This discussion will not deal with a particular book or commentary on Matthew chapters 5-7. It will focus on the Sermon on the Mount itself; for this Sermon, which Jesus delivered, was not the property of some present-day commentator or writer. The fact that Dr. Bob read the Matthew chapters themselves, as well as many interpretations of them, verifies the A.A. belief that the Sermon was one of the principles comprising "the common property of mankind," which Bill Wilson said the AAs had borrowed. And here are some major points that appear to have found their way from the Sermon into the basic ideas of the Big Book. The points were, of course, in the sermon itself. In addition, the pioneers read many books and articles on and about the sermon which are thoroughly documented in the author’s title, The Good Book and The Big Book: A.A.’s Roots in the Bible. Those items further illustrate some of the points made in the sermon and that might have found their way into A.A.

Oxford Group meetings closed with the Lord’s Prayer in New York and in Akron. In early A.A., they also closed meetings with the Lord’s Prayer. Moreover, the author has attended at least two thousand A.A. meetings, and almost every one has closed with the Lord’s Prayer. At the 1990 International A.A. Conference in Seattle, which was a first for this author, some 50,000 members of Alcoholics Anonymous joined in closing their meetings with the Lord’s Prayer. The question here concerns what parts, if any, of the Lord’s Prayer found their way into the Big Book, Twelve Steps, A.A. Slogans, and the A.A. fellowship; and we hasten to remind the reader that the prayer is part of the Sermon on the Mount. Here are the verses of the Lord’s Prayer (King James Version) as found in Matt. 6:9-13. Jesus instructed the Judaeans, "After this manner therefore pray ye":

Dr. Bob studied specific commentaries on the Sermon by Oswald Chambers, Glenn Clark, Emmet Fox, and E. Stanley Jones. And these writers extracted a good many teachings, prayer guides, and theological ideas from Lord’s Prayer verses in the Sermon. But there are a few concepts and phrases in the Lord’s Prayer itself which either epitomize A.A. thinking or can be found in its language—whether the A.A. traces came from the Lord’s Prayer or from other portions of the Bible. For example, the Big Book uses the word "Father" when referring to the Creator Yahweh, our God; and the context shows that this usage and name came from the Bible. The Oxford Group also used the term "Father," among other names, when referring to God. The concept and expression of God as "Father" is not confined to the Sermon on the Mount. It can be found in many other parts of the New Testament. But AAs have given the "Our Father" prayer a special place in their meetings. Thus the Lord’s Prayer seems the likely source of their use of the word "Father."

The phrase "Thy will be done" is directly quoted, or is the specific subject of reference, in the Big Book several times (Big Book, 4^th ed., pp. 63, 67, 76, 85, 88). It underlies A.A.’s contrast between "self-will" and "God’s will." The Oxford Group stressed, as do A.A.’s Third and Seventh Step prayers, that there must be a decision to do God’s will and surrender to His will. These ideas were also symbolized in the A.A. prayer’s "Thy will be done."

Finally, "Forgive us our debts" or "trespasses" certainly states that God can and will "forgive"; and these concepts can be found in the Big Book, whether they came from the Lord’s Prayer or from other important Biblical sources such as the Book of James.

Dr. Bob studied, and circulated among early AAs, an E. Stanley Jones book, The Christ of the Mount (Nashville: Abingdon, 1931; Festival ed., 1985, pp. 36-37) which outlined the Sermon’s contents in this fashion:

Our own discussion will review Jesus’s Sermon, chapter by chapter. It will pinpoint some principal thoughts that Dr. Bob and Bill may have had in mind when they each said that the sermon on the mount contained the underlying philosophy of Alcoholics Anonymous. Here follows our review:

1. The Beatitudes. The Beatitudes are found in Matt. 5:3-11. The word "beatitudes" refers to the first word "Blessed" in each of these verses. Merriam Webster’s says "blessed" means "enjoying the bliss of heaven." The word in the Greek New Testament from which "blessed" was translated means, "happy," according Biblical scholar Ethelbert Bullinger. Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words explains the word "Blessed" as follows: "In the beatitudes the Lord indicates not only the characters that are blessed, but the nature of that which is the highest good." Dr. Bob’s wife Anne Smith described the Beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount as "the Christ-like virtues to be cultivated" (Dick B., Anne Smith ‘s Journal, p. 135).

The beatitude verses can be found at the very beginning of Jesus’s sermon and read as follows:

Italicized below are Webster’s definitions for the key words in each "beatitude" verse, with quotes also from the King James Version, which was the version Dr. Bob and early AAs most

used. As the verses appear in the King James, they state: "Blessed" are:

Did Dr. Bob, Anne, Bill, or Henrietta Seiberling study and draw specifically on these beatitude verses as they put together A.A.’s recovery program? The author can neither provide nor document an answer. But there are some ideas common to A.A.’s spiritual principles in the beatitudes as you see them expressed above. These are: (1) Humility–overcoming self; (2) Comfort for the suffering; (3) Patience and tolerance to the end of eliminating resentment; (4) Harmonizing one’s actions with God’s will; (5) Compassion, which Webster defines as "sympathetic consciousness of others distress together with a desire to alleviate;" (6) "Cleaning house"–which means seeking obedience to God and, based on the principles of love, straightening out harms caused by disobedience; (7) Making peace; (8) Standing for and acting upon spiritual principles, whatever the cost, because they are God’s principles. The foregoing are Twelve Step ideas that can be found in the Beatitudes; and A.A. founders probably saw them there as well, and they can most certainly be found in the Big Book–humility, comforting others, patience and tolerance, "Thy will be done," compassion, amends, peacemaking, acting on the "cardinal principles of Jesus Christ" as virtues to be cultivated.

2. Letting your light shine. Matt. 5:13-16 suggest glorifying your Heavenly Father by letting others see your good works. That is, "Letting your light shine" does not mean glorifying yourself, but rather glorifying God by letting others see your spiritual walk in action—see the immediate results of surrender to the Master. These ideas may be reflected in the Big Book’s statement: "Our real purpose is to fit ourselves to be of maximum service to God. . . ." (p. 77).

3. Obeying the Ten Commandments. In Matt. 5:17-21, Jesus reiterates the importance of obeying the law and the prophets, specifically referring to Exod. 20:13 (Thou shalt not kill), but obviously referring to the other important commandments such as having no other god but Yahweh (Exod. 20:2-3), worshiping no other god (Exod. 20:4-5), eschewing adultery (Exod. 20:14), not stealing (Exod. 20:15), and so on. And even though some of these commandments may have fallen between the cracks in today’s A.A., they very clearly governed the moral standards of early A.A. that Dr. Bob and the Akron AAs embraced. The Ten Commandments were part of early A.A. pamphlets and literature, and (for example) Dr. Bob and the Akron AAs would have nothing to do with a man who was committing adultery.

4. The Law of Love in action. In Matt. 5:17-47, Jesus confirms that the Law of Love fulfills the Old Testament Law. He rejects anger without cause, unresolved wrongs to a brother, quibbling with an adversary, lust and impurity, adultery, retaliation, and hatred of an enemy. The author’s title The Oxford Group & Alcoholics Anonymous covers many of these ideas as roots of A.A. principles. And the foregoing verses in Matthew may very well have influenced A.A. language about: (1) Overcoming resentments [". . .I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. . .]; (2) Making restitution ["Therefore if thou bring thy gift before the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift"]; (3) Avoidance of retaliation for wrongdoing by others ["Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also"]; and (4) Making peace with our enemies ["Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you. Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you"]

1. Anonymity. Matt. 6:1-8, 16-18 (urging almsgiving "in secret," praying "in secret," fasting "in secret," and avoiding "vain repetitions," and hypocrisy) very possibly played a role in the development of A.A.’s spiritual principle of anonymity. Jesus said, "your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him" and "thy Father, which seeth in secret. shall reward thee openly." The vain practices which Jesus condemned were focused on one’s inflating the ego and focus on self-centeredness--something A.A. disdains. Early Oxford Group and A.A. literature often spoke of "God-sufficiency" versus "self-sufficiency," and "God-centeredness" versus "self-centeredness" and "ego-centricity." We have located no direct tie between the teachings of Jesus on anonymity and A.A.’s traditions on this "spiritual" principle. But the concepts are parallel; and The Runner’s Bible and other A.A. biblical sources that AAs studied do discuss their significance at some length.

2. Forgiveness. Matt. 6:14-15 refer to forgiving men their trespasses; and Emmet Fox’s forceful writing about these verses may well have influenced the A.A. amends process. Fox said:

There is no assurance that Fox’s writing on this sermon forgiveness point specifically influenced the Big Book’s emphasis on forgiveness. To be sure, at least two A.A. history writers have claimed that Fox’s writings did influence Bill Wilson. However, other books that were read by early AAs–books by such authors as Henry Drummond, Glenn Clark, E. Stanley Jones, and Harry Emerson Fosdick–used language similar to that used by Fox in his discussion of forgiveness of enemies. And Jesus’ sermon on the mount is not the only place in the New Testament where forgiveness is stressed. Thus, after, and even though, Christ had accomplished remission of past sins of believers, Paul wrote:

See also the following verse, a favorite often quoted and used by Henrietta Seiberling–a well known early A.A. teacher who was often thought of as an A.A. founder:

In any event, the Big Book, Third Edition, states at page 77:

3. "The sunlight of the Spirit?" Speaking of the futility and unhappiness in a life which includes deep resentment, the Big Book states: "when harboring such feelings we shut ourselves off from the sunlight of the Spirit." One often hears this "sunlight" expression quoted in A.A. meetings. Yet its origins seem unreported and undocumented. Anne Smith referred frequently in her journal to the verses in 1 John which had to do with fellowship with God and walking in the light as God is light. So did A.A.’s Oxford Group sources. And the following are the most frequently quoted verses from 1 John having to do with God as "light" and the importance of walking in the light (rather than walking in darkness) in order to have fellowship with Him:

And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.

Though this particular discussion is concerned with the Sermon on the Mount, we have mentioned also the foregoing verses from 1 John 1:3-7 (having to do with walking in God’s light as against opposed to walking in darkness). For very possibly those ideas in 1 John, together with the following verses in the Sermon, may have given rise to Bill’s references to the alcoholic’s being blocked from the "sunlight of the Spirit" when he or she dwells in such dark realms as excessive anger. Matt. 6:22-24 (in the Sermon) state:

4. Seek ye first the kingdom of God. Matt. 6:24-34 seem to have had tremendous influence on A.A. The substance of these verses is that man will be taken care of when he seeks first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. Verse 33 says:

Dr. Bob specifically explained the origin of our A.A. slogans "Easy Does It" and "First Things First." (DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers, pp 135, 144). When he was asked the meaning of "First Things First," Dr. Bob replied. "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you." He told his sponsee Clarence S. that "First Things First" came from Matt. 6:33 in the sermon on the mount. And this verse was widely quoted in the books that Dr. Bob and the Akron AAs read and recommended (Dick B., The Good Book and The Big Book, p. 125, n.119; That Amazing Grace, pp. 30, 38).

On page 60, the Big Book states the A.A. solution for relief from alcoholism: "God could and would if He were sought." This concept of "seeking" results by reliance on God instead of reliance on self is a bedrock idea in the Big Book (see Third Edition, pp. 11, 14, 25, 28, 43, 52-53, 57, 62). In view of Dr. Bob’s explanations as to the origin of "First Things First," the Big Book’s emphasis on "seeking" very likely came from the "seeking the kingdom of God first" idea in Matt. 6:33.

According to Dr. Bob, the slogans "Easy Does It" and "One day at a time" came from the next verse–Matthew 6:34. See Dick B., The Good Book and The Big Book, pp. 87-88, and other citations therein.

1. Taking your own inventory. Much of A.A.’s Fourth, Ninth, Tenth, and Eleventh Step actions involve looking for your own part, for your own fault in troublesome matters. This self-examination process (as part of the house-cleaning and life-changing process in the Steps) was expected to result in that which, in Appendix II of the Third Edition of the Big Book, became described as "the personality change sufficient to bring about recovery from alcoholism" (Big Book, p. 569). Matt. 7:3-5 states:

These verses from Matthew were frequently cited by A.A.’s spiritual sources as the Biblical foundation for self-examination and thus finding one’s own part, one’s own erroneous conduct, in a relationship problem.

2. Ask, seek, knock. Matt. 7:7-11 states:

Bill Wilson’s spiritual teacher, Rev. Sam Shoemaker, wrote:

The Runner’s Bible (one of the most important of the early A.A. Bible devotionals) has an entire chapter titled, "Ask and Ye shall receive." Another favored devotional among the A.A. pioneers was My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers. Chambers says, about the foregoing verses beginning with Matt. 7:7:

The foregoing verses, and relevant comments by A.A. sources, underline the importance of becoming a child of God, establishing a harmonious relationship with Him, and then expecting good results from the Creator, Yahweh, our God–"Providence" from Him as our Heavenly Father. Given the emphasis in early A.A. on the Sermon, those verses from Matt. 7 very probably influenced the following similar ideas expressed as follows in the Big Book’s Third Edition and Fourth Edition:

In this same vein. Dr. Bob’s wife, Anne, wrote, in the spiritual journal she shared with early AAs and their families:

3. Do unto others. The so-called "Golden Rule" cannot, as such, be readily identified in A.A.’s Big Book though it certainly is a much-quoted portion of the sermon on the mount which Bill and Dr. Bob said underlies A.A.’s philosophy. The relevant verse is Matt. 7:12:

Perhaps the following two Big Book segments bespeak that philosophy as Bill may have seen it:

4. He that doeth the will of my Father. There are several key verses in the sermon on the mount which could have caused Bob and Bill to say that Matthew Chapters Five to Seven contained A.A.’s underlying philosophy. The verses are in the Lords Prayer itself (Matt. 6:9-13), the so-called Golden Rule quoted above (Matt. 7:12), and the phrase "Thy will be done" (Matt. 6:10). In addition to these three roots, however, I believe that the major spiritual principle borrowed by the founders from the sermon on the mount—can be found in Matt. 7:21:

Bill Wilson said clearly in the Big Book and in his other writings that the key to success in A.A. is doing the will of the Father–the Father Who is the subject of the Lord’s Prayer, Almighty God Whose will was to be done, and the Creator upon whom early AAs relied. Note that Wilson wrote:

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