An excerpt from an article over at TheBereanCall.org by Dave Hunt entitled, God as You Conceive Him/Her/It to Be: In fact, the 12 Steps of A.A. came by direct inspiration from the demonic world and they open the door to the occult by introducing members to a false god. Step 2 says, "Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity." Step 3 continues, "Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to God as we [Hindu, Buddhist, Christian, Mormon, shaman, agnostic, et al.] understood Him." In Christianity Today , Tim Stafford says, "The 12 Steps are Christian." Yet they contain no mention of Jesus Christ, much less of the gospel. In fact, they are anti-Christian. An official A.A. publication says, "You can, if you wish, make A.A. itself your 'Higher Power.'" Stafford admits that A.A. founder Bill Wilson "never pledged his loyalty to Christ, never was baptized, never joined a Christian church...." Instead, the Christian church has joined A.A! Pastor John MacArthur, in his book Our Sufficiency in Christ, on page 67 states the following in regard to human/secular therapies: Human therapies are embraced most eagerly by the spiritually week - those who are shallow or ignorant of biblical truth and who are unwilling to accept the path of suffering that leads to spiritual maturity and deeper communion with God. The unfortunate effect is that these people remain immature, held back by a self-imposed dependence on some pseudo-Christian method or psychoquackery that actually stifles real growth. Pastor John MacArthur, in his book The Truth War, on page 159 addresses the 12 steps as follows: Others would formally affirm Christ's sovereignty and spiritual headship over the church, but they resist His rule in practice. To cite just one instance of how this is done, many churches have set various forms of human psychology, self help therapy, and the idea of 'recovery' in place of the Bible's teaching about sin and sanctification."..."So wherever the work of God's Word is being replaced with twelve step programs and other substitutes, Christ's headship over the church is being denied in practice. T.A. McMahon who is the editor of the Berean Call writes the following regarding Bill Wilson, a co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous and the man who wrote the 12 steps: A.A.'s official biography indicates Bill Wilson received the details of the twelve steps through spirit dictation. Does anyone see a simple, idolatrous problem here? Regarding so called "Christ Centered" 12 step programs and support groups such as Celebrate Recovery, Hunger for Healing, and others, T.A. McMahon writes: But what about evangelicals just using the methodology the familiar spirit gave to Bill Wilson? Simple again: God condemns the source, and the approach is contrary to the way He wants to transform our lives. Furthermore, why turn to such a spiritually toxic system? Where are the evangelical pastor's heads in this? In their book 12 Steps to Destruction, authors Martin and Deidre Bobgan state the following on page 116: Twelve -Step programs are in essence New Age religions and archetypical precursors of a one-world religion. They do not hold a common doctrine of God and His creation. Instead, each group holds a common goal, centered in saving self. C.S. Lewis on Bill Wilson's communing with spirits, "This is necromancy. Have nothing to do with it."
If you are a Christian who was fooled and trapped in the false teachings of Twelve Step programs, I hope you will read and meditate on the words of this wonderful prayer. When I realized the truth of the Twelve Steps I was horrified that I had participated for so long in such heresy. I asked the Lord for forgiveness, turned from the path I was on and repented of the sin the Twelve Steps had led me into. Chad Prigmore Dear Lord,
I am so sorry for the way I'm wasting the precious life you gave me. Forgive me for living like a selfish three year old. Forgive me for any pride I take in my "wild times" war stories. Forgive me for believing in worldly labels like addict, alcoholic, and many others. Forgive me for portraying myself as sick and diseased. Let me see the reality of my state. I am not a victim. I am a sinner, and a law breaker. I am guilty for my crimes. Forgive me Lord for making a program my Messiah and savior instead of you. Forgive me Lord for putting The Big Book in front of or even alongside your awesome word. Forgive me for every recovery meeting I ever attended because a recovery meeting is all about ME! Forgive me for sitting in a room where you are horrifically referred to as a higher power. My heart aches that I described you in that way. Have mercy on me for holding hands and reciting the way you taught us to pray as a cheap means to a better life. Show me what that prayer really means! Forgive me for every sponsor I ever had and I pray that you would reveal truth in their hearts that they might also be saved. Lord, from this day forward I put my faith and trust in you. I repent, I am turning from my sin and wicked way of life and I desire to live a life that is pleasing to you. I believe Lord that you went to the cross and took my sins, my lawlessness with you and you suffered and drank down the cup of wrath that was mine. I believe I am saved through grace alone, in Christ alone. It is this grace that keeps me sober and changes my desires. I believe that your word is sufficient for my life. Father, thank you for the gift of your son. Holy Spirit, fill me and help me live the life I am called to. All praise and thanks to Jesus Christ my Lord who took me from death to life and from darkness to light. Amen!! - By Doug Hardy This book deals with the "Twelve Steps" and the "Twelve Traditions" of Alcoholics Anonymous. It presents an explicit view of the principles by which A.A. members recover and by which their Society functions. [pg 15] Alcoholics Anonymous Step 2: Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity. The problem is not insanity. The problem is sin. By fooling someone into believing their condition is due to insanity they are freed from taking responsibility for their behavior. Labeling sin as insanity removes the guilt and shame that leads to true repentance and to the cross of Jesus Christ. A "higher power" cannot help anyone. The only way to overcome sin is by the blood of Jesus Christ and to refer to Jesus Christ as a "higher power" is to deny Him before men and to be ashamed of His name. The name of Jesus Christ is to be praised above all others - never to be referred to as a higher power. Step two is a perfect example of why AA and the Twelve Steps are heresy, an insult to Jesus Christ and have no place in any Christian environment. Romans 5:6, "For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly." Romans 3:23-25, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by His grace as a gift through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by His blood, to be received by faith..." Shame on anyone who refers to the great I AM as a higher power. Alcoholics Anonymous Step 3: Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him. Page 34 of Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions: "Like all the remaining Steps, Step Three calls for affirmative action, for it is only by action that we can cut away the self-will which has always blocked the entry of God - or, if you like, a Higher Power - into our lives. Faith, to be sure, is necessary, but faith alone can avail nothing. We can have faith, yet keep God out of our lives. Therefore our problem now becomes just how and by what specific means shall we be able to let Him in? Step Three represents our first attempt to do this." Here again is one single statement that completely disqualifies the Twelve Steps from having any place in a Christian Church or gathering. While the entire statement above is anti-Christian, the two sentences in bold especially are in direct contradiction with the core belief of the Christian message - that we are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. Read those two sentences again and then read the following passages of scripture.
Can the third step of Alcoholics Anonymous be used in a Christian context? No. Can it be used if it is re-worded or if "as we understood Him" is removed? No. The dangerous apostasy of AA's step three is apparent in claiming that we can worship a God of our own understanding which eliminates the only true way to know God which is through the Holy Scriptures in which He reveals Himself to us. Step 3 also indicates that our will and lives can be turned over to God simply by a decision that we make based upon a false understanding of God. Christ is nowhere mentioned in the AA program which makes step three complete apostasy because Jesus tells us in John 14:6, ..."I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." By removing the words "as we understood Him" does in no way justify step three from a Christian perspective because something man made and actually demonically inspired (the AA program and the 12 steps) and not of God is being used to claim access to God. We are told in the scriptures who God is and that only through Jesus Christ can we be redeemed before God and we are not to give any credence to teachings outside of or contrary to God's word. The bible is very clear that Christians are to adhere only to the one true gospel. Paul writes in Ephesians 1:9, "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." Paul is very severe in his warning to the Ephesians. Anyone trying to justify AA and the 12 steps as being acceptable in a Christian context, and especially combining the apostasy of AA and the Twelve Steps with God's word should heed Paul's warning, "Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other." - Isaiah 45:22 Alcoholics Anonymous Step 5: Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs. Pages 56-57 of Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, "Most of us would declare that without a fearless admission of our defects to another human being we could not stay sober. It seems plain that the grace of God will not enter to expel our destructive obsessions until we are willing to try this." So instead of grace as a gift through faith in Jesus Christ, the Twelve Steps claim that grace is had through admitting our defects to another human being? Romans 3:23-25 says, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith." 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."
Alcoholics Anonymous Step 6: Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character. Page 65 of Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, "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." Step six is in direct contradiction to the Christian gospel. There is no forgiveness outside of Christ. By grace through faith in Christ we are washed as white as snow. There is nothing we can do on our own to be redeemed or forgiven. This excerpt from page 65 of Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions leaves no room for debate on whether or not the 12 steps are Christian in origin - this statement makes it clear that they are absolutely not.
Alcoholics Anonymous Step 11: Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out. ("As we understood Him" is underlined in Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions and italicized in the book Alcoholics Anonymous). Page 98 of Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, "There is a direct linkage among self-examination, meditation, and prayer. Taken separately, these practices can bring much relief and benefit. But when they are logically related and interwoven, the result is an unshakable foundation for life. Now and then we may be granted a glimpse of that ultimate reality which is God's kingdom. And we will be comforted and assured that our own destiny in that realm will be secure for so long as we try, however falteringly, to find and do the will of our own Creator." Here again is heresy. There is no salvation outside of Jesus Christ, our own works avail nothing, only faith in Christ can save us.
Alcoholics Anonymous and the Twelve Steps are a false teaching and in direct contradiction to the Gospel. It really comes down to either making a commitment to believing in, adhering to, and relying on Jesus Christ or rejecting Christ and following Alcoholics Anonymous and the Twelve Steps. The two cannot be combined. I recently received a couple of emails from a disciple of Alcoholics Anonymous claiming to be Christian, yet defending AA in spite of scriptural refutation exposing it's heresy. I hope this dialogue will prove beneficial for those engaged in exposing the heresy of Alcoholics Anonymous and the Twelve Steps. His original email text: people in aa or various 12 step groups do not follow bill Wilson....they use the 12 steps...which were written by the first 100 people ...not exclusively bill Wilson are based on SURRENDER TO GOD ...CONFESSION...RESTITUTION...PRAYER...HELPING OTHERS....there is no profit motive...no paid proffessionals....no Ouija boards at the meetings which I have attended for almost 30 years...I am ashamed to say that the honesty and love I have experienced has been more than any evangelical church has given me ....WHY DO YOU PERSECUTE ME/ My response: Hi xxxxxx, His response back: sir with all due respect....the epistle of james says that faith without works is dead....when I say I am an alcoholic I am saying I am a sinner who is never beyond temptation....interesting you are not opposed to using pharmaceuticals but refer to aa as satanic....the American medical association states that alcoholism is a disease...are you a doctor? the truth may be that the religious establishment may be jealous of aa na ca oa and the millions of people who have been helped.....aa is not a religion but does not oppose anyone from believing in the gospel....no theology .....your message of grace implies we don't have to do anything but believe but what about preach, baptize and make disciples ..is this works?.....the reason the churches let them rent space is because aa is self supporting and pays rent.....aa is not involved in politics and does not pander for money and donations.....maybe some churches could learn from that.....I believe there is a recovery reformation but it is the recovery movement that is reforming the church ..we are everywhere.....aa is not for everyone and does not oppose your religious beliefs. Lets not forget youre views on the gospel is your denominational teaching....youre posts sound like medieval inquisitions and are not the views of my Baptist denomination, nor the views of many prominent Christian leaders so who are you speaking for?? ive met many Christians with unresolved addiction issues in aa and have become better Christians after taking the steps. The concepts of one day at a time, amends, forgiveness are in the sermon on the mount but you only talk of grace .....aa also says but for the grace of God.....ive been in chuches and aa since 1988 and have never seen so much support for 12 groups as today......saved by Christ alone ....Christ is the Word and we are to obey His commandments....acts 5 38 should be considered and Gamaliels words have much wisdom for us. My final response: In what way does the Epistle of James refer to this issue? Our works are the fruit of our faith which is born of God's grace - but how would that justify the heresy of Alcoholics Anonymous? After being on the Matt Slick Live radio show for three days last week I was contacted by a few individuals trying to defend Celebrate Recovery. The following is my response to a man who leads Celebrate Recovery at his Church: Hi ****, For you have forgotten the God of your salvation and have not remembered the Rock of your refuge; therefore, though you plant pleasant plants and sow the vine-branch of a stranger, though you make them grow on the day that you plant them, and make them blossom in the morning that you sow, yet the harvest will flee away in a day of grief and incurable pain. - Isaiah 17:10-11 There are certain scriptures during times of Bible study that seem to shine with a more intense brilliance as they apply so directly to the apostasy of the modern idol of recovery that has infiltrated the Christian Church.
Isaiah 17:10-11 is one such portion of scripture. In a time of suffering and pain when a sinner must be presented with the saving gospel of Jesus Christ, so often instead, by the very Church commissioned with proclaiming the gospel, are led into false man made and man centered beliefs in the name of "recovery". The Church and through it's neglect the suffering sinner, "...have forgotten the God of your salvation and have not remembered the Rock of your refuge". The faithless Church instead of pointing to the cross and relying on the gospel and the power of the Holy Spirit instead points elsewhere. You, the misguided sinner may find relief and get back to a normal happy life in a worldly sense through the attainment of sobriety and the idolizing of recovery. But although, "...you plant pleasant plants and sow the vine-branch of a stranger, though you make them grow on the day that you plant them, and make them blossom in the morning that you sow, yet the harvest will flee away in a day of grief and incurable pain". You, the misguided sinner, so in need of hearing the gospel and of being led by the power of the Holy Spirit into it's truth, instead trade the God of your salvation and the Rock of your refuge for an erroneous obsession with a fraudulent recovery that when exposed to the glorious light of the love of Jesus Christ withers in it's futility. The heretics in the Church worshipping the idol of recovery and the sinners being led to it's altar should heed the last portion of this scripture, "...yet the harvest will flee away in a day of grief and incurable pain". While this may seem overly simplistic, the question that always comes to my mind when I witness so many professing Christians defending the program of Alcoholics Anonymous is, "In what way does participation in the Alcoholics Anonymous program which directly contradicts the gospel of Jesus Christ bring glory to God?" How can a "Christian" participate in a program that is idolatrous and blasphemes the Lord, and in any way honor the command of, "And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength"? So much of modern Christianity has become humanistically centered and so much of modern psychology and man centric thinking has been allowed to permeate the Christian Church that the gospel and Jesus Christ himself seem to have been moved to the back burner. I am confronted almost weekly by Christians - some even claiming to be Pastors or Ministers, bragging about their years of work in the field of recovery, who defend Alcoholics Anonymous and Twelve Step programs in spite of being presented with scriptural proof which makes clear the idolatry and apostasy these programs put forth. And after years of being in this battle only rarely have I witnessed one of these people repent and stand in defense of the gospel. Where has the simple Christian message gone? Why is genuine faith and trust in Jesus Christ and the sufficiency of scripture so nonchalantly cast aside while liberal Christianity (which is an oxymoron) locks arms with heresy in the name of recovery? The sword of God's Word cuts the heresy of Alocholics Anonymous and Twelve Step programs to ribbons, but so few seem willing to wield the sword. For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. - Hebrews 4:12 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. -- Psalm 1:1-2 Who, in the name of Jesus will take a stand and refuse to compromise the Word of God? Who will proclaim the truth of the gospel in spite of the insults and hatred of this dark and messed up world and those worshiping the god of recovery? Who will call out the heresy of Alcoholics Anonymous and the Twelve Steps boldly and point people to the cross? Who will shine the light of scripture on the entire premise of the modern man centered recovery concept and proclaim salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone? "The most critical need of the Church at this moment is men,bold men, free men. The Church must seek, in prayer and much humility, the coming again of men made of the stuff of which prophets and martyrs are made." - A.W. Tozer
By Chad Prigmore The following is a brief fictional story based on a common reality. Our main character is a young man in his late twenties named Taylor. It's a cold dreary late Tuesday morning in a suburb south of Los Angeles and Taylor is just waking up from a fitful sleep. He opens his eyes and the light through the bedroom window of his condo is like a brick being pressed into his head. He sits up on the side of the bed for just a few seconds and then jumps up and nearly falls from dizziness as he stumbles into the bathroom, raises the toilet lid and throws up. This morning ritual has been a recurring episode in Taylor's life over the last couple of years. He's an alcoholic and a cocaine addict and the last year especially has gone from fun and wild parties with his friends to a rapidly growing panic that he's under the control of something he can no longer battle against. He's home in bed late on a Tuesday morning because he no longer works. He lost his job because he was undependable and then his girlfriend left a few months ago. Taylor's burden of depression, anxiety, and disgust because of what he has let himself become is near the point of breaking him. He never in his life considered suicide, but over recent months the idea of it regularly comes into his mind on mornings like this. As the memory of the previous night's depravity seeps into his foggy mind he drops to his knees on the bathroom floor and cries. A few hours later, after a failed attempt at trying to eat breakfast without getting sick again, Taylor is back in the bathroom trying to shave as his hands shake like those of a ninety-five-year-old man. As he stares at his once vibrant face in the mirror and notices the dark bags and sallow skin he decides he'll do something he swore he'd never do - he'll go to a church for help. After all, isn't that what churches are supposed to do? His friend Josh's mom nagged them for years about going to church. Taylor never had any desire or interest because it all just seemed like a big scam carried out on the weak and ignorant. But he was willing to try anything on a day like this. He'd go to the big church a couple of miles from his condo he always drove by. In fact, he remembers seeing lights on and cars there just about every evening so he'll go tonight and see if maybe they can help him. That evening as it continues to rain, Taylor drinks three beers to stop the relentless shaking, gets into his car and drives to the big church. As he comes up the street to the church it's just getting dark and the wet streets glisten with reflection from the car lights. The low clouds and drizzle add to his already despondent and dark mood. But as he nears the church he sees the front door is open a bit and a warm light streams out onto the sidewalk. He thinks to himself maybe the inviting aura of the light is a sign he might find the help he so badly needs. He pulls into the parking lot next to the church where twenty or so cars are parked. As Taylor walks up to the front door of the church he becomes extremely nervous. What are the people here going to think of him? These are church people - those shiny happy people who send those evangelist guys on TV all their money. Will they maybe just send him down the road because he's so messed up? But he continues toward the slightly open door and it's welcoming light and pulls the door open. Just as he does, a man coming out the door nearly runs him over. The man stops and asks Taylor if there's anything he can help him with and introduces himself as Pastor Doug. Taylor - to his own surprise, briefly explains to Pastor Doug that he's in a bad place because of drinking and drugs and is hoping that maybe the church could somehow help him but he'd never been there before. Pastor Doug explains they would love to help him and as a matter of fact, there is an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting starting in one of their meeting rooms in just a few minutes - God must have led him there! Pastor Doug tells Taylor that he doesn't go to the meetings but knows they help people suffering from alcoholism. He invites Taylor to church the next Sunday and then ushers him inside to the meeting room and introduces him to a man named Tony who runs the Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. Tony welcomes Taylor to the meeting and offers him a cup of coffee. The meeting is just getting ready to start so Tony goes to the podium at the front and Taylor finds a seat toward the back. As people begin sitting down around him many of them introduce themselves and seem eager to make him feel welcome. Just about everyone there seems to know everyone else. As the meeting begins, Taylor is surprised that a prayer called the "Serenity Prayer" is recited and it doesn't offend him. Then one of the men goes to the podium and reads something called a "Portion of Chapter Five" from a book they call "The Big Book." As Taylor listens to the man he becomes a bit intrigued by what he hears - especially something about "God as we understood Him". After the man finishes reading, Tony invites people up to share their stories and Taylor actually begins feeling a bit of hope because the people who speak seem to have been through some type of struggle with booze and drugs similar to his own. After the meeting, Tony asks Taylor if he can buy him a cup of coffee and they head out of the church and into the parking lot to Tony's car. They drive a short distance to a coffee shop and go inside. There are a couple guys from the Alcoholics Anonymous meeting there and Tony introduces them to Taylor. Over coffee, Tony tells Taylor his story and how he's stayed sober for five years and believes Alcoholics Anonymous saved his life. Taylor asks Tony if he goes to the church the meeting is at and Tony says no explaining that sobriety is not found in churches and that he was finally able to get sober because he came to believe in a god of his own understanding and did not need anything churches offer. They just hold meetings at churches because the rent is cheap and sometimes even free. They spend a couple hours talking and Taylor is excited and hopeful. He's astonished when Tony tells him that alcoholism is a disease and Taylor was only suffering from the effects of it. As Tony drops him off at his car he hands him a brand new "Big Book" and tells Taylor he should start reading it right away and invites him to a noon meeting the next day at another church a few miles away. Taylor thanks Tony for the book and agrees to meet him at the noon meeting. Now we fast forward the story. Taylor has now been sober for two years and Tony is his sponsor. Taylor has another job and a new girlfriend. He attends five AA meetings a week, prays to a god of his own understanding, asking him for sobriety each morning and thanking him for his sobriety every night. He lives one day at a time and understands that if he ever neglects his sobriety or walks away from Alcoholics Anonymous he'll probably die from his disease. He still attends the Tuesday evening meeting at the big church but has never been there for a church service. He's learned in AA that all he needs is his own higher power, a sponsor, and to completely give himself to the program of Alcoholics Anonymous and he will be assured of a place in the kingdom of his higher power. It's again a Tuesday evening - but a nice warm evening. We see Taylor leaving the Alcoholics Anonymous meeting at the big church and get into his car. As he pulls out of the driveway his cell phone rings and he looks down to pick it up off of the passenger seat, pulls into the street in front of a semi truck, the semi-truck slams into Taylor's car, crushing Taylor inside and he dies almost instantly. Taylor was suffering on a cold rainy evening two years ago. He went to a big church seeking help. He was introduced to Alcoholics Anonymous for the help he sought. Taylor died without ever hearing the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Devil is running rampant in an orgy of destroying souls in your own Church if it allows Alcoholics Anonymous to meet on its premises. Visit your local Alcoholics Anonymous website and you will see that a vast majority of meetings are held in Christian Churches. If you're not familiar with the false teachings of Alcoholics Anonymous please visit the Exposing Recovery page. Are you suffering from alcoholism or drug addiction? Please know that you are who Jesus came to deliver and save. If you need help please fill out the Contact form on this website. From a Christian point of view there is a problem with the supposed "spiritual awakening" needed for recovery put forth by the Alcoholics Anonymous program which ignores and directly contradicts the gospel of Jesus Christ (see: The Walking Dead of Alcoholics Anonymous, Does Alcoholics Anonymous Teach Forgiveness Without the Atonement?, Does the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous contradict the Christian Gospel?). But what if recovery as a concept and as it's come to be understood in it's worldly context, is completely in error in and of itself? What if the whole modern idea and obsession with recovery could be cast aside for something far greater? For a Christian believer familiar with the Christian doctrine of eternal salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, the question must surely come to mind, "Just what kind of spiritual awakening is actually happening through Alcoholics Anonymous and the Twelve Steps? Because according to God's Word the only way to salvation (which is what AA is alluding to), is the atoning sacrifice that was made through the person of Jesus Christ and Jesus is no part of the Alcoholics Anonymous program". Is the worldly concept of recovery in error? It depends on how you look at eternity. In secular recovery, lasting sobriety is the goal and end to be sought for. Length of time sober is measured and coveted, celebrated and honored. Old timers with years of sobriety in Twelve Step programs like Alcoholics Anonymous are revered and respected by those who dream of one day having a collection of sobriety chips with Roman numeral X's on them denoting years of continuous sobriety. A worldly program of recovery may help someone. They may achieve and maintain sobriety for the rest of their lives. They may have relationships repaired, bank accounts replenished, reputations restored, and worldly status re-established because of their success in achieving and maintaining sobriety. They may gain all that the world has to offer because they were able to stay sober. But what about the big picture - actually, the biggest picture of all? What about eternity? Might eternal destiny have been sacrificed on the altar of recovery? So you may ask the question, "What does eternal destiny have to do with recovery?" Most people in Twelve Step programs seem mainly concerned with just getting out of the trouble their drinking and using have caused and getting their lives back together. So how would eternal destiny have anything to do with recovery? Worldly recovery programs like Alcoholics Anonymous have a direct effect and influence on the eternal destinies of their members because the programs work within the realm of the spirit - or at least that is their claim. In fact, the steps themselves make very clear the spiritual nature of the Twelve Step program. On page 59 of the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, the Twelve Steps are listed and steps eleven and twelve make direct claims to the spiritual nature of the Alcoholics Anonymous program.
When considered from an eternal perspective and through the divine illumination of the light of scripture it becomes clear that recovery, as it has come to be understood and pursued in its modern worldly context, is not an end to be sought for. Rather, by understanding and accepting that alcoholism and addiction are sin and the only atonement of its death sentence is by the blood of Jesus Christ it becomes apparent that recovery is a blessed by-product of salvation in Jesus Christ. No programs or steps are needed from a biblical perspective. Instead, we need only to believe in, rely on, adhere to and have faith in Jesus Christ with complete loving abandon forsaking all else. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. - Matthew 6:33 In an eternal sense; to make recovery your sole aim and goal for your life is like striving to live in the gutter outside of a palace. By casting aside the worldly concept of recovery and seeking for eternal life in Jesus Christ we step over the gutter and into the palace of eternal glory. But, as it is written, "What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him" - 1 Corinthians 2:9
Does "Bill's Story" in Alcoholics Anonymous line up with the Biblical message of Salvation?1/20/2015
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. 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. 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. 1 Timothy 4:1, Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, 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. 1 Peter 5:8, Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. |
Chad Prigmore is Pastor and President of The Way R122 Ministry USA & Kenya.
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