with the same formula: “I’d like to bear my testimony. I know this Church is true. I know Joseph Smith was a prophet. I know the Book of Mormon is the word of God.”

What stood out to me tonight was that the Christian testimonies I heard weren’t about what the speakers knew to be true. They were about who had saved them.

I used to stand up and testify every single month. Doing so regularly felt like part of the commitment I had made to God when I was baptized. I even took the advice of one of my mentors, Judge Thomas Griffith, and tried to make sure I pointed to Jesus and His atonement in every testimony.

But even then, my testimony wasn’t always about what Jesus had done. More often, it was about what I had come to know. It focused on my feelings, my spiritual certainty, and my loyalty to a truth claim and a church.

By contrast, the Christian testimonies tonight weren’t about doctrinal points or institutional loyalty. They were about being rescued by a Savior.

People spoke of pain, loneliness, suffering, addiction—and how Jesus stepped in. They didn’t boast in what they had done or how obedient they had become. They testified of what Christ had done for them.

And that’s how it should be.

The Apostle John wrote:
“And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.” (1 John 5:11)

That’s the Christian testimony in a single sentence. It’s not about doctrinal claims or spiritual confirmations—it’s a declaration of grace, a story of rescue, and a celebration of Jesus.

And when you’ve experienced that kind of grace, you want to tell everyone.

You stop saying, “I know the Church is true.”
And you start saying, “Jesus saved me—and He can save you too.”