Step 1 - We acknowledged our wretched human condition apart from God, and realize that without moment by moment Divine Intervention, we cannot live the full, abundant, fruit-bearing life that He wants us to live.

The first step in the twelve steps of Alcoholics Anonymous reads, “We admitted we were powerless over alcohol --that our lives had become unmanageable.” It’s the identification of the problem that becomes the first step of the solution for the alcoholic.

We as spirit-filled Christians carry around the Holy Spirit of God in a corrupt shell. That is the problem, and it will be our continuous problem until the day we die (or until Christ takes us home.) Admitting and understanding the problem will also become the first step to our solution.

Why are we so wretched? If after a brief examination of our lives we are not thoroughly convinced of our utter and complete wretchedness, here are a few scriptures, which will explain that we are.

Romans 5:12 - Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned.

The immediate effect of sin on Adam and Eve was that they died spiritually and became subject to physical death. Their nature was now depraved and, henceforth, the human race would experience the slavery of sin. God charged Adam with sin and, subsequently, charged his descendants with the responsibility of Adam’s first sin. Men do not now fall by their first sin; we are born fallen sons of Adam. We do not become sinful by sinning, but we sin because by nature we are sinful.

Romans 3:23 - For all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God;

Psalms 51:5 – Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me

We cannot deny that we have this sin nature.

1 John 1:8-10 - 8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.

The Bible tells us exactly what this sin nature (the flesh) looks like.

Galatians 5:19-21 - 19 The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Although we have become Christians and have been washed clean by the blood of Christ –the very sacrifice made for our sin, our lives can still resemble many portions of Galatians 5:19-21 when the Spirit of God is not controlling our flesh. As human beings, we will have the sin nature for life, and the evidence of our flesh will always be seen when we have distanced ourselves from God.

Psalms 51:3 – For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.

Galatians 5:22-23 describes what I really want my life to look like, and I know it is what God wants my life to look like.

Galatians 5:22-23 – 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

In the next scripture, Paul describes our human dilemma and the road to Sinner’s Anonymous Step 1. God had shown Paul his wretchedness. Notice the words, “I cannot” in verse 18. “I cannot” is an essential part of reaching Step 1. Paul would have been a fine member of Sinner’s Anonymous.

Romans 7:18-25 18 I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do--this I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. 21 So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in God's law; 23 but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?

Paul understood that his sin nature was waging war against his sincere desire to do what is good. His sin nature was making him a prisoner in his own body, and he desperately needed Divine Intervention to rescue him.

Romans 8:5-8 - 5 Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6 The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; 7 the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. 8 Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.

It helps me to repeat verse 8, over, and over, and over. If God’s Spirit (the

Divine Intervention) is not controlling me, then my sin nature is controlling me, and I cannot please God.

When I walked through the doors of AA in June of 1999, I knew what the problem was. I simply could not go on living the way that I was living, and I needed help. Since then, I have sat in many AA meetings, a few of which I have had the privilege of hearing similar expressions from a newcomer at their first meeting, "I don’t want to live this way anymore. I can't live this way anymore, but I can't stop drinking." It always brings me great joy to hear those words in a meeting, because what it means is that they have arrived at Step 1. We in AA call it, "Sick and tired of being sick and tired." Although the roads that people travel to reach Step 1 differ, they always involve frustration, hopelessness, desperation, and the magic two words, “I can’t.” In Step 1, we move on to a thorough acceptance of our complete powerlessness, and build the foundation that leads to a solution.

What I have found to be essential in my life as a recovering alcoholic, is to always return to Step 1. Because situations in my life have improved, I feel better and live better than I did in June of 1999, and Satan still whispers in my ear, “Maybe you’re not an alcoholic.” If I entertain that lie, I am in a very dangerous place. I must always return to AA’s Step 1.

In Sinner’s Anonymous, we too must always return to Step 1. The two words, “I can’t” are a vital part of this step. Understanding our utter and complete wretchedness apart from God can keep us from following any dangerous temptations of self-sufficiency or self-reliance. Satan would like us to believe that men are inherently good (or at least we’re not that bad.) Although many people believe that we are inherently good, Scripture tells us that it’s a lie. Men are inherently evil, and we have no hope at all without God.

The deeper we understand our utter and complete human wretchedness (Step 1), the deeper we will experience God’s grace and His mercy. The deeper we understand our wretchedness, the deeper we will know Christ and what He did to save us from what we deserve. The deeper we understand Christ and the sacrifice He made for our human wretchedness, the more we will want every minute of the rest of our time here on earth to be spent serving Him.

Some incentives for taking Step 1 of Sinner’s Anonymous:

Matthew 5:3 - Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Psalms 51:16-17 - You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. 17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

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