Step Nine -- "Related" Scripture

"By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil.

"When a man's ways please the LORD, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him. (Proverbs 16: 6-7)

Here is what one commentary had to share about this scripture in relation to the 12 Steps:

"When we are making amends, we are "purging iniquity". The NKJV translates this verse "In mercy and truth Atonement is provided for iniquity...". In other words, when we live in mercy and truth we are making atonement, we are purging the iniquity from our lives and from the lives of others. This is what making amends is all about - about purging iniquity, purging the poison that came from our addictive behaviors in our own lives, the lives of others and in our relationships. In 16:7 we see a possible consequence from this purging the iniquity and that is that those who were once our enemies can become those who are at peace with us. Our relationships can be restored to those of peace, harmony and trust where there once was strife and suspicion.
(http://www.12step.org/bible/step-8-scriptures.html)

What?!!!

Who is mercy, or rather grace and truth? Jesus!:

"For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ." (John 1: 17)

How are we purged of our sins? By our works? No way!:

"Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;" (Hebrews 1: 3)

Jesus Christ HAS ALREADY PURGED OUR SINS ONCE AND FOR ALL!

Instead of running around trying to get rid of this sense of sin and obligation in our lives, we just rest in the fact that we have also been purged from a guilty conscience:

"How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?" (Hebrews 9: 14)

Where do we get this flimsy, wicked idea that we can, that we must do something more in order to break free of our sins, make up for our misdeeds? How many times does God say that He will more than make up for all that we have lost?:

"For your shame ye shall have double; and for confusion they shall rejoice in their portion: therefore in their land they shall possess the double: everlasting joy shall be unto them." (Isaiah 61: 7)

and

"Turn you to the strong hold, ye prisoners of hope: even to day do I declare that I will render double unto thee;" (Zechariah 9: 12)

Let us not for one minute assume that we are doing anything out of our own effort to get anything done:

"1And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; 2Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: 3Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. 4But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)" (Ephesians 2: 1-5)

In fact, because Christ lives in us, His works are now working their way through us:
"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." (Ephesians 2: 10)

We do not have to work up anything, but rather we work out the Life that Christ Jesus is working in (Philippians 2: 12-13)

We live out His Life, and through His prompting, we are led to restore anything that we may have taken or lost! (See the account of Zaccheus in Luke 19 for an extensive example of how salvation leads a man to give of his substance, as oppposed to the other way around.