Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
By Pastor Jim May
In 1886, Robert Louis Stevenson authored a book titled, “The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde”. The whole gist of the book concerns the way in which an individual is made up of emotions and desires that are opposite to one another: some good and some evil. It’s all about a man that has great inward battles. One part of him desires only to be perfect, with everything in order. He hates the idea that temptation and circumstances can arise against him and force him to make decisions that he doesn’t want to make, or do things he doesn’t want to do. He knows that men will often act on an impulse, almost without thinking, and then be capable of terrible anger or abandon all vestiges of morality. Dr. Jekyll finally resolves to use any means necessary to separate his evil side from his good side in order that his life could go as he wished. He decides that if he splits his two natures, then he can enjoy life as Dr. Jekyll by day and allow Mr. Hyde to roam freely at night. That was his plan but it just didn’t work out the way he hoped.
When I look at this story I am reminded of what the Apostle Paul said in Romans 7:18-21, "For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me."
He went on to ask the question in Romans 7:24, "O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?"
I am convinced that inside of every one of us there is a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. No man alive is able to say that he has completely rid himself of the ability to slip into the evil nature from time to time. Neither can any man say that he never has a thought for good at some time or another. This inner battle, between the good and evil nature in all of us, has been raging since the fall of man in the Garden of Eden, and it will not cease until God brings the reign of sin to an end at the end of time.
I can’t use you as my example, even though I have seen the Jekyll and Hyde in many of you. I can only use myself as an example since I know me better than anyone else. I know of the terrible battle that rages.
I told you some time ago of the fact that I am my own worst enemy in my work for the Lord and that is all due to the Jekyll and Hyde on the inside.
How does the Jekyll, the good in me, appear? It appears in the kindness that I show to other people, in the concern for the sick, in the love of God that shines through me. This kind nature, of Dr. Jekyll, is one that wants to be a good citizen, capable of doing wonderful things for the betterment of mankind.
But look out! Don’t cross my path, say the wrong thing at the wrong time, or step on my feelings. If you do, Mr. Hyde is liable to come out shooting and let you have both barrels. Mr. Hyde’s anger will arise. You can call it “righteous indignation” if you want to, but it’s pure and simple anger not matter how you look at it.
The Book of Proverbs gives us a glimpse into the Jekyll and Hyde nature inside of us.
Look at Proverbs 15:1-12, "A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger. The tongue of the wise useth knowledge aright: but the mouth of fools poureth out foolishness. The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good. A wholesome tongue is a tree of life: but perverseness therein is a breach in the spirit. A fool despiseth his father’s instruction: but he that regardeth reproof is prudent. In the house of the righteous is much treasure: but in the revenues of the wicked is trouble. The lips of the wise disperse knowledge: but the heart of the foolish doeth not so. The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD: but the prayer of the upright is his delight. The way of the wicked is an abomination unto the LORD: but he loveth him that followeth after righteousness. Correction is grievous unto him that forsaketh the way: and he that hateth reproof shall die. Hell and destruction are before the LORD: how much more then the hearts of the children of men?"
Can you see the Jekyll and Hyde attitudes? Believe me, I’ve seen them in action, and I’ve used them myself from time to time. It’s in those moments, when we shoved into a corner, and threatened, is when the Mr. Hyde comes out with a vengeance. I cannot deny his existence in me.
I might be soft-spoken and friendly most of the time, just cruising through life without much of a care, just enjoying the journey like Dr. Jekyll; but just let a crazy driver pull out in front of me and you just might see Mr. Hyde arise to take vengeance in a flash.
Have those natures been visible in the church too? You bet they have. I have seen the most spiritually minded and mature Christians being cool, calm and collected - then in an instant, they can turn and strike like with the venon of a rattlesnake.
Yes, Jekyll and Hyde are both alive in each of us to some extent. If you don’t believe it, just let an unexpected problem arise, or hit your thumb with a hammer, or stub your toe on something in the dark. We will see then whether Mr. Hyde really is hiding in you somewhere.
Satan loves to play on those two opposing natures; trying his best to get us cross over to the Dark Side once in a while. In that way he keeps us off balance and introduces doubt and fear in us that God might just reject us after all.
In the end, Dr. Jekyll could not overcome his evil nature because it became more and more powerful with each appearance. Mankind does not have the will-power or the ability to overcome the evil nature within. He can suppress it, deny it, try to dress it up to make it more acceptable through a few good works, but in the end, it just grows more powerful until finally he is overcome by the nature to sin.
In the story of Jekyll and Hyde, depraved Mr. Hyde suddenly begins to gain the upper hand over the upstanding Dr. Jekyll because Jekyll "completely underestimated the power of evil."
He thought he could control the evil and sin within himself. Instead, it ended up controlling him. As long as we allow evil to go unchecked, and refuse to repent, all our goodness is nothing more than hypocrisy. Good morals and pride are just a camouflage for the Mr. Hyde that is in us.
Even though the good citizen, Dr. Jekyll, may look better, dress better, talk better, and live better than Mr. Hyde, his respectable image is just a cover-up for his basic impulse to sin.
We can’t separate our lives, saving parts for God and parts for the world. We can’t say that what we are privately doesn’t effect what we are publicly. Everything we do has consequences and every deed requires a payment. If we allow the sin nature to exist,
At the end of the book, Dr. Jekyll chained himself to his alter ego in the laboratory where he performed his research. The objective was to fight it out once and for all, to utterly destroy Mr. Hyde, but it just didn’t work. His desire to be good and to do good was never powerful enough to overcome the evil, sin nature. Dr. Jekyll failed in every attempt to free himself of Mr. Hyde, but he had not the power to do so, and in the end, he simply laid back and died in the arms of Mr. Hyde. His end was one of a man of sin, lost without God and hopeless.
But the Bible tells us of another man, the Apostle Paul, who felt that same urgency to rid himself of the sin nature. He had fought a good fight and did everything to keep the faith in walking before the Lord, but the battle was still raging in 1 Corinthians 9:27 when he said, "But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway."
The difference is that Dr. Jekyll tried to separate his good side from his evil side with self-determination and will power but he failed miserably. But Paul knew that he could not overcome this powerful sin nature on his own so he cried out to God, “O wretched man that I am, who can deliver me?” Paul knew that the answer wasn’t within his power. He needed someone, or something, bigger than he was to set him free.
The answer to the Jekyll and Hyde spirit in each of us can only be found in Romans 7:25, "I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin."
Paul found that answer and I pray that each of us will find it too. The only power that can deliver us from our old sin nature is the power of the Blood of Jesus Christ that can wash our sins away and make us into a new creation in Christ.
After Paul found the answer, listen to what he had to say in Romans 8:35-39, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
The Word of God challenges us to face up to our true nature: We cannot camouflage the evil within us with good works or by going to church.
If we hold back any part of our lives from complete submission to God, or if we separate a corner of our heart and allow a little bit of sin to stay in there, it will grow into a larger sin until we are overcome by Mr. Hyde.
The drug addict thinks that he can beat the habit on his own, but he can’t. The alcoholic thinks he doesn’t have a problem, but he does. The Gambler thinks its just all fun and games but it isn’t. Before any of these can be delivered there must come a defining moment in the life of a sinner when he must come face to face with the realization that he needs a Savior because he can no longer help himself.
At that moment is when the choice must be made. Who will we become in the end? Will we become a Dr. Jekyll, with a heart after God? Or will we allow Mr. Hyde to take over and drag us into the pits of Hell?
We all have a little of Mr. Hyde in us, just waiting for the moment to come forth. We don’t want anyone else to know it. We do our best to hide it. But in the end, the sin nature will prevail if we don’t allow Jesus to take our lives without compromising with the world.
Only by fully surrendering our heart and life to Jesus Christ, repenting of all sin, can we finally have the victory over that sin nature.
If you really want to get rid of Mr. Hyde then Jesus is your only hope!
