I Hate AA -- Because It Distracted Me From His Love

One of the elements of AA which really bothers me is that the program causes you to focus on yourself.

When you are a new creation in Christ, you do not identify with your fallen flesh.

Your upsets, your hurts, any sense of pride, all of that pertains to Adam, to the old man from which we are delivered, and from the Old Man we receive Christ the second Adam, and the same takes us into Himself.

Many people claim that the Bible is not practical, when in fact, the Bible is all about showing us how Jesus is doing all things through us, and He wants us to rest and trust Him.

About the divisions between old man and new creation, and the painful struggles which result, look no further than Romans 7:

"21I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. 22For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: 23But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. 24O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? 25I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin." (Romans 7: 21-25)

We are not saved from ourselves by working Twelve Steps, but by stepping into the life which Christ Jesus gives us through His Death and Resurrection.

Our peace is not based on removing our feelings, but rather resting in His love, and letting his life pour through us.

In fact, our feelings of bitterness, or wrath, or anything else has nothing to do with us:

"1If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. 2Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. 3For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. 4When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory." (Colossians 3: 1-4)

What is this "death" that Paul writes about?

He explains in the previous chapter:

"And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; 14Blotting 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; 15And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it." (Colossians 2: 13-15)

We know the love of God because we know and believe that God sent His Son to die for us, and that through His death we are dead to the requirements of the law and now live in, through, and because of Christ Jesus!

AA teaches people to fix themselves. The Bible teaches us to fix our hearts on Him:

"My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise." (Psalm 57: 7)

In the Book of Proverbs, Solomon writes:

"My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways." (Proverbs 23: 26)

Because of the Cross, we are all sons of God (1 John 3: 1-3), and the way is Christ Himself (John 14: 6)

Forget the Twelve Steps, forget about working a program, and growing in grace and knowledge of God's love for you!