Step Five: Integrity: Admitted to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.*

RinC includes principles taken from the 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous®, the program practiced by Bill W., Dr. Bob, Clarence S., and the other early rummies as found in the book Alcoholics Anonymous published in April 1939. The language used in the RinC 12 Steps is as originally written by A.A. cofounder Bill W., according to A.A. General Service Conference-approved literature. Our thanks to Dick B. and his son Ken B. for their detailed research into the history of Alcoholics Anonymous® which is available and published at DickB.com.

The Purpose of the Parables (Matthew 13:10-17)
Recovery begins when one person shares their story with another. Joyce and I pray that the stories told by Jesus through His parables, visualized in the context of the 12 steps given to Bill W. late one evening of December 1938, will bring His rest to all who are heavy laden. Invite Jesus into your life, listen to Him, and He promises to give you His peace.

Matthew 13: 24-30 (ESV)
The Parable of the Weeds

24 He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, 25 but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. 26 So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. 27 And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’ 28 He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ So the servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ 29 But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, “Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.”’”

Matthew 13: 36-43 (ESV)
The Parable of the Weeds Explained

36 Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” 37 He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. 40 Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, 42 and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.

* ‘PASS IT ON’  (New York, N.Y.: A.A. World Services, Inc., 1984), 198.
Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age (N.Y.: A.A. World Services, Inc., 1957, 1985) 166-67.

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