This month, bestselling horror writer, Stephen King, is releasing a new book titled Revival. The story is about a minister who turns against God after his family suffers a terrible tragedy. King sat down with Rolling Stone magazine to talk about his book, his religious beliefs, and his understanding of the nature of evil.

While he grew up in a Methodist church, he said that he always had his doubts about organized religion, and turned away from it after high school. However, the author who has published 55 novels and sold over 350 million books says he still chooses to believe in God “because it makes things better. You have a meditation point, a source of strength.” He added, “I choose to believe that God exists, and therefore I can say, ‘God, I can’t do this by myself. Help me not to take a drink today. Help me not to take a drug today.’ And that works fine for me.”

While many of his stories explore the dark side of human nature, King said he still is not sure about the nature of evil. He told the magazine he does believe that evil is real, however, he said has “gone back and forth about whether or not there’s an outside evil, whether or not there’s a force in the world that really wants to destroy us, from the inside out, individually and collectively. Or whether it all comes from inside and that it’s all part of genetics and environment.” He went on to say, “Evil is inside us. The older I get, the less I think there’s some sort of outside devilish influence; it comes from people. And unless we’re able to address that issue, sooner or later, we’ll kill ourselves.”

Whether or not you believe in God, you most likely have pondered the nature of evil. Why is there evil in the world? Where does evil come from? Like Mr. King, perhaps you want to know if evil comes from an outside force or if humans are naturally evil beings? Either way, what is the solution to the problem of evil?

Mr. King is right in his assumption that humanity as a whole is evil on the inside. Frankly, we are rotten to our core.

The Bible says in Jeremiah 17:9, “The heart [of man] is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” King Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, said, “the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart while they live…” Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” Jesus Christ said in Mark 7:21-22, “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.”

So, evil is definitely something that is inside each and every one of us. Where Mr. King is wrong at is that, not only is there evil inside of us, but there is evil outside of us as well. There is a very real being known as the devil or Satan who is the originator of evil and who influences people to do evil. The Bible says in 1 Peter 5:8, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” In Job 1, we learn that Satan “goes to and fro in the earth, and walks up and down in it.” In John 8:44, Jesus Christ tells some people, “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.”

What is the result of all this evil in the world? The result is pain, suffering, and death. The Bible says, “the wages of sin is death.” Proverbs 11:19 says, “he that pursueth evil pursueth it to his own death.” In Ezekiel 18:4, God says, “the soul that sinneth, it shall die.” And, Romans 5:12 says, “…death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” Every sin we commit, every wrong thing we do contributes to our self-destruction. As Mr. King assumes, unless there is a remedy to the problem of evil, we will end up “killing ourselves.”

So, is there a remedy? Is there a way that mankind can fix his evil heart? Is there a way for people to break out of the cycle of sin that leads to death? Thankfully, the answer is yes! Just as sin and the consequences of sin are spoken of in God’s Word, God’s Word also speaks of the way mankind can be saved from his sin and the punishment of sin.

That way of salvation is through God’s Son, Jesus Christ. Because God does not want us to die in our sinful state and suffer eternal punishment and separation from Him, he made a way for us to be saved. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Romans 5:8 says, “But God commendeth (or demonstrates) his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

God sent His perfect, holy Son, Jesus Christ, into the world to suffer on our behalf. Jesus Christ took the punishment and death that we deserve for our sins on Himself so that we do not have to suffer that punishment if we believe in Him. Now, no one has to continue living as a depraved, evil individual. Anyone can have their life transformed through the sacrifice that Jesus Christ made on our behalf.

Second Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old [sinful, evil] things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” Jesus Christ said in John 5:24, “He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.” Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Would you like to turn the page on your sinful lifestyle? Would you like to become a transformed person who has the power to do good through Jesus Christ? Then, place your faith and trust in Jesus Christ today.

As explained in John 3:16, God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for our sins, taking the punishment that we deserve on Himself. Three days after His death, He rose from the grave, demonstrating His power of sin, death and Hell. This resurrection also shows that He can deliver us from sin, death, and Hell as well.

If we want this deliverance, we must place our faith and trust in Him. The Bible says, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.” The Bible also tells us in Romans 10:9 and 13: “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

If you want to be saved right now, please pray a short prayer to let God know that you are making this all-important decision. Just repeat after me and mean it from your heart.

Holy Father God, I realize that I am a sinner and that I have done some bad things in my life. I realize that I deserve eternal punishment for my sins. For Jesus Christ sake, please forgive me of my sins. I believe with all of my heart that Jesus Christ died for me, was buried, and rose again. Lord Jesus, please come into my heart and save my soul and change my life today and forever so that I can have your peace and assurance about my life today and my eternal future. Amen.

If you just trusted Jesus Christ as your Saviour, and you prayed that prayer and meant it from your heart, I declare to you that based upon the Word of God, you are now saved and you are on your way to Heaven. Welcome to the family of God! Congratulations on doing the most important thing in life and that is receiving Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour. For more information to help you grow in your newfound faith in Christ, go to Gospel Light Society.com and read “What To Do After You Enter Through the Door.”

Believe by faith. Share the faith. And keep the faith! God Bless You!