By Chad Prigmore

​Every alcoholic or addict knows what slavery is. You become a slave when you hate the booze and you hate the dope - but it doesn't matter. You reach that point where your liquid and chemical friends that used to be so fun begin to take and take and take until the stuff on the outside of you is either gone or completely messed up, and then they start ripping out pieces of your soul. And even though you despise the thought of giving them more after each time they have used you up, it's not long until you go looking for them again. And each time you find them they make the horror go away just a little less and for not quite as long as they did the last time, and after they've worn off and gone away the terror is a little worse than it was the time before.

The truth for the slave in this state of servitude is that they are already dead. Not because of their relentless friends booze and dope. The slave is dead because he is a slave to sin, and anyone not freed from the clutches of sin regardless of whether they look like it or not is a dead man walking.
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The slave to sin is not a sinner because he sins; someone is not a sinner because they are an alcoholic or an addict. The slave sins because he is a sinner, he was born with a nature already enslaved to sin as we all were. His nefarious friends feed on the sin that has already killed it's slave.

There is only one way out of the bondage the Sin Slave is trapped in death to. But the slave must beware, because the darkness of this world will do all it can to entice and lure the slave away from the only truth than can redeem him and bring him back from the dead. He must learn and know the one and only truth that can save him.

The iniquities of the wicked ensnare him, and he is held fast in the cords of his sin. He dies for lack of discipline, and because of his great folly he is led astray. - Proverbs 5:22-23

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 
even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ--by grace you have been saved-- 
and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 
so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,  
not a result of works, so that no one may boast. - Ephesians 2:4-9

"And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." - Acts 4:12

By Chad Prigmore

​The book Alcoholics Anonymous or The Big Book as it is affectionately called by members of Alcoholics Anonymous includes the story of how Bill Wilson the founder of Alcoholics Anonymous achieved sobriety. Bill's Story begins on page one of the Big Book and on page eight we read of the terrible condition that Bill had been brought to because of alcohol abuse, "No words can tell of the loneliness and despair I found in that bitter morass of self pity. Quicksand stretched around me in all directions. I had met my match. I had been overwhelmed. Alcohol was my master." I'm sure anyone - including myself, who has experienced the relentless hold of alcoholic bondage can relate to what Bill had experienced.

Also on page eight Bill looks back in retrospect on the change he would soon be experiencing, "I was soon to be catapulted into what I like to call the fourth dimension of existence. I was to know happiness, peace, and usefulness, in a way of life that is incredibly more wonderful as time passes." So, after all the suffering that Bill had gone through, and his seemingly hopeless condition - some type of event took place that apparently changed him for the better and enabled him to stay sober.

One of the few references to Christ in the Big Book is part of Bill's Story prior to his sobriety on page eleven, "To Christ I conceded the certainty of a great man, not too closely followed by those who claimed Him. His moral teaching - most excellent. For myself, I had adopted those parts which seemed convenient and not too difficult; the rest I disregarded."

In the next paragraph, after expressing his disdain for the religions of mankind and stating that "the power of God in human affairs was negligible,...", Bill makes what is a very interesting statement when we consider that God tempts no-one as stated in James 1:13, Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God," for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. The statement Bill makes is that "If there was a Devil, he seemed the Boss Universal, and he certainly had me." The intrigue of this statement by Bill Wilson will become clear further on.

Bill had written the preceding statements while reflecting in his story on a visit he had from an old drinking buddy who had apparently been able to achieve a measure of sobriety. He attributed his sobriety by claiming to Bill that, "I've got religion." 

Upon hearing of Bill's prejudices to religion and God his friend asked, "Why don't you choose your own conception of God?" Now, this may sound like a good idea to present to someone who is rejecting God. However, from a Biblical standpoint this is idolatry because at this point Bill can choose to make up any idea or concept that he can possibly imagine to be his own personal God. To worship anything or anyone - even a concept or idea as a god is idolatry. The one true God of the Bible tells us very clearly in His Word who He is and became incarnate in the flesh as Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 2:8-9, For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 

Isaiah 42:8, I am the LORD; that is my name; my glory I give to no other...

John 1:1, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
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John 1:14, And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Acts 4:11-12, This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.

​Now, you may be thinking, "Maybe Bill started off with a God of his own understanding in order to get some sobriety, get his head clear, and then he probably came to know the one true God of scripture eventually." You will be interested to know that Bill so much believed in this idolatrous concept of creating a god of one's own understanding that he made it step three of the twelve step program of Alcoholics Anonymous which reads: Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him. 

After Bill's friend asked him, "Why don't you choose your own conception of God?" Bill writes that, 
  "It was only a matter of being willing to believe in a Power greater than myself. Nothing more was required of me to make my beginning. I saw that growth could start from that point. Upon a foundation of complete willingness I might build what I saw in my friend. Would I have it? Of course I would!
  Thus was I convinced that God is concerned with us humans when we want Him enough. At long last I saw, I felt, I believed. Scales of pride and prejudice fell from my eyes. A new world came into view.

There are some glaring issues in the above quote that should raise red flags in Christian minds. First of all, "a Power greater than myself" could be anything as already discussed. Also, "Upon a foundation of complete willingness I might build" and, "...God is concerned with us humans when we want Him enough"leans very heavily toward a self centered works based religion. The Bible teaches us that we are saved by no power of our own whatsoever, but only by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.

At this point you may be saying, "So Bill Wilson got sober through a belief in his own conception of God. Where does he claim salvation and what does this have to do with salvation as understood through the teachings of scripture?" Let's look at another excerpt from Bill's story in which he writes, "There I humbly offered myself to God, as I then understood Him, to do with me as He would. I placed myself unreservedly under His care and direction. I admitted for the first time that of myself I was nothing; that without Him I was lost. I ruthlessly faced my sins and became willing to have my new-found Friend take them away, root and branch. I have not had a drink since."  

Bill's story claims more than just success in achieving sobriety. Bill claims to have achieved salvation by having his sins taken away by a god of his own understanding - that is a false gospel. Bill claims that god, as he "Understood Him", his "new-found Friend" was taking his sins away. This is a message of heresy in direct contradiction of the true gospel message of salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.
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So just what "god" was Bill experiencing? Consider once again James 1:13 that I mentioned earlier: Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God," for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. Now consider how effective it would be for Satan who had obviously been successful in tempting Bill through alcohol for years, to convince Bill that he could trust in his "own conception of god" and as Bill did so Satan simply stopped tempting Bill with the desire to drink. By doing so, Satan provides a false validation of a false god through Bill's successful sobriety, while at the same time achieving his real goal which is Bill's rejection of the one true God of the Bible and the one true gospel message of salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. The end result being Bill's eternal destruction and the creation of the program of Alcoholics Anonymous and the Twelve Steps which have led millions down the same path of destruction by giving them sobriety but at the terrible cost of a false sense of salvation.

By Chad Prigmore

​Struggle against temptation is unfortunately a battle that Christians must all engage in as we are in a dark sinful world in which temptation is one of Satan's most relentless attacks. In order to have victory over temptation we must understand that it is not in our power to defeat temptation - but only through the power of God's grace.

We must understand what the Bible teaches us in Ephesians 6:12, "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places." These are the forces that tempt us and seek to entice us away from the truth of Jesus Christ. But we are told in Ephesians 6:10-18 how we are to arm ourselves against these attacks. Paul writes, "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,..."

We must be in prayer constantly, and prayerful study of God's Word constantly, seeking to grow closer to Christ and to be more and more conformed to His image. As we seek Him this way He will strengthen us and we will overcome temptation and the devil will flee from us in defeat.

By Chad Prigmore

Galatians 1:8-9,  But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.

2 Peter 2:1, But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.

2 Corinthians 6:14-16,  Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 

Ephesians 2:8,  For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 
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Romans 11:6,  But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.

​So, with the understanding that "there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved", it should come as a great concern and raise big red flags of Christian discernment if it were to be discovered that Alcoholics Anonymous - a program that many professing Christians are members of and many Christian Churches have joined forces with in effort to help those suffering from alcoholism and drug addiction, actually makes the false claim that forgiveness of sin can be had outside of the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ. If this heresy were to be discovered, would it not be valid grounds to no longer attend Alcoholics Anonymous if one is a Christian, and also for Christian Churches who have joined with Alcoholics Anonymous to sever those ties?

Also, if it were proven that Alcoholics Anonymous does in fact put forth a message that forgiveness of sins is obtainable without the washing of the blood of Jesus Christ, would it not therefore qualify as being a false teaching that contradicts the Christian gospel message? Clearly the answer would be yes.

Alcoholics Anonymous is guided mainly by two books. One is called The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymouswhich lays out the twelve step program, and the other is Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions which is a guidebook on how to work the steps and run the program in general.

Consider the following excerpt from page 58 of Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions - "Our moral inventory had persuaded us that all-round forgiveness was desirable, but it was only when we resolutely tackled Step Five that we inwardly knew we'd be able to receive forgiveness and give it, too."

Step Five mentioned in the above quote is as follows: "Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs."

"Admitted to God" may sound good except that Jesus Christ is no part of the Alcoholics Anonymous program. So there is a very big problem from a Christian perspective because Alcoholic's Anonymous claims that by resolutely tackling step five forgiveness can be received.

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions then takes it even further on Page 65, "If we ask, God will certainly forgive our derelictions. But in no case does He render us white as snow and keep us that way without our cooperation. That is something we are supposed to be willing to work toward ourselves. He asks only that we try as best we know how to make progress in the building of character."

The above excerpt from Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions not only repeats the false claim of forgiveness without the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ, but also claims that we must work in order to continue in forgiveness. This is in direct contradiction to the doctrine of salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.

Based on the above examples of the teachings of Alcoholics Anonymous from the two books that their twelve step program is based on it seems very clear that Alcoholics Anonymous proclaims a false gospel message. In light of that, how must a Christian deal with such a false gospel? Should believers be a part of such obvious heresy? Obviously, we turn to God's Word in the scriptures for guidance.

Seems pretty clear.

​Any Christian believer understands that we are saved from the penalty of our sin only by the blood of Jesus Christ. There is no other means of salvation for anyone other than the atoning sacrifice that was made for us by Jesus Christ through the shedding of His blood on the cross. This is obviously a core Christian doctrine.

By Chad Prigmore

​Oh how complicated our modern world makes sobriety, what an industry it has become! It's so refreshing to read the works of such an amazing man of God like Charles Spurgeon and see the way he pleaded with his readers to simply have faith in Jesus Christ, to go to the throne of grace in the name of Jesus knowing the hope that God's promises hold for us.

​And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered... - Joel 2:32

​"If sin is the cause of your present trouble, if sin has brought you into bondage to evil habits, if you have been a drunkard and do not know how to learn sobriety, if you have been immoral and have become entangled in evil relationships, call upon God. He can break you away from the sin and set you free from all it's entanglements. He can cut you loose right now with the great sword of His grace and make you free. Although you feel like a poor sheep between the jaws of a lion, ready to be devoured immediately, God can come and pluck you out of the lion's jaws. The prey will be taken from the mighty, and the captive will be delivered (Isa. 49:24). Only call upon the name of the Lord, and you will be delivered!" - Charles Spurgeon