Q&R: “Let there be light!” Brad Jersak

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Question

I have had this nagging question. God said, “Let there be light.” But it wasn’t the physical light. Somehow, the world was already in a state of darkness & needed Light. I know Light can mean Truth, but what is your understanding? 

I just want to grasp a God who Loves versus the god I learned through my church, who hates me for imperfection. 

Response

What an excellent question!

Let’s start with verse 1 – “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”

John 1:1 reads this verse through the gospel. IN CHRIST, God created… We read in John 1 and Colossians 1 that all of creation came to be through the Word of God, who became flesh and dwelled among us.

And ‘heavens’ and ‘earth.’ Does that just mean the sky and the ground? Or does it mean heaven above and earth below? The first Christians read it this way: In Christ, God created everything… everything visible and everything invisible. 

And then he says, ‘Let there be light.’ You noticed that this is not just literal light, since it shines before the sun, moon, and stars. What is this light that shines in and on and through the visible and invisible realms? 

That depends on who you ask. But let’s think from a New Testament point of view. First, what, or rather, WHO is the source of this Light? We read that “Christ is the light of the world!” So when God says, “Let there be light,” we know where the light is coming from. It’s coming from Jesus. And this Light fills the universe.

Now we’re ready to ask, what is the light that Christ is radiating into our world, into our lives, and into our hearts? It is the light of God’s love. And when God’s love shines, it’s not long before a third L-word appears: LIFE. 

So now we’re seeing the light of Truth, too: that in Christ, the love, light, and life of God himself floods the whole universe, including our own hearts. God’s Light even shines on our imperfections so that far from hating us, we find that God is deeply committed to healing us. How? By the light, love, and life that we have in Jesus. And that sounds like good news to me!