“And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light” (Genesis 1:3). This passage of Scripture is part of God creating the world and everything in it. During Creation, light was one of the first things God created. Before God created light, there was darkness. The only source of light was from the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Let There Be Light
The Hebrew words for let there be light is yehi ˈor. These are the words that were in the original writings of the Bible. Yehi ‘or translates to “let there be light.” As mentioned, the only source of light before God created the light came from God Himself.
God created the light in order for the world to have light. It should be noted that God spoke the light into being. All He had to do was to say the words, “let there be light” and light was created.
This shows God’s power because no human being can bring something into being by speaking it. There is a popular false teaching in the world today called manifestation.
Those who follow manifestation believe they can speak things into being or make all their wishes come true by simply believing it.
This is erroneous and it is extremely prideful to think a person can control any circumstance or create something out of nothing. Only God can create something out of nothing and only He can speak things into being.
All human beings, whether believers or unbelievers, need to turn away from any practice of trying to manipulate situations or speak things into beings. Even though you might see this as being “successful” or “works” on social media doesn’t mean it is true.
In fact, it is impossible for anyone to manipulate situations to get exactly what they want all the time or to speak things into being. No matter how much or how badly you want something does not mean it’s going to come into being.
God can speak things into being, and it happens as soon as the words leave His lips. He didn’t have to sit around for days, months, or years hoping and believing something was going to happen, as commonly shown by those who practice manifestation. Instead, He simply spoke, “Let there be light,” and light was created instantly.
God can speak things into being because He is God. He is fully divine, and everything in all creation is subject to obey Him. When he tells the light to come into being, it was divinely created.
When answering the question of why God said, “Let there be light,” we have to acknowledge God’s power and creativity in creating the light. Why God said “let there be light” is because He was commanding the light to come into being as part of His creation. It also shows us that God can create something out of nothing and can speak things into being.
The Light of the World
The light God brought forth was to bring light into the world. This can also be seen as a precursor to the Light that was going to come into the dark world — Jesus Christ.
The Apostle Paul tells us, “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6).
Jesus is the light who brought forth God’s glory, as Jesus is God Himself. Just as God created the light and separated it from the darkness, Jesus came into the world as a light to redeem mankind. The world is a dark, unbelieving place, yet Jesus comes into the world as a light of salvation.
The Bible records this from Jesus’ earthly ministry, “When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life’” (John 8:12).
This can be seen as a parallel to the creation of light in Genesis 1:3. The light was created for humans to see, and Jesus came to the earth to help the blind see, and the lost believe in Him. There is no greater light than Jesus because, as He says, “I am the light of the world.”
Since Jesus is the light of the world, we are no longer blind to sin. We don’t have to fall under the pressure of sin and darkness. Instead, we can walk in the light of Jesus and follow Him faithfully.
If you have found yourself walking in the darkness and need the light, turn to Jesus. The sinful world deceives us and makes us believe that we want to follow its practices. In fact, due to our sinful nature, it is harder to do the right thing than to sin.
This is one of the key reasons why we need Jesus. Jesus will light our path and help us to do the right thing. He will help keep our feet from rushing toward sin as well as He will keep our hearts focused on Him.
He is the true Light, and everyone needs Him. Without the Light, a person will be doomed to eternal darkness, pain, and separation from God forever.
If you want to trust in Jesus today, you can. If you believe that Jesus died for your sins, was buried, and rose again, you are given salvation. You no longer have to be afraid of the darkness because Jesus is with you. He will walk with you through every hill and valley.
Never will He leave you and never will He forsake you (Hebrews 13:5-6). When you choose to place faith in Jesus, you are given salvation, the forgiveness of sins, eternal life, and a restored relationship with the Father.
Through salvation, you don’t ever have to worry about being separated from God again. Salvation can never be taken away from anyone.
If we have chosen to place faith in Jesus, our Light, it is our responsibility and privilege to follow Him. By following Him, we will be able to help others come to know Him and accept Him as their Savior and Lord.
We will also be able to help disciple believers to grow in their relationship with Him. In the same way, by placing faith in Jesus, we are now under the responsibility to obey God. We show God we love Him by obeying Him. If we live in disobedience to God, we will be actively living against God.
This is not something we want to do because it will have consequences. The consequences are not to harm us but rather to discipline us to turn back to God. It is important that we never grow cold to the Holy Spirit’s voice and conviction.
What Does This Mean?
Therefore, God said, “Let there be light” in order to bring light into the dark world. He also says, “Let there be light,” because it shows His power, divinity, and creativity.
In addition to these truths, God also says, “Let there be light,” as a precursor of the Light who was coming into the world, His Son Jesus.
By knowing this knowledge and applying it to our Christian walk, we will be able to grow more in our lives and help others know the true definition behind why God says, “Let there be light” in Genesis 1:3.
For further reading:
What Is the Creation Story in the Bible?
What Happened on Each Day of Creation?
Christian: You Are Salt and Light
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