"But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?" (Galatians 4: 9)
The Twelve Steps are steps down, not up, which lead me to look at themselves, even though the inherent element is finding a power greater than oneself who will grant an alcoholic the power to break free of the addiction.
Yet even in meetings men and women will share their knowledge of friends and acquaintances who have gotten sober without the twelve stepts.
Discernment Ministries concludes simply that two steps -- salvation and sanctification -- can lead a man to break free of alcohol abuse.(http://www.rapidnet.com/~jbeard/bdm/Psychology/codep/12step.htm)
Anything that is built upon man's effort and not the Holy Spirit working in our lives will produce nothing but hay and stubble:
"According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.
"For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
"Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;
"Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.
"If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
"If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire. (1 Corinthians 3: 10-15)
It is the grace of God that works in us to accomplish anything:
"But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me." (1 Corinthians 15: 10)
If a man follows a set of rules in order to accomplish or get something, he will inevitable reap for himself the very thing that he is trying to escape:
"The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law." (1 Corinthians 15: 56)
The law speaks of the Ten Commandments, certainly, but the "weak and beggarly elements" described in Galatains 4: 9 indicated any system of merit or" steps to something". "Elements" renders the Greek word στοιχεῖον, stoicheion, which scripturetext.com expounds on thus:
"4747 stoixeíon– properly, fundamentals, like with the basic components of a philosophy, structure, etc.; (figuratively) "first principles," like the basic fundamentals of Christianity.
[4747
(stoixeíon) refers to "the rudiments with which mankind . . . were
indoctrinated (before the time of Christ), i.e. the elements of religious
training or the ceremonial precepts common alike to the worship of Jews and of
Gentiles" (J. Thayer).
The RSV however renders stoixeia as "elemental
spirits," i.e. spiritual powers or "cosmic spirits" (DNTT, 2,
828). This views 4747
/stoixeíon ("elements") as ancient astral beings associated with the
very beginning (make-up) of the earth.]" (http://concordances.org/greek/4747.htm)
Christ died on the Cross not just to free man from his sin,
including alcoholism, but also to fulfill and end the tyranny of the law, rules
of living which no man can live by:
"Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even
the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself
of twain one new man, so making peace;" (Ephesians 2: 15)
"Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was
against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to
his cross;" (Colossians 2: 14)
We do not need 12 Steps to break free of sin. We need life,
transformation, a new birth, which we receive through Christ:
"But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15: 57)
Any system of merit, or steps, or rules, or program will inevitably produce failure, as even members of Alcoholics Anonymous plainly admit that members can only "work" the First Step perfectly.
Forget steps, forget efforst, forget inventories. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, receive forgiveness of sins and everlasting life through the Holy Spirit.
Amen 🌿🙏🌿
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