Two polar twins are trapped and struggling within one agonized womb, Dr. Jekyll observes.^* This is no troubled pregnancy he is diagnosing; rather, it is the troubled state of his own consciousness.

For years he has managed to lead a double life successfully—respected, philanthropic doctor by day and hedonistic profligate by night. His two personae take turns controlling the body to achieve their own ends—Dr. Jekyll for the advance of scientific knowledge and the relief of suffering, Mr. Hyde for sprees of lechery and violence. But recently, to his alarm, the equilibrium has been violated by Hyde's growing fiendishness. With scarcely a moment's warning, Hyde usurps control of the body to commit heinous acts with it and relinquishes it only when a potent drug is administered, the effectiveness of which is lessening and lessening. The good doctor despairs of deliverance, for the tyrant is his other self. To destroy this monster he would have to destroy himself.

Science fiction? If we know ourselves, we will recognize that the Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde phenomenon is no fiction. You and I manifest it daily. You and I are persons with two warring natures housed in a single body. We are capable of both magnanimity and cruelty, virtue and depravity, within the same day. In rational moments we resolve to do what is right and noble; in irrational moments we perform things too shameful to recall. Sometimes we proudly take credit for our actions; other times, we wish we could disown them. "That wasn't really me who said that, who did that, who thought that," we say. "That's not the real me." Who is it then?

Noble Intentions
According to the Bible, sin is not merely a wrongful deed. Sin is personified. He dwells in our flesh (Romans 7:18), becomes most energized when we resolve to keep God's commandments, deceives us, seizes opportunities to act (7:11), and works out things against our will (7:20).

Protesting against this evil person is our God-created human nature. Our original source is God; He created us in His own image. So to some extent we reflect His attributes, such as love, patience, kindness, faithfulness, and self-control. When we hear tales of loyalty, self-sacrifice, justice, dignity, and purity, this human nature leaps in response and we resolve to change our ways, to better ourselves, to live a virtuous life. To our great frustration, we succeed temporarily but cannot maintain a virtuous living for long. Inevitably we lower our standard or give up entirely. Why can't we consistently live out this good side of our human nature?

A Predictable Result
Like clockwork, sin rises up to overpower our good intentions. Time after time, we find ourselves impotent in performing the good we intend. Instead, we do the evil we don't intend. Sin behaves in this way so consistently that the Bible calls it a law, the law of sin. Like any physical law, the law of sin is a working principle that operates predictably, spontaneously, and automatically. We can defy it only for short intervals.

Have you ever wondered why it takes such exertion to be a proper son or daughter, to be courteous and selfless, and why it takes no effort at all to be rude and selfish? To be good is an uphill battle against the law of sin, which operates remarkably like the law of gravity. Maintaining good behavior is like holding a heavy book above our head. Sure, it seems manageable at first, but after two or so hours, we must strain and employ all our will power to resist the pull of gravity. Sooner or later, our arm will drop. But to sin is as easy as dropping the heavy book. Just as our arm is no match for the law of gravity, our good intentions are no match for the law of sin (Romans 7:23). Put the two head to head, and the second will ultimately emerge on top.

Powerless
We are powerless before the law of sin. The more we try to resist it, the stronger it proves to be. Despite the promises we make to ourselves (and perhaps to loved ones whom we have hurt) to "never do that again," this law defeats us time after time. It has no respect for the human will. It is the master and we are the slave. Just as we cannot help aspiring to live a noble, honorable life, we cannot stop sinning in blatant contradiction to these aspirations. This is the most miserable kind of slavery: we cannot do as we choose, yet there is no outside force to blame. What a wretched condition. Is there any hope of deliverance? Or are we, like Dr. Jekyll, doomed to drag this beast with us wherever we go and bow to its every whim?

Emancipated
What we need is a higher, more powerful law, a law that transcends the law of sin. Observe how eagles overcome gravity by employing the law of aerodynamics. Tapping into a power that transcends gravity, they soar effortlessly. In the same principle, there is a law which overcomes the law of sin: the law of the Spirit of life (Romans 8:2).

Just as sin is a person and a law, so is this emancipating Spirit. This Spirit is none other than the resurrected JesusChrist. Jesus Christ, the complete God and the perfect man, lived a human life absolutely free from sin. The Roman politician who sacrificed Him to placate the masses admitted, "I find no fault in this man" (Luke 23:4). Even death itself could not hold Him. He resurrected, stripping off the evil powers that tried to restrain Him, and ascended, becoming a life-giving Spirit (1 Corinthians 15:45). Jesus Christ is the most free person. He is the most freeing person.

When this Person enters us as the life-giving Spirit, He overpowers the evil person who has been holding us hostage. Likewise, as a law, the law of the Spirit of life, He frees us from the law of sin. We are empowered to live out the good that is God and transcend the pull of our lower nature. Effortlessly we express love, patience, kindness, self-control—things which were once so impossible are now expressed as naturally as an eagle soars above the pull of gravity.

The law of the Spirit of life enters us on the day in which we open our heart to Christ Jesus as the Emancipator. For Him to free us from our bondage, we must acknowledge before Him that we are slaves of sin. He longs to forgive our record of sins, wash us from the stain of sin, and free us from the tyranny of indwelling sin by imparting His Spirit into our spirit. Spontaneously, the law of the Spirit of life will overcome the law of sin. We will find respite from the internal struggle between our good aspirations and domineering sin. We will cease to be a wretched man. We will be a free man. When the Son of God as the law of the Spirit of life sets us free from sin, we will be free indeed.

*Stevenson, Robert Louis. The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and Weir of Hermiston. New York: Oxford University Press, 1989. back to article

If you would like to be released from the bondage of sin and experience the freedom found only in Jesus Christ, please pray this prayer in a genuine and sincere way:

Lord Jesus, I admit that I am a sinner. Lord, I have tried to be free and I have tried to be good, but I'm still bound by sin. I need You to loose me from the bondage of sin with Your precious blood. Lord Jesus, come into me as the law of the Spirit of Life. I receive You as my Emancipator. Lord Jesus, I love You. Thank You for saving me.