From the first chapter of Genesis to the final chapter of Revelation, light is a consistent theme tied directly to the presence and glory of God. The Bible does not merely describe God as giving light. It reveals that He IS light. In this study, we will walk through the Word and trace how God’s light is not dependent on the sun or created things. His light is eternal, moral, spiritual, and physical. It shines in the beginning, is fulfilled in Christ, and endures into eternity.
Light Before the Sun: Genesis 1
The first thing God called into existence after creating the heavens and the earth was light. Genesis records,
“Then God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness” (Genesis 1:3–4).
This is before the sun, moon, and stars were created on the fourth day:
“Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night… Then God made the stars also” (Genesis 1:16).
The question must be asked—what was the source of light on day one? The answer is not a created object. The answer is the Creator Himself. God is not dependent on the sun to give light. His presence radiates light by nature. The first light was the light of His glory piercing the darkness of the deep. That is not speculation, it is consistent with the testimony of Scripture.
God Is Light: The Nature of His Being
John writes plainly,
“God is light and in Him is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5).
This is not just poetic. It is theological. Light is not just something God made. It is what He is. He is pure. He is holy. He is truth. Light represents the moral and spiritual perfection of God. David writes,
“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?” (Psalm 27:1).
God is both the source and the substance of light. In His presence, there is no confusion, no corruption, and no hiding. Paul says,
“[God] alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see” (1 Timothy 6:16).
This divine light is not only a source of guidance and revelation, but also of holiness and judgment. It exposes and it transforms.
Jesus: The Light of the World
When the Word became flesh, He came as light into darkness. Jesus declared,
“I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life” (John 8:12).
This was not a new idea. It was the fulfillment of prophecy. Isaiah had spoken of this centuries earlier:
“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined” (Isaiah 9:2).
Jesus was not just bringing moral enlightenment. He was the very presence of God’s glory in human form. John testified,
“That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world” (John 1:9).
In Him, the glory that once shone in creation, and in the tabernacle, now stood in flesh. The light came to save, but also to expose. Jesus said,
“And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light” (John 3:19).
Light demands a response. It reveals who we are and calls us to repentance and belief.
The Light of the New Jerusalem: Revelation 21
Just as light was present before the sun in Genesis, light will exist without the sun in the new creation. In Revelation, John sees the New Jerusalem descending from heaven. He writes,
“The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light” (Revelation 21:23).
And again,
“There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light” (Revelation 22:5).
The same light that shone before the sun will shine again when the old creation passes away. There will be no darkness. No shadow. No night. The city is lit by the uncreated glory of God and of the Lamb. This is not metaphor. This is reality. The sun is no longer needed because the presence of God is fully unveiled forever.
Walking in the Light Now
The glory of God’s light is not just a future reality. Believers are called to walk in that light now. Paul writes,
“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light” (Ephesians 5:8).
And John exhorts us,
“But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another” (1 John 1:7).
To walk in the light means to live in truth, in holiness, and in communion with God. It means rejecting darkness and exposing sin. It means living as citizens of a kingdom that has no night.
My Final Thoughts
God is light. That truth was revealed at creation, confirmed in Christ, and fulfilled in eternity. From Genesis to Revelation, the light of God remains constant and eternal. It does not depend on the sun. It is not diminished by time. It exposes, it saves, and it reigns. The Lamb is the light of the city, and for those who follow Him, the path will never be dark again.
“In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it” (John 1:4–5).
