16 Mar, 2007

Confession without guilt?

The 9-11 mastermind terrorist confesses but is not sorry.

Al Qaeda Chief Khalid Sheikh Mohammed Confesses to Planning Sept. 11, Gitmo Transcript Shows

WASHINGTON — Terror mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed calmly explained to a U.S. military tribunal that his murderous plots were simple acts of war, comparing Al Qaeda leader Usama Bin Laden to American Revolutionary War hero George Washington.

Mohammed's incredible confession to a Guantanamo tribunal was detailed in a transcript released Wednesday by the Pentagon in which he calmly listed 28 terrorist attacks — topped by Sept. 11 — since the early 1990s that he either directly planned and three more that he had hand in.

The gruesome attacks range from the suicide hijackings of September 11, 2001 — which killed nearly 3,000 — to a 2002 shooting on an island off Kuwait that killed a U.S. Marine.

Many plots, including a previously undisclosed plan to kill several former U.S. presidents, were never carried out or were foiled by international counterterror authorities.

"We consider we and George Washington doing same thing," Mohammed lectured to the tribunal, and in a rambling explanation spoke coldly about how "the language of war is killing."

"I was responsible for the 9/11 operation from A to Z," Mohammed said in a statement read Saturday during a Combatant Status Review Tribunal at the U.S. detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

photo & story courtesy foxnews.com, 03/15/07

1 John 1:8-9 (NLT)

8 If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. 9 But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.

What does today's God's Story scripture teach us about confession of our sins?

Check out this insight from Tyndale's LIFE APPLICATION STUDY BIBLE notes:

1:9 ...God wants to forgive us. He allowed his beloved Son to die just so he could offer us pardon. When we come to Christ, he forgives all the sins we have committed or will ever commit. We don't need to confess the sins of the past all over again, and we don't need to fear that God will reject us if we don't keep our slate perfectly clean. Of course we should continue to confess our sins, but not because failure to do so will make us lose our salvation. Our relationship with Christ is secure. Instead, we should confess so that we can enjoy maximum fellowhip and joy with him.

True confession also involves a commitment not to continue in sin . We wouldn't be genuinely confessing our sins to God if we planned to commit them again and just wanted temporay forgiveness. We should also pray for strength to defeat temptaion the next time we face it.

Today's story about the cold-hearted terrorist and his "confession" combined with today's scripture is very convicting to me.

Sometimes I'm a terrorist toward God. Making my own opportunities, I will continue my "war" against God. I "confess" my actions and attitudes. But I'm really not being honest about my sin. "Confession" can make me feel better for a little bit, but then my guilt (from His Spirit) reveals to me that deep down I know or even plan on repeating my sinful ways.

How about you? Can you identify with this?

God is so amazing with His grace! He still wants to forgive me and will.

How can we connect today's God's Story scripture to our lives?

  • Take a few minutes and let God's Spirit point out to you any sin that needs genuine confession. Now take God at His Word. Confess (meaning admit to God your sin; agree with Him that it is wrong; ask for His power to change and the strength to defeat temptation the next time you face it) and receive His loving forgiveness.
  • For one month, try writing out your confession of sins to God. Taking the time to do this will give you the opportunity to let God help you think through the reality of your sin and His grace. Thirty days of this approach to confession just might affect your relationship with Jesus in a huge and intimate way.

How can we connect today's story, God's Story scripture and our story to others?

  • Share what you learned today with another follower of Christ and find out more about his or her story on confessing sin.
  • Use today's DAILYBIDE as a resource for your small group or youth group.
  • Think about someone in your storysphere with whom you are having some pretty serious and personal discussion about God's Story. Bring up the story about the terrorist making a "confession". Ask your friend about his or her take on the need for forgiveness for our actions. Share more of your story by being honest and vulnerable about your experience with "confession".
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God's Story is brought to you by Youth for Christ. YFC works with young people on campus and in the community in over one hundred countries around the world so that they might have an opportunity to become a follower of Christ and be a part of a local church.

Our writer, Byron Emmert, has been with YFC for over 30 years and has served as Campus Life Staff, in leadership for DCLA, and as an author and speaker. Byron is available for speaking at youth or adult events and conferences. For booking, write to byron@3Story.org.

Byron and his wife Linda live in Minnesota and their family includes two married sons and daughters-in-law, a grandaughter, and a daughter in college. He loves sports, deep dish pizza, and spending time with his family.