There are those who boldly dismiss the existence of God, yet they cry out against the evil that permeates our world.

Scoffers of God still rage against wars that ravage nations, injustice that silences the innocent, suffering that breaks homes, and moral decay that darkens minds.

This leads me to ponder the intriguing contradiction: how can one justify the concept of evil yet refuse to acknowledge the divine?

It seems to suggest that perhaps humanity elevates itself to a position where it considers itself both a deity and the embodiment of evil.

If this is true, then what standard do we appeal to when we decry hatred, exploitation, or cruelty? If morality is merely a human invention, then who are we to label anything as truly evil?

In rejecting God, humanity does not free itself; instead, it attempts to overthrow His throne.

We become the snake feeding upon its own tail: self-consuming, trapped in a cycle of pride and despair, declaring ourselves god while proving through our brokenness how desperately we need the One greater than ourselves… God.

Yet, we are grapplers of position and greedy with our desires, making us easy targets for Satan, who is skilled in tempting and aggravating our need to be validated and elevated.

In the Garden of Eden, the serpent targeted and tempted Eve with the lie, “You will be like God” (Genesis 3:5). Rather than obeying God’s commands, Adam listened to Eve, ultimately inviting sin into the world.

Ever since, humanity has echoed that same rebellion.

The Apostle Paul described it clearly in Romans 1:21-23: “For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.”

We suppress the truth of God in unrighteousness (Romans 1:18), then wonder why the world feels so broken.

On the cross, Jesus bore the full weight of sin and suffering, taking upon Himself the very evil we decry. “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed” (1 Peter 2:24).

Through Christ’s resurrection, He defeated death and offers us a new way, not through self-veneration, but humble surrender.

When we position God in His rightful place, evil no longer leaves us in hopeless contradiction.

Evil is not without limitation. It is temporary. God is redeeming all things, promising that He is “making everything new” (Revelation 21:5). God invites each of us to actively participate in that renewal.

If you find yourself wrestling with the darkness in the world, consider this: the very outrage you feel at evil is a whisper of the divine image still stamped upon your soul (Genesis 1:27).

It is God calling you home, desiring that you adjust your focus and release your grip so that you can fully reach out to Him.

Self-rule is an exhausting cycle that leads to bitterness and burnout.

In Christ, we move from the snake devouring itself to the redeemed child walking in the light of eternal love.