AA Basics: A Study
By Dick B. - Copyright 2004. All rights reserved.
Basic Ideas from the Good Book That Dr. Bob Considered “Absolutely Essential”
A Study of Basics in Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount, the Book of James, and 1
Corinthians 13 that appear to be directly related to the essentials in A.A.’s
spiritual program of recovery developed in Akron between 1935 and 1938
Both of A.A.’s founders said that the Sermon on the Mount – (found in Matthew 5,
6, and 7) – contained the underlying philosophy of A.A. Moreover, Dr. Bob stated
many times that A.A.’s basic ideas came from their study of the Bible and that
the Sermon on the Mount, the Book of James, and 1 Corinthians 13 were
“absolutely essential” to the early A.A. spiritual program of recovery.
In the years since A.A.’s founding in 1935, there have been endless attempts to
compare A.A.’s Twelve Steps with any number of verses in the Bible—often verses
that were neither mentioned nor studied by the Pioneer AAs. Yet, while he said
he did not write the 12 Steps and had nothing to do with writing them, Dr. Bob
said the basic ideas came from the Bible. And again and again, Dr. Bob mentioned
James, Corinthians, and the Sermon as containing the heart of the A.A. program.
Despite these statements, I have seen no study of the principles or basic ideas
in the three mentioned segments of the Bible that attempts to correlate them
with the Twelve Steps themselves.
For me, as one who has poured over A.A. history dozens of times in the past
fourteen years, who has studied and practiced the Twelve Steps, and who has
taught the Big Book Step instructions to at least 100 men, the parallels with
the Big Book fairly leap from the Bible to the Big Book. I can’t say that the
following verses were ever quoted in one place by either founder in connection
with all the Steps; but I can say that the verses were quoted many many times by
those pioneers and later AAs who mentioned the Bible in connection with the
Steps and, with Dr. Bob, declared the verses to be “absolutely essential” to the
pioneer A.A. program.
I believe you can get the real Biblical flavor of the Twelve Steps as they
originally flowed from the Bible-studying Christians in Akron and from the lips
of Reverend Sam Shoemaker, Rector of Calvary Episcopal Church in New York. I
also believe the verses will put to rest much of the private interpretation and
speculation as to what the Steps really mean.
[Because the following verse quotations were prepared for, and used by some
authors who wished me to present the verses from the New American Standard
Version of the Bible, the language is that of the NAV, except where otherwise
indicated. This is done even though the King James Version was used almost
universally in early A.A.]
The Twelve Steps and the Correlative Bible Verses from James, Corinthians, and
Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount
Step One – Temptation (the problem); Defeat (the cry for help); Resistence (the
solution); and Abstinence (the “must”)
From the Book of James:
James 1:12-16:
“Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he
will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love
Him. Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am being tempted by God’; for God
cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. But each one is
tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has
conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth
death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.”
James 4:7-8:
“Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near
to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify
your hearts, you double-minded.”
[See also 1 Peter 5:8-10: “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary,
the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But
resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering
are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world. After you have
suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal
glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you”]
An Early A.A. Description of Defeat by Bill Wilson:
“No words can tell of the loneliness and despair I found in that bitter morass
of self-pity. Quicksand stretched around me in all directions. I had met my
match. I had been overwhelmed. Alcohol was my master. Trembling, I stepped from
the hospital a broken man. Fear sobered me for a bit. Then came the insidious
insanity of that first drink, and on Armistice Day 1934, I was off again” (Big
Book, 1st ed., p.17)
Step Two – Believing in, asking of, and receiving from, our Creator: His Help
and Healing!
James 1:5-8:
“But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously
and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith
without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven
and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive
anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”
James 5:14-16:
“Is any among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they
are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the
prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will
raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him.
Therefore, confess your sins one to another, and pray for one another, so that
you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.”
Matthew 7:7-8, 11 – (a part of the Sermon on the Mount):
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will
be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to
him who knocks it will be opened. . . . If you then, being evil, know how to
give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in
heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!”
Bill Wilson (who began as a self-described conservative atheist) describing his
willingness to believe and his own “leap of faith.”
“Upon a foundation of complete willingness I might build what I saw in my friend
[Bill’s friend Ebby Thacher, glowingly sober, ‘made the point blank declaration
to Bill that God had done for him what he could not do for himself.’ His human
will had failed. Doctors had pronounced him incurable. Society was about to lock
him up. Like myself he had admitted complete defeat]. Would I have it? Of course
I would! Thus was I convinced that God is concerned with us humans when we want
him enough. At long last I saw, I felt, I believed. . . . How blind I had been”
(Big Book, 1st ed., pp. 20-22).
“I remember saying to myself, ‘I’ll do anything, anything at all. If there be a
Great Physician, I’ll call on him.’ Then, with neither faith nor hope, I cried
out, ‘If there be a God, let him show himself.’ The effect was instant,
electric” (Bill W. My First Forty Years, Hazelden, p. 145).
Step Three – The Decision to Entrust your life to God’s care
Matthew 6:9-13 – (part of the Sermon on the Mount):
“Pray, then, in this way: Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this
day our daily bread and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our
debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For yours
is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.”
Matthew 6:25, 31-33 – (part of the Sermon on the Mount):
“For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you
will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on.
Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? . . . . Do not
worry then, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or “What
shall we wear for clothing?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for
your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His
kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
James 4:10:
“Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.”
Bill Wilson’s “surrender” to God as Bill understood Him:
“There I humbly offered myself to God, as I then understood Him, to do with me
as He would. I placed myself unreservedly under His care and direction” (Big
Book, 1st ed., p 22).
“There was utter confidence. I felt lifted up, as though the great clean wind of
a mountain top blew through and through. God comes to most men gradually, but
His impact on me was sudden and profound” (Big Book, 1st ed., pp. 23-24).
“I’d been incapable of faith and so, God’s help. . . out of no faith, faith had
suddenly appeared. No blind faith either, for it was fortified by the
consciousness of the presence of God. Despair had turned into utter security.
Darkness was banished by cosmic light. For sure I’d been born again” (Bill W. My
First 40 Years, supra, p. 147).
Step Four – Examining Yourselves for Sins Committed (Where did you fall short?)
Matthew 6:43-48 (Love even your enemies – from the Sermon on the Mount):
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your
enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute
you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His
sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the
unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not
even the tax collectors do the same? If you greet only your brothers, what more
are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Therefore you
are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
Matthew 7:3-5 (Look for your own faults first – from the Sermon on the Mount):
“Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice
the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me
take the speck out of your eye,’ and behold, the log is in your eye. You
hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly
to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.”
James 4:11-12 (God is the lawmaker and is the only judge of conduct, not you):
“Do not speak against one another, brethren. He who speaks against a brother or
judges his brother, speaks against the law and judges the law; but if you judge
the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge of it. There is only one
Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and to destroy; but who are you
who judge your neighbor?”
James 5:9-11 (Bear no grudges):
“Do not complain, brethren, against one another, so that you yourselves may not
be judged; behold, the Judge is standing right at the door. As an example,
brethren, of suffering and patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of
the Lord. We count those blessed who endured. You have heard of the endurance of
Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord’s dealings, that the Lord is full of
compassion and is merciful.”
Description of the moral inventory taken by Earl T. with sponsor Dr. Bob:
“Dr. Bob led me through all of these steps. At the moral inventory, he brought
up several of my bad personality traits or character defects, such as
selfishness, conceit, jealousy, carelessness, intolerance, ill-temper, sarcasm,
and resentments. We went over these at great length.”(Big Book, 4th ed., p.
263).
Step Five – Admitting your sins to God, Yourself, and Another Person
James 5:16 (Getting your sins on the table and praying for forgiveness and
healing):
“Therefore, confess yours sins to one another, and pray for one another so that
you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.”
· Wilson’s description of the Oxford Group/Book of James source of this step:
“Agreeing with James in the New Testament, they thought people ought to confess
their sins “one to another.” Heavily emphasizing this wholesale sort of personal
housecleaning, they called the process ‘sharing.’ No only were things to be
confessed; something was to be done about them” (Bill W. My First Forty Years,
supra, p. 127).
Step Six – Declaring your willingness to have God’s Help in abandoning sins you
have confessed.
James 4:8 (Draw near to God, clean house, and purify your hearts):
“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners;
and purify your hearts, you double minded.”
James 2:14-17 (Accompany your faith with deeds-“faith without works is dead”):
“What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works?
Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need
of daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and filled,’
and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that?
Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.”
James 1:22-25 (To be blessed, when you “hear” God’s Word, “do it!”):
“But prove yourselves doers of the word, and no merely hearers who delude
themselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a
man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself
and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. But one
who looks intently at the perfect law of liberty, and abides by it, not having
become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in
what he does.”
· Wilson’s parallel language about “conviction” of sins and having them purged:
“Burn the idea into the consciousness of every man that he can get well
regardless of anyone. The only condition is that he trust in God and clean
house” (Big Book, 4th ed., p. 98).
“Circumstances made him willing to believe. He humbly offered himself to His
Maker-then he knew. Even so has God restored us to our right minds. To this man,
the revelation was sudden. Some of us grow into it more slowly. But He has come
to all who have honestly sought Him. When we drew near to Him, He disclosed
Himself to us!” (Big Book, 4th ed., p. 57).
Step Seven – The conversion process of rebirth and establishment of a new
relationship with God, as one of His children
Matthew 6:10 (It is God’s will that marks the starting point – from the Sermon
on the Mount):
“Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.”
Matthew 7:21 (Jesus taught that only those who did the will of his Father would
enter the kingdom of heaven – from the Sermon on the Mount):
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, :Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven,
but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.”
1 Corinthians 13:1-2 (Faith and works must be accompanied by love):
“If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have
become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy, and
know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove
mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.”
James 1:17-21 (By grace, souls are saved as a gift—when you receive God’s word
of truth):
“Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from
the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. In the
exercise of His will he brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we would
be a kind of first fruits among His creatures. This you know, my beloved
brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger;
for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God. Therefore,
putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility
receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls.”
[1 Peter 1:17-23 show the nature of a rebirth where you may become God’s child
by believing what the word of God tells you about Christ’s paying for your sins
in giving His life for you:
“If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one’s
work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth; knowing
that you were not redeemed with the perishable things like silver or gold from
your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with the precious
blood of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ. For He was
foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last
times for the sake of you who through Him are believers in God, who raised Him
from the dead and gave Him glory so that your faith and hope are in God. Since
you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the
brethren, fervently love one another from the heart for you have been born again
not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living
and enduring word of God.”
Romans 10:6-14, 17 show exactly what to do: You hear the word; you confess and
believe what it says; and you are “saved,” made “righteous,” and you are thereby
born again—this birth being a birth that comes from receiving the spirit of God:
“But the righteousness based on faith speaks as follows: ‘Do not say in your
heart, who will ascend to heaven’ (that is, to bring Christ down), or ‘who will
descend into the abyss?’ (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what
does it say” ‘The Word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart’-that is the
word of faith which we are preaching. That if you confess with your mouth Jesus
as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will
be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and
with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. . . . for ‘whoever will
call on the name of the Lord will be saved,; How then will they call on Him in
whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not
heard? And how will they hear without a preacher?. . . . So faith comes from
hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.”
Three early AAs attest to the conversion to Christ that was required of them:
Clarence Snyder—who was sponsored by Dr. Bob, was one of the 40 pioneers, and
got sober in February, 1938—described in detail the “surrender process” by which
he accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Saviour (Dick B., The Akron Genesis of
Alcoholics Anonymous, pp. 193-196).
Larry Bauer of Cleveland—who told the author that he was in and out of A.A.
between 1939 and 1944—said, in a telephone call and in correspondence of his
surrender, “They took me and that man upstairs to be a born again human being
and be God’s helper to alcoholics” (Dick B., The Akron Genesis, supra, p. 196).
Old-timer Ed Andy of Lorain, Ohio told the author in a telephone conversation:
“They would not let you in unless you surrendered to Jesus Christ on your knees”
(Dick B., The Golden Text of A.A., p. 31).
Step Eight – Becoming willing to reconcile with those you’ve hurt and restore to
them what you’ve wrongfully taken
Matthew 6:25-26 (Agree with your adversary quickly – from the Sermon on the
Mount):
“Make friends quickly with your opponent at law while you are with him on the
way, so that your opponent may not hand you over to the judge, and the judge to
the officer, and you be thrown into prison. Truly I say to you, you will not
come out of there until you have paid up the last cent.”
Step Nine – Then Make an Amend and Also Make Any Needed Restitution
Matthew 6:23-24 (Before you worship, remember your uncompleted amends, and make
them – from the Sermon on the Mount):
“Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember
that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before
the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present
your offering.”
This quotation from the Sermon on the Mount was so commonly used that it was
included in A.A.’s own Grapevine Memorial pamphlet published at the time of Dr.
Bob’s death.
Step Ten – Loving and serving God and your neighbor are a continuing obligation
of the changed life [A.A.’s Big Book declares that Love and Tolerance are its
Code]
Matthew 7:12 (The “Golden Rule” – Do unto others – from the Sermon on the
Mount):
“In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you,
for this is the Law and the Prophets.”
James 2:8-10 (The “Royal Law” – Love thy neighbor):
“If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law according to the Scripture, ‘You
shall love your neighbor as yourself,’ you are doing well. But if you show
partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as
transgressors. For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he
has become guilty of all.”
Matthew 5:43-44 (Love even your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you –
from the Sermon on the Mount):
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your
enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute
you.”
James 3:13-18 (The seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by those
who make peace):
“Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his
deeds in the gentleness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish
ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth. This
wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural,
demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and
every evil thing. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable,
gentle, reasonably, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without
hypocrisy. And the seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by those
who make peace.”
1 Corinthians 13:2, 4-8 (I am nothing without love. Love is defined, and it
never fails):
“If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and
if I have faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.
. . . Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and
is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not
provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in
unrighteousness, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all
things, endures all things. Love never fails. . . .”
Step Eleven – Prayer, Seeking God’s Guidance, Studying and Applying God’s Word,
and Overcoming anxiety by turning first to God
James 5:13-16 (Pray and give thanks, praying to overcome suffering and sickness,
and to receive forgiveness):
“Is anyone among you suffering? Then he must pray. Is anyone cheerful? He is to
sing praises. Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the
church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the
Lord; and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the
Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him.
. . . The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.”
James 2:21-24 (Believe Scripture, and also perfect that believing by obedient
action):
“Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son
on the altar? You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of
the works, faith was perfected; and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, ‘And
Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness,’ and he was
called a friend of God. You see that a man is justified by works and not by
faith alone.”
James 1:22 (Thus be a doer of the Word, and not just a hearer):
“But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude
themselves.”
James 1:5-6 (If you need wisdom, ask of God, believing, without doubting):
“But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously
and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith
without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven
and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive
anything from the Lord.”
Matthew 6:24-25, 31-34 (God knows your needs, seek Him first and you will
receive; so there is no need to worry – from the Sermon on the Mount):
“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the
other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God
and wealth. For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as
to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you
will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing. . . .
Do not worry then, saying, ‘what will we eat?’ or “What will we drink?’ or ‘What
will we wear for clothing?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for
your heavenly Father knows you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom
and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. So do not
worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough
trouble of its own.”
Step Twelve – Experiencing a Changed Life in Christ. Carrying a Message that
demonstrates the fruits of Obeying God’s Will. And Practicing an obedient life
founded on God’s Word and perfected by acting on Christ’s teachings of love and
service.
The Awakening
Matthew 7:13-14, 18-21, 24-25 (The wise man experiences the fruitful life—based
on hearing Christ’s words and acting in obedience to God’s will; for that man’s
life is founded on the “Rock” – from the Sermon on the Mount):
“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that
leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is
small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.
“A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit.
Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
So then, you will know them by their fruits.
“Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be
compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and
the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it
did not fall, for it had been founded on a rock.”
[2 Corinthians 5:17 was one of the most frequently quoted verses by pioneer AAs
and was intended to describe the end result of the conversion process:
“Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed
away; behold, new things have come.”]
The Witness
James 1:26-27 (Describing the real witness of one who is “doing” the word):
“If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue
but deceives his own heart, this man’s religion is worthless. Pure and undefiled
religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows
in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.”
James 2:15-17 (An illustration of “giving it away to keep it”):
“If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one
of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,’ and yet you do not
give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? Even so faith, if
it has no works, is dead, being by itself.”
Fellowship with God and Other Believers
1 Corinthians 13:3-6 (Practicing the principles in love and service):
“And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body
to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing. Love is patient, love
is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act
unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into
account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with
the truth.”
Other “principles” from the Bible that are mentioned throughout Early AA
Literature:
The “Ten Commandments” (See Exodus 20:3-17; Deuteronomy 5:7-21)
The two “Great” Commandments as taught by Jesus (See Matthew 22:36-40)
The “Beatitudes” taught by Jesus in his “Sermon on the Mount” (See Matthew
5:3-12—Dr. Bob’s wife, Anne Ripley Smith, recorded in her journal and shared
with AAs and their families that these beatitudes were Christian virtues to be
cultivated. For example, see “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see
God” – Matthew 5:8; and “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called
the sons of God” – Matthew 5:9)
The “Four Absolutes” – Absolute Honesty, Absolute Purity, Absolute
Unselfishness, Absolute Love - extracted from the teachings of Jesus, by Dr.
Robert E. Speer; published in his title: The Principles of Jesus; and adopted as
the four “standards” of the Oxford Group and the four “yardsticks” for measuring
moral behavior in early AA.
There are many other verses which impacted on A.A. and which are covered in my
titles The Good Book and The Big Book (http://www.dickb.com/goodbook.shtml);
The Oxford Group and Alcoholics Anonymous (http://www.dickb.com/Oxford.shtml);
New Light on Alcoholism (http://www.dickb.com/newlight.shtml);
Good Morning: Quiet Time, Morning Watch, Meditation, and Early A.A. (http://www.dickb.com/goodmorn.shtml);
and
Turning Point: A History of Early A.A.s Spiritual Roots and Successes (http://www.dickb.com/turning.shtml).
In addition to the specific verses mentioned in the foregoing titles in
connection with A.A. itself, there certainly are the four sets of verses that
Dr. Robert E. Speer believed were representative of the absolute moral standards
and teachings of Jesus Christ.
©Dick B.
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