Alcoholics Anonymous: The Way of Cain

Instead of resting in the Finished Work of Jesus Christ, mankind is forever seeking ways through their own efforts to be righteousness.

In the Garden of Eden, after Adam and Eve ate from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, they dressed themselves in fig leaves, in order to cover up their shame.

Their actions are an example of self-righteousness.

When Cain and Abel offered their sacrifices to the Lord God, Cain offered some of his harvest, while Abel offered a lamb.

God respected Abel's sacrifice, which included blood-shed, but he rejected Cain's, which witnessed to his efforts as a farmer. For the record, Cain did not give the best of his harvest, either:

"3And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD. 4And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering." (Genesis 4: 3-5)

Cain brought "of the fruit". Abel brought "of the firstlings". Abel brought the best, and Cain brought the rest.

The rest will always witness of how weak and beggarly elements of our works.

The Way of Cain is a religious spirit, one in which man insists on relying on his efforts to please God, to make himself righteousness, when he should rest in the righteousness of God, paid for the blood of Jesus.

Our righteousness works are as filthy rags to God:

"But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away." (Isaiah 64: 6)

There is nothing that we can do in our efforts. In fact, when we understand the full extent of "filthy rags", we must accept that even our efforts to cleanse us are not only useless, but our efforts actually make us more filthy.

Alcoholics Anonymous is based on the false and evil premise that through his own efforts, man can achieve a better standing of righteousness.

From the AA book, following the list of the Twelve Steps:

Many of us exclaimed, "What an order! I can't go through with it." Do not be discouraged. No one among us has been able to maintain anything like perfect adherence to these principles. We are not saints. The point is, that we are willing to grow along spiritual lines. The principles we have set down are guides to progress. We claim spiritual progress rather than spiritual perfection. (AA, pg 60)

The Holy Spirit has perfected us forever, by the way (Hebrews 10: 14) so automatically this hollow assertion in the Big Book is not just patently offensive, but a corrosive evil which as brought millions into bondage.

Jude, the half-brother of Jesus Christ, shared the following:

"4For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ." (Jude 4)

and then

"11Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core." (Jude 11)

The way of Cain is the way of self-effort, of self-righteous rage which persecutes anyone and anything which promotes the fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ -- that through His death, through the shedding of blood, we receive the forgiveness of sin.s and justification before God.

There is no Twelve Steps which can make us righteous. There are no steps at all which can make us righteousness:

"Neither shalt thou go up by steps unto mine altar, that thy nakedness be not discovered thereon." (Exodus 20: 26)

The mention of steps connects with man's nakedness, the first source of shame for Adam and Eve. Every time we attempt to take steps to get to God, our nakedness, our shame, our sin is exposed further.

The way of Cain, the attempt by man to acquire righteousness, ends in death, and AA is one more cult which promotes this terrible path.