Self-Righteousness in Every Form -- Lack of Life in Christ

There is so much talk about ego, self, self-centeredness in Alcoholics Anonymous.

Yes, it's true, self without any boundaries is the source of the greatest pain in our lives.

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. (AA, pg 62)

One of the most painful aspects of most cults, like AA, is that the incorporate some truths, some truth, some proper insight.

Yes, life which we try to produce in ourselves will never be enough. Never.

Still, the AA program actually magnifies self, rather than breaking us free from dead in our trespasses Adam

"I" unchecked can cause us to check into hospitals, or to check out of this life. Yet a program which claims "we" still brings us back to ourselves.

In ever meeting, men and women will say "My name is X, and I am an alcoholic."

There's that "I" once again.

As I have written before, many members of the program will proudly share "This is a selfish program." Exactly. But I thought that self manifested in various forms was the problem?

Once again, AA like many cults, does not resolve the problem of self.

And our modern times have made the path of freedom from ourselves, or more specifically our flesh, all the more difficult by dismissing any need for God, for Christ, for His life which makes everything abundant and worthwhile in our lives.

How can we not focus on ourselves, unless we believe that God has pledged, through His Son, that He is taking care of all things for us? I have pondered this issue at length. Even when I realized, as do many, that living in ourselves and for ourselves is never enough, yet if we do not understand and receive that He is our life, then we have no choice but to resort back to ourselves.

Now we step into AA. What do we find? The most mixed of mixed messages. Yes, we need to reborn, but as an alcoholic, which is just Adam of a different kind. We need power, but at the same time people have to work Twelve Steps every day. In other words, this power comes from us.

We are supposed to turn our will and lives over to God the Father, yet at the same time, we have no life to give, but rather we need life, and that more abundantly. To me, that is the greatest falsehood, and the biggest problem with Twelve Steps sits on that outrageous third step.

We are supposed to turn our will and lives over to a Higher Power, a Higher Power which we have conceived in our minds. Really? Does anyone see how crazy this is?

Yet for me, for years, and for many people who still go to the AA meeting rooms, they have this idea that they can work this program, then trust some God to see them through al the challenges in their life.

The struggle to understand the loving, living Almighty God living in and through me never made any sense. How could I believe that He was taking care of everything for me, when the god I understood was just a projection of what someone else told me.

And what's worse, our feelings and our thoughts do not go away, right away. The more that we try to live and strive in our efforts, the more we find that we cannot get away from ourselves or our feelings.

The worst part for me, and for many Christians I fear, is that we do not see how big, how powerful, how wonderful, He is, and that He wants us to receive from Him, since of ourselves we have nothing can do nothing:

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3: 16)

and then

"I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing." (John 15: 5)

and
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)

and how about this?

"In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him." (1 John 4: 9)

So, what is self-righteousness, really? It's so much more than thinking highly of ourselves at the expense of other people. It's also thinking that the most important things that we must do depend on us, or that apart from major miracles, we can do most other things in our own efforts.

Self-righteousness is more than doing bad things, but doing good things in our strength, and believing that what we are doing is enough. When we feel bad, we think that we have to do something about it. When we feel good, we think that we have something to do with that, too.

Wrong.

The truth is that the Tree of Life is what everyone of us, you, me, everyone else, needs. We need life, and that more abundantly, which we receive and keep receiving in Christ Jesus. It's all about His goodness and grace, not our own.

To receive His life, we need to receive His righteousness:

"And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness." (Romans 8: 10)

and before this, Paul writes:

"For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)" (Romans 5: 17)

The dichotomy is death and life, and with life God grants to us the gift of righteousness and the abundance of grace. Righteousness is the key element, and not our own, but His:

"14In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear: and from terror; for it shall not come near thee.

"15Behold, they shall surely gather together, but not by me: whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall for thy sake.

 

"16Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy.

 

"17No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD." (Isaiah 54: 14-17)

We give up our righteousness, all filthy rags (Isaiah 64: 6) and so we readily receives His righteousness, and thy we reign in life through His life!