On the first day of creation, God commanded, "Let there be light," bringing illumination to the vast deep of the physical world. This ancient command, as linked by Paul, signifies not only the beginning of physical creation but also foreshadows God's ongoing spiritual work with humanity. The light, distinct from its Creator, emanates from the darkness, shining forth from the chaos of tohu and bohu, demonstrating the transformative power of God's Spirit. Though created by Him, this light remains separate, burning in a place contrary to His nature, yet fulfilling His purposes. Paul's translation of this command into the future tense, as "Light will shine out of darkness," underscores the enduring nature of God's intent to reveal the deep things of Himself through this light in the minds of those He calls.

Many people miss a vital prophecy embedded in Genesis 1:1-3. Jesus Christ, the genuine Light Bringer, is that Spirit who by His Word brought light to a darkened earth about 6,000 years ago. He is the same Spirit who enlightens the darkened minds of those the Father has called. David writes of that Spirit: For You will light my lamp; the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness. The fact that God provides a second witness of this truth in II Samuel 22:29 suggests its weight. The God-ordained circumstance of the true children of God is simply and plainly this: Collectively, they serve as the light of the world, situated where everyone can see them. Aside from the plain, definitive statement that they are sons of light, God refers to His own as sons or children of light three other times. In Philippians 2:15, Paul reminds us that we are lights in the world; it is God's will that we shine in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation. Paul's use of the Greek preposition ek in II Corinthians 4:6 tells us a great deal about how God lights things up. Ek connotes separation or even parturition. One commentator perceptively writes that ek has a two-layered meaning which makes it outcome-oriented. It is not surprising, then, that ek appears repeatedly in John 1:13. God's people are not born of blood, but of ek, out of God. They are like God but distinct beings. Importantly, in II Corinthians 4:6, the apostle does not write that light was to shine on the surface of the deep, but that it was to emanate from the darkness. From or out of darkness, the light would shine. The light does not merely illuminate the surface, as a beam of light from the sun might, but emanates from below. This God-created light is distinct from its Creator, perhaps shining forth from miles away, from the hub of darkness itself, a discrete light, a darkness-destroying light burning in a place estranged from Him, unlike Him, by nature contrary to Him. It shines in the chaos of tohu and bohu. Yes, it was God's light, in that He created it, yet it was distinct from Him. This light bespeaks the boundless, transformative power of God's Spirit as it worked, perhaps at an atomic level, to accomplish the Creator's purposes. The word shine first appears in Matthew 5:15, where Jesus reminds us that people do not hide a lamp but place it on a stand to ensure maximum light spread. In verse 16, He continues, Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. Notice the possessive pronoun: Christ says the light is your light. He avoids the term His light because the light in us, though engendered by Him, sent out by Him and sustained by Him, is separate from Him. It is light burning in independent beings, each one of whom was once just as helplessly darkened as the tohu and bohu of Genesis 1:2. So, Christ, dwelling in us, spiritually energizes each one of us individually. Though empowered by the same dynamic Being, whose resources are inexhaustible, we remain separate entities, transformed by His light. Put differently, we are not a reflection of God's light, as some errantly declare. Rather, we are God's light, shining inside freestanding organisms. John 1:5 notifies us that the darkness could not overcome the light sent out from Jesus Christ. Anciently, He confronted the darkness of tohu and bohu, swiftly transforming it into an organized and productive creation, one capable of facilitating His plans. Likewise, we, the recipients of God's light are transfigured much like the Messiah, our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like Him. The prophesied creation of light will continue until there are billions of points of light, each one distinguished from the Father of Lights as separate beings, yet each one indistinguishable from Him in terms of character and purpose.