Freedom from the Flesh, not "Self"

Selfishness - self-centeredness! That, we think, is the root of our troubles. Driven by a hundred forms of fear, self-delusion, self-seeking, and self-pity, we step on the toes of our fellows and they retaliate. Sometimes they hurt us, seemingly without provocation, but we invariably find that at some time in the past we have made decisions based on self which later placed us in a position to be hurt.

So our troubles, we think, are basically of our own making. They arise out of ourselves, and the alcoholic is an extreme example of self-will run riot, though he usually doesn't think so. Above everything, we alcoholics must be rid of this selfishness. We must, or it kills us! God makes that possible. And there often seems no way of entirely getting rid of self without His aid. Many of us had moral and philosophical convictions galore, but we could not live up to them even though we would have liked to. Neither could we reduce our self-centeredness much by wishing or trying on our own power. We had to have God's help. (AA, pg 62)

The "Big Book" claims that man's biggest problem, that the source of greatest concern for the "alcoholic" is "self"

When I was first working these steps, when I was learning to live the "AA way of life", I had a hard time understanding this issue of "Self", or what it meant to turn my "will and life" over to a power greater than myself, one which I may as well never be able to understand, let alone trust.

I have a better question that I would press to any die-hard defender of AA: how do I get rid of myself? I walk around in this body, and I have this mind which thinks certain thoughts. How am I supposed to live, exactly, if I have to get rid of this "self"?

The "Third Step Prayer" offers even less assistance.

We were now at Step Three. Many of us said to our Maker, as we understood Him: "God, I offer myself to Thee-to build with me and to do with me as Thou wilt. Relieve me of the bondage of self, that I may better do Thy will. Take away my difficulties, that victory over them may bear witness to those I would help of Thy Power, Thy Love, and Thy Way of life. May I do Thy will always!" We thought well before taking this step making sure we were ready; that we could at last abandon ourselves utterly to Him. (AA, pg 63)

"Abandon ourselves utterly to Him." These phrases may work their magic on just about anyone, especially a person who is desperate to break free of alcohol addiction. Once a member gets sober, gets the drink out of his system, he ought to spend more time looking over some of these cumbersome and confusing prayers. How am I supposed to know "what this will" is? Do I wait for an angel to come down from heaven, or some demon from the pit of the earth, to tell me what to do? More likely, though not plainly stated, the "sponsor" would take the lead in managing the life of the new member. The cult of AA creates a culture of dependence and ultimately despair and despondency. Men and women go from trying to break free of alcohol to finding themselves in bondage to a "sponsor" who tells them what to do, where to go, how to work the steps, and the other  follies which create more of the same problems which likely cause the member to drink in the first place.

The Bible gives a better diagnosis of what ails man:

"14For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. 15For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. 16If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. 17Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. 18For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. 19For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. 20Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me." (Romans 7: 14-20)

The dynamic of man is divided into flesh (carnal) and spirit. God places His Holy Spirit in man, so that God may once again dwell in us, as He had intended with Adam and Eve before they ate of the Forbidden Fruit.

Man is born in sin, that is separation from God, and thus he is dead in his tresspasses (Ephesians 2: 1). In effect, he sins because he is a sinner:

"15But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. 16And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification." (Romans 5: 15-16)

The contrast starts with Adam, by whom we are dead, judged and condemned because we are born into this world as descendants of Adam, in his likeness (Genesis 5: 1-2).

Yet through Christ, everyone of us can be born again, brought into life and sonship though the adoption of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8: 15-17)

So, man is a spirit (Genesis 2: 7), possesses a soul (Luke 21:19), and lives in a body (Romans 7: 24-25). We are called to walk in the Spirit (Galatians 5:16), not in the flesh, moving in his grace, not through works of our own flesh (1 Corinthians 15: 10) .

Therefore, believers in the Body of Christ are not supposed to identify with their bodies at all:

"Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 6: 11)

The sin is in our bodies, not in our spirit. This distinction is crucial, because unless we learn to identify with who we are in Christ (1 John4: 17), we will find ourselves over and over again struggling to figure out who we are, what we are supposed to be doing, and thus we struggle with trying to fix our thoughts and our feelings, instead of resting in our new identity in Christ:
"Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world." (1 John 4:17)

We do not find freedom in breaking away from ourselves, but by resting in our new identity in Christ:

"If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed." (John 8: 36)

Our new "Self" is in Christ, and our "Old Man" is the flesh, the realm of self-effort, the realm of trying to keep God's law, or work Twelve Steps, for that matter.