Personal Testimony

Name: Shahanur Rahman
Church: Gopinathpur Baptist Church
Ministry: Certified Teacher, CCI Bangladesh

My Testimony of Salvation

Dearest brothers in Christ,

I give thanks to the Lord for His perfect and eternal plan through which He granted me salvation and eternal life. When I reflect on my life, I am truly amazed by God’s grace, because I was born into a Muslim family and grew up without faith in God. In fact, for a long time I denied the very existence of God. I lived according to my own understanding, did not recognize sin as sin, and believed I was walking rightly in my own way.

A turning point came in my life when I left my village in search of work and moved to the capital city, Dhaka. There, I found employment as a laborer in a small garment factory. My regular duty was eight hours a day, sometimes with one or two hours of overtime. In the afternoons, I had some free time, during which I began spending time with my village brother, Samuel Biswas.

Samuel was born into a Christian family and regularly attended church. He often shared with me about Jesus Christ and invited me to church. Since I did not believe in God, I had no hesitation in going to church. I was very open-minded and developed good relationships with everyone there. One day, the pastor invited me to attend a two-day Bible seminar. As I loved reading books, I thought this would be an opportunity to gain knowledge about the Bible—almost like free tuition.

The first day of the seminar was December 17, 2015. On that day, a preacher taught using a projector, explaining creation, God, the Bible, the Holy Spirit, and whether the words of the Bible are truly the Word of God. Through these teachings, I came to understand that God truly exists, even though we cannot see Him, that we have a spirit within us, and that the Bible is 100% true.

Most importantly, I realized that the sins I never considered to be sins were clearly identified by the Word of God. Psalm 51:5 helped me understand that I was born a sinner and that I sin even when I do not want to. I became deeply aware of the eternal destiny of my soul—hell. That day was filled with fear and repentance for me, especially when the preacher spoke about the second coming of Jesus Christ. I realized that if Jesus were to return at that moment, I would not be ready to meet Him.

I became very anxious, wondering how my sins could be forgiven. I thought perhaps baptism in water could wash away my sins, but the Bible clearly says that without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins. I repeatedly asked the preacher how I could go to heaven. He encouraged me to attend the second day of the seminar, assuring me that God would bless me. That night, I cried in fear, thinking that if Jesus returned immediately, I would surely be lost.

The second day was December 18, 2015. I listened very attentively. When the preacher explained John 1:29
I suddenly understood that the burden of my sins had been placed upon Jesus. Still, I struggled to fully grasp it. Then the preacher shared John 19:30
And I realized that Jesus shed His blood for me and that salvation was entirely God’s work—not mine. Later, when the preacher quoted 1 Peter 1:23
My doubts disappeared. I understood that I had been chosen for eternal life in heaven.

After accepting Jesus Christ and publicly declaring my faith, my family rejected me, expelled me from our home, and cut off all relationships with me. I own no land and live in a small hut built on another person’s property. Yet I do not grieve, because my heart is not fixed on worldly possessions. As Jesus said in John 16:33
In this world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.

Glory be to Jesus Christ. Thank you for allowing me to share my testimony. December 18, 2015 is the day of my salvation. From that day onward, my new life in Christ began. I was baptized in water on October 24, 2016.