Tim Keller | August 24, 1997
The point of Robert Louis Stevenson’s book, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, surely is to make us look at ourselves and say, “Are we that bad? Is the evil in us that evil?” Therefore, another question immediately rises up. Since this story is inspired by the Bible, is this the biblical view of human nature?
On the one hand, Stevenson is profoundly right about human nature, but in another way, he is profoundly wrong. The biblical view of human nature is more pessimistic and more optimistic than any other view I have ever heard of.
Looking at Romans 7, we can see 1) how this pessimistic view is right, 2) how this pessimistic view is wrong, and 3) how to defeat evil and sin in your life.
This Month's Featured Book
Deep down we all know something isn’t right with the world when we see the violence and injustice all around us. Like anything that needs to be fixed, the problem must first be identified. That problem is clearly identified in the Bible: it’s sin. And the remedy is just as clear: Jesus Christ.