Discussion Jumpstarter
Study leader reference - not a definitive answer
Question 4
Sahir’s fear in confession was, “If I don’t confess, then maybe God will not forgive me,” and he said he didn’t even know the concept of being “justified”—what does this reveal about what we believe God is like: a judge needing perfect disclosure, or a Father seeking repentance and truth?
Another way to ask: Sahir feared God wouldn’t forgive him if he forgot to confess something, and he didn’t know about being “justified.” What does this show about whether we see God mainly as a strict judge or as a Father who wants honest repentance?
Discussion Jumpstarter
Direct Answer
In Sahir’s experience, God felt like Someone whose forgiveness depended on complete, correctly performed confession, creating fear of missing details rather than confidence in a gracious God who seeks truth and repentance.
- He says confession required telling sins “to a human being, to a man,” before he could take communion.
- He recalls being “shaking” and not only ashamed but “afraid to forget something… So if I don't confess, then maybe God will not forgive me.”
- He explicitly says the idea of being “justified… I didn't know the existence of that word.”
- Instead, forgiveness was framed as “you must obey the church tradition… where you confess and what you confess.”
- Later, as he reflects on coming to Christ, he highlights honesty: “God seeks honest people, not almost perfect people,” and he urges people to “cry out to God” truthfully.