“I killed a man.”  These were the first words spoken on a video on YouTube released on September 3, 2013.  As of September 13, the video has been viewed over 2 million times.

Matthew Cordle, a 22-year-old man, is the one who made the confession on the video.  In the 3 ˝ minute video, Cordle details what happened on June 22, 2013, when he says that after drinking heavily, he got in his truck, blacked out, ended up driving the wrong way on an interstate, and crashed into a vehicle driven by a 61-year-old veteran, Vincent Canzani.  Canzani was killed in the crash.

As the video begins, Cordle’s face is blurred and his voice is muffled.  He explains that on that night he was drinking heavily with some friends, hopping from bar to bar, when he decided to drive home.

“I was trying to have a good time and I ended up losing control,” he said.  At the time of the crash, Cordle’s blood alcohol level was 0.191, more than double the state of Ohio’s legal limit.

As Cordle confesses what he has done, his face is not longer blurred and his voice is clear.  He claimed that he did not want to lie to get an easier sentence.

“I will take full responsibility for what I’ve done,” he said. “I won’t dishonor Vince’s memory by lying about what happened.”

Cordle surprised the court on Wednesday, September 11, by entering a please of not guilty.  His lawyer, George Breitmayer, offered this explanation: "The reason we entered the not guilty plea is so there is no allegations that we chose a particular judge for a particular reason... This way it’s completely random."  Breitmayer said Cordle will enter a guilty plea as soon as a judge is assigned.

In the video, Cordle explains that he made the video to make a plea to others to refrain from drinking and driving.  “I’m begging you please don’t drink and drive,” he said.

The TRUTH is: ALL of us are guilty of sin (Rom 3:23) and deserve a sentence of eternal condemnation (Matthew 7:13-14).

But God loves us so much that He gave His Son Jesus to die for us in order to redeem us from sin (John 3:16; Ephesians 1:7).  Through Jesus, we can be forgiven and receive the gift of eternal life.  “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

God will forgive and give eternal life to those who place their faith and trust in Jesus (Acts 16:30-31), genuinely repent of their sins (Acts 17:30-31), confess Jesus before men (Romans 10:9-10), and are baptized (immersed) into Christ for the forgiveness of their sins (Acts 2:38).  He will continue to cleanse those who continue to walk in the light of His Word (1 John 1:7).

It was for our sins that Jesus died on the cross (1 John 2:2).  It was OUR sins that killed the Son of God!   But the Good News (the Gospel) is that the blood that Jesus shed is what cleanses us from our sins when we trust and obey Him.

Won’t YOU?

David Sargent, Minister