Christ is Simpler than AA

Rarely have we seen a person fail who has thoroughly followed our path. Those who do not recover are people who cannot or will not completely give themselves to this simple program, usually men and women who are constitutionally incapable of being honest with themselves. There are such unfortunates. They are not at fault; they seem to have been born that way. They are naturally incapable of grasping and developing a manner of living which demands rigorous honesty. Their chances are less than average. There are those, too, who suffer from grave emotional and mental disorders, but many of them do recover if they have the capacity to be honest. (AA, pg 58)

The "Big Book" goes out of its way to shame people who cannot work the program.

The program cannot be worked, because the level of honesty expected from members is impossible to reach.

"Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults." (Psalm 19: 12)

Jeremiah would write:

"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" (Jeremiah 17: 9)

We need a new heart, not just a new way of thinking. We need a proper identity based on life, which we find in Christ, not in our efforts, not in a new program.

For the record, AA is not a simple program at all, and working Twelve Steps is much worse than believing on Jesus Christ and receiving all things from Him:

"Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent." (John 6: 29)

I just noticed something very profound in this verse: believing on Jesus Christ is a work which He does in us:

"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:" (Ephesians 2: 8)

and

"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." (Galatians 2: 20)

When we believe on Christ, we are blessed with all spiritual blessings (Ephesians 1: 3), we are accepted in Christ (Ephesians 1: 6), we receive the Spirit of Adoption (Romans 8: 15), we overcome all things in Him (Romans 8: 37). Because we are now seated in Christ (Ephesians 2: 4-6) and we are thus dead to the empty rudiments of the world (Colossians 2: 20), we need never fear condemnation of any kind (Romans 8: 1)

All we have to do is believe on Him.

Anything else is a subtle deception:

"1Would to God ye could bear with me a little in my folly: and indeed bear with me. 2For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. 3But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ." (2 Corinthians 11:1-3)

Christ is way simpler than AA. Do not be fooled, there is no other way, and there is no better way than Jesus!