Careful consideration on the right answer to this question is vitally important to your spiritual growth while in sobriety and matters greatly as to where an individual will spend eternity. To help provide the right answer, we must explore the fundamental spiritual beliefs and principles that Alcoholics Anonymous was founded on.
Alcoholism, in history, is as old as the discovery of fermentation. The misery and devastation that it has wrought on humanity throughout the centuries is unmeasurable. For centuries, it was considered a helpless and hopeless condition. A major source of help for alcoholism became available with the creation of Alcoholics Anonymous in the 1930’s. Bill Wilson (Bill W.) and Robert Holbrook (Dr. Bob), co-founders of Alcoholics Anonymous, created a major treatment method for alcoholism through the means of a twelve-step spiritual program. It’s crucial that we take a look at their spiritual backgrounds to see the foundational spiritual aspects of this God-inspired program.
Our spiritual analysis begins with Bill Wilson, a stockbroker and alcoholic, entering Towns Hospital in New York City on December 11, 1934, for his fourth and last time. He was at the end of his rope and for many years had felt the miseries and painful consequences of his drinking. Several days later, Ebby T, a childhood friend and sober alcoholic, visited Bill at the hospital and again told him about the Oxford Group principles. Ebby had previously visited Bill at his home, but he had not embraced the idea of personal intervention and help from God.
The Oxford Group, a Christian organization for men, had been helping alcoholics get sober through the practice of their spiritual God-dependence program. They had helped Ebby get sober, and it was a principle to share the program, as he did for the second time with Bill. Conditioned by another failure and after Ebby left, Bill fell into a deep depression but in a moment of clarity, realizing his powerless and helpless condition, he cried out to God, “If there is a God, let Him show Himself!” This deflation at depth resulted in a spiritual experience and brought to Bill the wonderful feeling of God’s presence and peace.
The God that Bill Wilson was hoping would show Himself, was the biblical Judeo-Christian God, something he already had some knowledge about. Bill had a deep and meaningful Christian upbringing in Vermont. As a youngster, Bill read the bible, listened to sermons, prayed and sang hymns, and attended Sunday school in the little East Dorset Christian church. A few years later he attended a 4-year Bible course at Burr and Burton in Manchester, the high school where he lived. There he also attended daily chapel, weekly church at Manchester Congregational Church, Bible study, and was President of the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA).
Bill also heard numerous times from his mother the story about his alcoholic grandfather, Willie, who had a conversion experience at the top of Mount Aeolus. There he cried out to God for help, had a white light experience, rushed to a little church and its pulpit, declared that he was saved, and never drank again for the remaining 8 years of his life. In a similar manner, just a few days before Bill went into Towns Hospital, he had drunkenly gone forward to the alter at Calvary Mission and testified to his belief in Christ. It is a fact that Bill Wilson was sensing his desperate need for the biblical God. Truly, Bill W. was not conceptualizing a generic god when he had his own bright light spiritual experience in Towns Hospital as he had the inspirational thought “So this is the God of the preachers!”
Bill’s Christian upbringing was really quite similar to that received by Dr. Bob in St. Johnsbury, Vermont. There, Dr. Bob and his entire family belonged to and attended the North Congregational Church of St. Johnsbury. Dr. Bob also belonged to the YMCA and attended the Christian school, St. Johnsbury Academy. Also, Dr. Bob was active in the Young People’s Society of Christian Endeavor which had a program for young people that featured many of the Christian elements that found their way into early A.A. in Akron. Although Dr. Bob was an active alcoholic when he met Bill Wilson, he was also a professing Christian. Dr. Bob had also been exposed to the Oxford Group through the Akron family, the Firestones. For certain, there was no doubt as to Dr. Bob’s basic belief in the biblical God, but he had little faith that his condition could be cured.
It should be clear, that in the early years of Alcoholics Anonymous the definition of God was in line with the mainstream of believers throughout the United States. There were two fundamental beliefs in that period; the first was a belief in the biblical God, and the second, no belief or practice of religion. Eastern beliefs were essentially non-existent. Very few people had any different conception of God besides the biblical God. The founders of Alcoholics Anonymous were both Christian believers and they knew that the God who was helping them stay sober, was the biblical God. That understanding included a triune God – God the Father, His son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob, for several months after they met, developed principles of recovery in Dr. Bob’s kitchen. They had daily meetings with Dr. Bob’s wife, Anne, who guided them and documented their learning process. She was very religious and knew a lot about the bible, which they studied daily.
During the infancy of the A.A. program, there was no recovery literature available to guide them, except the Bible and a selection of Christian-based books. From the pages of the Bible, came the foundational principles we embrace in Alcoholics Anonymous. These principles included surrender, honesty, sharing of our experience, practicing God’s guidance and Will – not ours, conscious contact, and the character attributes of love, tolerance, humility, patience, courage, faith, peace, power, and joy – to name a few. As described by Dr. Bob in the book Pass It On, they were “convinced that the answer to our problem was in the Good Book (Bible). To some of us older ones, the parts that we found absolutely essential were the Sermon on the Mount, the 13th chapter of First Corinthians, and the Book of James”.
What sprung up from these initial encounters with two alcoholics in Dr. Bob’s kitchen, was the birth of groups in Ohio and New York City. Initially, the recovering folks were participating in the men’s Christian fellowship of the Oxford group. This collection of people simply sought to follow a certain way of life patterned on their belief in Jesus Christ. This fellowship was not unique to alcoholics and included businessmen from many Christian denominations. As the recovering alcoholics continued to grow, it became necessary to separate and form their own groups. About the same time, discussions about sharing their program through a book, to reach more suffering folks became important. Bill Wilson at times is quoted as saying “While I lay in the hospital the thought came that there were thousands of hopeless alcoholics who might be glad to have what had been so freely given me. Perhaps I could help some of them. They in turn might work with others.” That thought came to fruition as Bill Wilson started writing the book Alcoholics Anonymous.
In the book, Pass It On, we find on page 197 these words: Bill wrote the Twelve Steps, he said, while lying in bed at 182 Clinton Street with pencil in hand and pad of yellow scratch paper on his knee. He wrote them in bed, said Lois, not because he was really sick, but he wasn’t feeling well, and if he could lie down, he did: “He got into bed, that being the best place to think.” As he started to write, he asked for guidance. And he relaxed. The words began to tumble out with astounding speed. He completed the first draft in about half an hour, then kept on writing until he felt he should stop and review what he had written. Numbering the new steps, he found that they added up to twelve – a symbolic number; he thought of the Twelve Apostles, and soon became convinced that the Society should have twelve steps. Again, these historical facts confirm that Bill had no doubt that his “understanding” was the God described in the Judeo-Christian bible.
The initial drafts of the Big Book contained much more Christian language than we see in today’s version. The original drafts were changed at the insistence of atheists and agnostics, to remove the idea that Alcoholics Anonymous was exclusive as a Christian fellowship and should be open to all. However, some significant pointers were left in the book to encourage others to seek the right God. On page 87 of the Big Book, it says “There are many helpful books also. Suggestions about these may be obtained from one’s priest, minister, or rabbi.” On the same page we also find these words, “Be quick to see where religious people are right. Make use of what they offer.”
What then, is the real meaning of the words “God as we understood Him” as stated in the twelve steps? This idea goes back to the first encounter Bill Wilson had with Ebby, his childhood friend, who had sobered up with help from the Christian fellowship – the Oxford Group. Bill at that time had lost his faith in God and had no belief that the God he grew up with would personally help his situation. Alcoholism does that. But here in front of him was a sober alcoholic friend, who was claiming he got religion. From Bill’s story in the Big Book, we find: My friend suggested what he seemed a novel idea. He said, “Why don’t you choose your own conception of God?” When we look in depth at the early program, it is clear what was meant by this statement. It was a simple explanation, that our help will come from the God of the Bible, but we just don’t understand Him yet. The dilemma we have is that we only have a limited understanding of who God really is and that we should seek for more understanding. This is to say that our perception of the biblical God lacks depth of truth. Conception means perception. What it does not mean is the common mistake found in AA today – that we are to conceive or create our own God.
There are many facets of the secular or generic 12-Step program process that we see in AA today that are common to the Christian practice, as it is biblically outlined. It starts with a surrender and admission of powerlessness. So does Christianity. In the 12-Step process we are claiming our inability to get sober and are powerless over alcohol. In Christianity we are claiming our inability to not sin and are powerless over sin. In both cases we see that human effort fails us. If we are to not continue to have consequences from our weakness, in both cases we seek help from God. It is necessary for the God we seek help from to be real and have power.
The fundamental root problem that underlies all human affliction is simply called sin. From the book Eternal Sobriety there is this description of sin: There is a principle of action that works within us that motivates us to live unto ourselves. We call this the sin principle. It is common to all of humanity. This principle is a part of our nature and without a solution for it, self-satisfaction will be the chief aim of our life pursuits. Theologians refer to this as the sin nature. As we discover in A.A., selfishness and self-centeredness is indeed a major problem.
Continuing on with the similarities, after we reach the point where we have invited God into our life, we go through a process where we then look at our deficiencies. In the program, we call these character defects or shortcomings. In Christianity, it is called sin, which means essentially the same. In both cases we desire to not allow our deficiencies to control us. We do our admissions in the program and admit to God along with others the nature of our wrongs. In Christianity we do the same. In both cases we ask God to remove our problems and admit to our self-centeredness and try to remove self. We pray and meditate in both cases. We continue to look at ourselves as we grow, and in both cases, we practice principles. This practice of good behavior helps us in both cases.
It is a fact that an alcoholic can stay successfully sober on the practice of principles alone, with only a secular concept of a god. But we need more power than the group or our own concept of God can provide to become truly free. We need help from a real God. It is apparent that the process of applying principles is similar in both the generic and Christian approach. The idea of practicing principles is a major foundational aspect of Alcoholics Anonymous. The Christian walk is similar and is called sanctification. It is clear that “self” is our problem, and we have no power in ourselves to contain it. This is where the difference between a secular concept of a god and the real living God, who provides the Holy Spirit, makes a big difference. According to the Bible there is no real power in anything except the biblical God.
(Excerpts from the book Eternal Sobriety, Chapter 3, The Twelve Step Waltz)
“Inventing a self-made god as our source of power will delay us in finding lasting serenity. We can form habits to prevent us from drinking. We might even acquire a great deal of knowledge of the program, and perfect the art of staying sober one day at a time. Without God, we will remain spiritually incomplete. Given the right conditions or circumstances, we would still likely take that drink of alcohol if it wouldn’t reduce us to the original state of suffering that brought us to Alcoholics Anonymous. This desire is likely deep in our belief system, and if not, can easily return. . . We should be careful to not confuse “God as we understood Him” with a “god of our own making.” In other words, we should align ourselves with the original intent of Step Three and not try to conjure up some false idea of God. The truth of the matter is, in early A.A., it was not a question if God existed – it was a question of how well the alcoholic understood Him. . . We need to remember that we are the alcoholics who could not stop drinking after years of trying on our own. Do we honestly have the knowledge and power that will allow us to ascertain the true nature of God? It seems wise and expedient to seek the truth about God from spiritual sources that are free from self.”
My Own Experience
Two years after I had started in A.A. I experienced the personal revelation that Christ was real. In the first two years, I was amazed at the many truths I was finding in the program. It made me curious. Not having much of an upbringing about God, I started studying the Bible to find more about this “God” who I personally was ignorant about and had very little understanding of. I prayed intensely for several months until the reality of Christ being real enveloped me. It was early in sobriety that I personally embraced Christianity and gave my life to Christ, and I can tell you, the Christian life is not always an easy, ‘feel-good’ road. It doesn’t come with a promise that guarantees that all of our problems will be immediately fixed. But I wouldn’t trade it now for any other belief. There have been many challenges along the way. It is a growing belief and requires daily dying to self.
In the final analysis, to become a Christian you must believe with all of your heart that God exists, that his Word—the Bible—is true, and that Jesus Christ is who he says he is: “I am the way and the truth and the life.” (John 14:6 NIV). If you are not yet a believer, pray for this to become a reality in your life. Becoming a Christian won’t make your life easier at first. It does get easier and grows on you as you continually gain wisdom and perspective. Like the A.A. program, our walk is one of progress, not perfection. There are many life-changing experiences that will happen to you as you walk the Christian Road. You will have to live it to know it.
As you do, you will experience the reality of true love. Christian faith is built upon the kind of love that Jesus demonstrated when He gave his life for us. In Romans 8:35-39 we see that once we’ve experienced Christ’s unconditional love – nothing can separate us from it. And just as we freely receive Christ’s love, as his followers, we learn to love like him and spread this love to others. Similar to knowing God’s love, absolutely nothing compares to the freedom that you will experience when released from the heaviness, guilt, and shame caused by sin. Romans 8:2 says, “And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.” Not only do we experience freedom through forgiveness of sin, and freedom from sin’s power over us, we also begin to learn how to forgive others. As we let go of anger, bitterness, and resentment, the chains that held us captive are broken through our own acts of forgiveness. Simply put, John 8:36 expresses it this way, “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” (NIV)
Truth in general sets a person free in many ways. When you stop living a life full of lies and misbeliefs, you gain some freedom. Getting set free from alcohol is a tremendous relief. The character-building process – with a secular form of a god in A.A. or with a belief in a Christian God – work in similar fashion. We get some freedom from the many consequences of defects of character. There is relief in that. With a secular understanding of a god the trials of life can potentially make us bitter. When we understand the real purposes of trials in the Christian walk -we get better. Christians have the Holy Spirit, a helper. A secular god has no real power. Finally, what a secular god cannot do is set you free from the sting of death. The Bible clearly defines the biblical God as holy and righteous – impurity cannot exist with Him after mortal death. God is also a just God and sin has to be destroyed. He provided the solution, but it can only be found in the path provided by the biblical God. He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to us as a sacrifice to pay for the penalty of sin – and with our embrace, we will have eternal life.
How About You?
The question originally posed has only one right answer. There is no other power anywhere that can do for you what the real God can do for you. If you haven’t embraced the biblical God, His Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit, you have no real power to help you. Perhaps you need to understand more of the connection between the AA practices and principles as to the real power behind its creation. Only the biblical God has the real power that can set you free from sin and provide you with eternal life. Want to know more about Him and how He works in recovery? Read the Bible.
If you have enjoyed these articles, try the book Eternal Sobriety. You will find on the main menu of this website a summary of the book, a detailed table of contents, and information on how to order it.
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. Philippians 2:3-4
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