The creation story in Genesis chapter 1 describes how God created the heavens and the earth in six days. On the first day, Genesis 1:3 states, “And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.” This verse has intrigued Bible scholars for centuries. Why did God begin creation by bringing forth light? What is the significance of these famous words – “Let there be light”?
Here are some key points to understand about God saying “Let there be light” on the first day of creation:
Light was the first act of creation
By speaking light into existence on day one, God was signaling that light itself was fundamental to creation. Without light, nothing else could be seen or grow. Light makes life possible. So by starting with light, God was establishing the foundation for all that would follow during the six days of creation.
Light separated day from night
Genesis 1:4-5 tells us that once God created light, it separated the light from the darkness. This created day and night in the very first 24-hour period. The cycle of day and night became the marker for time. So God’s creation of light initiated time itself.
Light represents goodness and order
Throughout the Bible, light is used metaphorically to represent goodness, truth, and order. Darkness is associated with evil, falsehood, and chaos. By starting with light, God was establishing that His creation would be founded on order, truth, and righteousness – not chaos.
Light and dark exist together
Although God separated the light from the darkness, He did not do away with darkness altogether. This shows that God did not intend for only good to exist in creation. Light and dark have coexisted from the beginning. Evil exists in the world, but God’s light will prevail over the darkness.
Light represents God’s presence
The Bible often uses light as a metaphor for God’s presence and glory. By introducing light on day one, God was establishing His presence in creation. In fact, Psalm 104:2 says, “The Lord wraps himself in light as with a garment.” God was clothing Himself in light as He began His creative work.
Light represents salvation in Jesus
In the New Testament, light is associated with Christ. John 8:12 records Jesus stating, “I am the light of the world.” Jesus came to bring salvation, represented by the light of God coming into the world. So the light of creation anticipates the spiritual light that Jesus would one day bring.
So in summary, God beginning creation by bringing forth light established many significant realities: order prevailing over chaos, goodness before evil, day and night cycles starting time, God making His presence felt, and the anticipation of future salvation through Christ. “Let there be light” may be the most profoundly simple yet meaningful statement in Scripture. These four words initiated creation and set the stage for God’s entire redemptive work in the world.
Deeper Analysis of Key Points
Now let’s explore some of these key points in more depth:
Light as the first creative act
Why was light God’s very first creative act? Darkness already existed, so God could have simply created the earth out of the darkness. But Scripture specifically says He began by speaking light into existence. This highlights the primacy and importance of light in God’s creative plan.
Light is foundational to life. Photosynthesis in plants, vision in animals, vitamin D in humans – without light, these critical functions are impossible. No organism can live or thrive without light. So before God made anything alive, He first made light.
The Bible ties light to spiritual life as well. Ephesians 5:8 states, “For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.” Through Christ we enter the “kingdom of light” (Colossians 1:12). So by introducing physical light on day one, God was foreshadowing the spiritual light that would come through salvation in His Son Jesus Christ.
Separation of light and darkness
When God created light, it caused a separation from the darkness that was already present. Why did He not just make the darkness go away entirely? This shows that God never intended for evil and darkness to be eliminated fully during this age on earth. They will coexist with goodness and light until the restoration of all things at the end of the age (Acts 3:21).
So light and dark were separated, but both continued to be present. This truth manifested itself throughout biblical history. When God’s light came into the world, the darkness did not disappear. Rather, His light shone forth within the darkness. As John 1:5 states, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” Darkness persists, but cannot snuff out God’s light.
The creation of time
God creating light on day one also inaugurated the measurement of time. As Genesis 1:5 states, “God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.” This marked the beginning of days and years as measured by the cycle of day and night.
Prior to light, no “time” existed as we understand it, since time requires some type of change or movement. The onset of light swirling around the earth initiated this movement of day and night. So God started time itself with those famous words, “Let there be light.” All of history since then has unfolded within the framework of time that began on day one.
Light overcoming the darkness
Throughout Scripture, we see light and darkness juxtaposed as representations of good and evil. Yet they are not equals. Darkness may persist for a season, but light will ultimately overcome. 1 John 1:5 proclaims about God, “In him there is no darkness at all.” The absence of any darkness in God means the light will inevitably prevail.
We see this in the book of Revelation, when describing the New Jerusalem it states, “Its lamp is the Lamb. And the nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it” (Revelation 21:23-24). No night will exist in God’s eternal kingdom. The light of His presence will fill it completely, overcoming all darkness. The end of the story will fulfill what was first spoken, “Let there be light.”
The light of God’s presence
Why is light used so often in Scripture to represent God’s presence and glory? Light is the clearest manifestation of God’s being. His purity and truth are akin to blazing light in their ability to reveal what was once hidden or obscure. In fact, 1 John 1:5 states, “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.” God’s very nature radiates glorious light.
When God first spoke light into being, He was announcing the arrival of His presence. He was putting on display His attributes for creation to experience. It was a pronouncement of His glorious, light-filled essence. God was testifying to the reality that He is there, and He is not silent. He was commencing His self-revelation to mankind.
Foreshadowing of Christ
The New Testament reveals that Jesus Christ is the true light coming into the world. John 1:9 states about Jesus, “The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.” And Jesus proclaimed, “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12). Isaiah 9:2 even prophesied about Jesus: “The people living in darkness have seen a great light.”
So God’s first words of “Let there be light” not only started the physical creation, they foretold the coming of the Son as spiritual light to humanity. The initial light pointed forward prophetically to the arrival of Christ bringing salvation. What was settled in principle on day one came to fulfillment in Jesus ushering redemption to mankind.
In fact, 2 Corinthians 4:6 says, “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” The apostle Paul paralleled God speaking light at creation to the light of salvation coming through Christ.
We see this same parallel when Scripture ties the glory of God filling the tabernacle to the initial creation of light. Exodus 40:34-35 states, “Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.” Compare this to day one when God’s glory was manifest through the light He created to fill the darkened world.
So the light of day one pointed ahead prophetically to the light that Christ would bring to redeem mankind. The creation light foreshadowed the coming of the Creator to bring spiritual light into the world clouded by the darkness of sin.
Deeper Meanings and Typology for Today
Beyond what Scripture explicitly states about God saying “Let there be light,” some Bible teachers have explored additional layers of meaning and significance for this famous passage. Here are some themes and typology to consider:
Defeating the chaos
In Genesis 1:2, prior to God speaking light into existence, the earth is described as being “without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep.” Some scholars see this as representing chaos, disorder and meaninglessness. The Spirit of God then brings order through the creation, starting with light.
This mirrors themes elsewhere in Scripture where God’s wisdom and truth bring order from chaos. Proverbs 8 depicts wisdom as being present with God prior to the creation, then being instrumental in establishing order in the world. Some writers have argued that Genesis 1:3 records the moment when wisdom and light came crashing into creation to dispel the chaos.
A new day dawning
On a symbolic level, we can also view the light arriving on day one as the dawning of a new day for all creation. It was the decisive instant when the darkness and chaos of the previous “night” was broken. The light’s arrival heralded that the new day for creation had come.
This typology can be applied to salvation. For those living in the darkness of sin, Christ’s light breaking through represents the dawn of a new day. We were lost in chaotic darkness until the light of the gospel came bursting forth into our hearts, inaugurating something entirely new. The old has passed away. A new day has come.
Fulfilling a void in creation
Genesis 1:2 depicts the earth as “darkness over the face of the deep.” Darkness describes an absence of light. On a symbolic level, the darkness represented a void within creation. When God spoke light into being, He was filling that void.
We can again connect this idea to salvation. There is a God-shaped void inside every human heart. We were made for relationship with our Creator, but sin caused separation and emptiness. The light of Christ comes to fill the dark void within our souls, bringing us back to God.
So in the creation account, God’s light fulfilled a void. And spiritually, God’s light in Christ can fill the dark voids within our lives today. As we share the gospel, we carry His light to those living in darkness and separation from their Creator.
Discussion of Other Interpretations
While the themes and typology discussed above do have scriptural basis, some Bible scholars have proposed alternative views for why God began creation with “Let there be light.” Here are a few other interpretations:
A polemic against other ancient religions
Some writers have suggested Genesis 1 may contain implicit polemics or arguments against other ancient religions. Most Near East creation myths began with the gods conquering primordial waters represented by sea monsters like Leviathan. But Genesis simply states that the all-powerful Hebrew God, Yahweh, effortlessly spoke light into being.
So the succinct but profound “Let there be light” could be an Israelite counterclaim against the fantastical myths of surrounding pagan religions. However, this interpretation is debated, since explicit polemics are not common in Genesis.
Creation from an “unformed state”
Genesis 1:2 describes the earth as “without form and void” – tohu wa-bohu in Hebrew. Some scholars argue this phrase refers to God shaping creation from a state of formless matter, not creatio ex nihilo (creation from nothing). Under this view, light was the first component of God’s ordering of the raw, unformed material.
However, other linguists dispute whether the phrase tohu wa-bohu really implies preexisting matter. And passages like Hebrews 11:3 state that the visible universe was created from that which is unseen, supporting the ex nihilo view. So this remains an interpretive debate within biblical scholarship.
A “cosmic temple” inauguration
Drawing parallels to the glory of God filling the temple, some scholars propose that the light on day one represented the inauguration of the cosmos as God’s cosmic temple. As He filled the earthly tabernacle with glory, so God glorified His newly created universe with radiant light, establishing the cosmos as His holy temple. This interpretation sees creation as a theological act, not just a physical one.
However, while the temple typology has scriptural foundations, viewing the entire universe as a temple may go beyond what the Genesis text explicitly supports. Either way, the parallels between God filling the temple with His glory and illuminating creation with light at the outset are quite interesting!
Summary
Why did God begin creation by saying “Let there be light”? This profound declaration started time, revealed God’s presence, banished darkness, and foreshadowed Christ – setting the stage for redemption. It heralded goodness, order, and the triumph of God’s purposes. And the creation light typologically points to the spiritual light of salvation for all who believe.
On that first day, God could have made anything He wanted. But He started with light, because light facilitates life. It enables order, growth, time, warmth, and beauty. By looking to the light first, we see the heart of God for a creation that would reflect His own luminous character. And through Christ, God invites us to share in that glorious light.
