How does Genesis 1:3 relate to the light mentioned in John 1:5? Genesis 1:3 and John 1:5 “And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.” “The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” The opening words of Scripture and the opening words of John stand like twin peaks, each pointing to the same radiant reality—God’s own Light. Shared Vocabulary, Shared Source - Both passages use the same Greek term φῶς in the Septuagint and the New Testament, underscoring intentional linkage. - Genesis narrates the first appearance of created light; John unveils the eternal, uncreated Light who gives rise to all creation. Christ: Speaker in Genesis, Subject in John - John 1:1-3: “Through Him all things were made.” - Colossians 1:16 adds that “all things were created through Him and for Him.” - When Genesis records, “God said,” John identifies the divine “Word” (λόγος) who spoke—that Word is Christ. • The command “Let there be light” proceeds from the very One whom John calls “the Light of men.” Light Before the Sun—A Christ-Centered Clue - Physical luminaries (sun, moon, stars) appear on Day 4 (Genesis 1:14-19), yet light already exists on Day 1. - This chronological detail directs attention to its ultimate source: God Himself, revealed fully in Christ (Revelation 21:23). The Nature of Light in Each Passage - Genesis 1:3-4: light is created, good, and separated from darkness—foundational to the material order. - John 1:5: Light is personal, eternal, and morally triumphant—“the darkness has not overcome it.” • 2 Corinthians 4:6 ties the two: “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made His light shine in our hearts…” Light as Life and Revelation - John 1:4: “In Him was life, and that life was the light of men.” - Psalm 36:9: “In Your light we see light.” - The first light makes physical life possible; the Light of Christ makes spiritual life possible, revealing truth and exposing sin. Separation and Victory Over Darkness - Genesis: God separates light from darkness—order over chaos. - John: Christ shines into the moral darkness of a fallen world—victory over sin and death (cf. 1 John 3:8). Practical Implications - Walk in the light (1 John 1:7). - Let His word illuminate daily steps (Psalm 119:105). - Reflect His light to others (Matthew 5:14-16). From the first creative command to the incarnate Word’s triumph, Scripture presents one continuous beam of divine Light—physical, moral, and eternal—shining unquenchably from Genesis through John and into eternity. |
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