Why the Twelve Steps and the Bible??
It makes sense because
1) 12 steps are based on biblical principles and were written at a time when the AA group was associated with teachings of a now defunct Christian organization called the Oxford Group. This group was founded by Sam Shoemaker at the Calvary church in New York. The meetings were traditional on Sunday nights. Bill Wilson wrote of the movement, “The early ideas of self examination, acknowledgement of character defects, restitution for harm done, and working with others straight from the Oxford Groups and nowhere else.” In fact, if the truth be known, When Bill was calling from the Mayflower hotel, it was a local oxford group leader, Henrietta Sebrling who connected Bill and Bob. Bob was one of the hopeless himself because he had been attending Oxford group meetings in Akron for two years and couldn’t tie together any real time. As Bill and Bob focused on their recovery together, the Oxford Group carried less significance. As a result, the split was bound to happen. We, as humans, normally gravitate towards people and experiences which are similar to our own. I doesn’t mean the spiritual program outlined by Shoemaker was ineffective, it just wasn’t resented in a way recovering Alcoholics could grab a hold of it. In many ways, it became a religion of its own. Clancy I said it best in his tapes, “The old dog speaks”. In it, he says, “AA is a stinking religion if you look at the fact that it has God at the center, rituals like reading, “How it Works” and repetitive sayings like easy does it or just turn it over.” As such, AA is not bad its just an adaptation of a program for life we have had around for thousands of years.
2) Just as AA is a more spiritual program, the bible is a spiritual book not just a religious book
3) While the Bible is clearly Judeo-Christian in heritage, it does not tell you what brand of theology to subscribe to. It only provides spiritual truth by which we can live our lives.
Tonight, we are going to start at the beginning and talk about step one. I would like to read a couple of quick passages for a base line and then connect the dots.
1) 2 Chronicles 14:11, Romans 3:21-24, ACTS 9:1-9, or
a. Psalm 6:6-10, Proverbs 28:26, Matthew 9:36 and Romans 7:15-20
2) Step One: We admitted we were powerless over alcohol – that our lives had become unmanageable
The last reading was from this former Pharisee – a guy who thought he had the whole God and scripture thing down before He met God a road to Damascus in Acts 9. God showed up in a powerful way to blind him, speak to him in his disability and then heal him so he could help others.
Paul thought he had it all figured out as Jew who memorized all the laws of the day and then tried to get everyone else to toe the line. When they wouldn’t, he’d either kill them or put them in prison.
Does this sound familiar to anyone’s life before coming in the doors of AA? Anyone take any prisoners of loved ones by emotional or mental means your willing to admit to?
Then one day, Paul hits bottom when the God comes knocking to show him the errors of his way by striking him down with bolt of light. Now for you or me that might look like a car accident, a police stop, a fight, a blackout or gutter filled with blood. Whatever the case, we too had to be struck by a bolt of lighting.
Tell the story of your bottom or have someone get up and tell their moment.
Paul knew something was different because he couldn’t see, he heard voices and he had to ask for help this time. This would have been tough for a guy who was both a
1) Roman subject – a powerful position in a land occupied by Rome and He was a
2) Pharisee a religious leader who was respected by the entire culture. If it were today, he’d be a politician, a CPA and a lawyer. You see he needed to be blinded or dumbfounded or humbled there was no other option. His program for life wasn’t working anymore. He needed others to help him. He was subsequently silenced for more than three days and then one of the people he would have persecuted before shows up by the name of Annanias. He has the antidote. It was simple as recognizing he wasn’t where he thought would be for Paul and his thinking was out of sync with God’s.
Paul’s story is dramatic but so are many of yours. The first step part of the first step is all about recognizing the root of our issue and the second half is about realizing its effect on everything else in our life. This is probably the hardest part for everyone who struggles with known defects of character - sin. Alcohol or any addictive substance, person or activity takes us down this same path. God try’s to get our attention but we some how plow through thinking it’s a one time occurrence – rationalizing and justifying away our actions. It’s not until we have to reach out for help that healing can actually begin.
The beautiful thing about Christianity is grace. It is the only form of God centered spirituality in the world that
1) Recognizes God’s ability to become man to fix a problem with man
2) Recognizes God’s deep love for his creation. Why else would he become man? Would you lower yourself to this standard if you had everything at your disposal?
3) Recognizes God’s willingness to provide mercy for man’s actions here on earth. – Let’s face it, if we all got what we really deserved we’d be dead.
4) Recognizes God’s gift of restoration to the life he has planned for those who say I screwed up, I’m sorry, I’ll honestly try; I’ll amend my behavior.
So step one is really the beginning of life long walk. Sometimes the healing will be dramatic like your ability to have the alcoholic obsession leave and sometimes it will be like a nagging thorn. Sometimes you’ll ask the same questions as Paul. Just remember, God gives us a gift of grace. He created you. Why wouldn’t he want you to succeed?
For more information about the author: https://communitycenter.life/rev-robert-butler-info
