It was my observation that these people concluded that they are powereless over their addiction to alchohol and drugs.
The most profound statements came from a young woman their. This woman is a recovering heroin shooting, crack smoking prostitute. She prostituted herself simply to get money for her drugs. She also was a theif -breaking into homes to steal simply to get money for her drugs.
As well as making the statement that she was powerless over her addictions, she made the statement that her "sobriety was a gift of God" and that she "wouldn't be sober until God made her sober". This is calvinism, folks. We recognize the depraved state we are in and we are greatful for the gift of faith which our Lord has bestowed upon us! For as these addicts always would choose alchohol, we always chose to make a god of ourselves and thumb our nose at the one true God! Just as God made this woman sober, God makes us believe. Just as this woman is now participating in this AA meeting to help spread the AA gospel to others, we are so greatful for what God has done for us that we, too, go out into all the world and preach Christ crucified!
These people get it. They couldn't do it on their own. They rely totally upon the one True God.
One needs to understand the terrible sin in their lives before one can ~truly~ repent of them!
Jean
The word confess [greek = homo-logeo] means to say the same thing, to agree. No confession of sin meets this standard that does not view our sin as He does.
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I John 1:9-10
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.