patrick jane forums

See, I have a different take on the beginning. In the beginning there was no evil even though there was darkness. Where does the Bible say there was evil before creation? Anyone? So when God said "Let there be light" He was not dividing good from evil.

  If we apply what we know of physical light to Gen 1:3 and following, we get mired pretty fast...so I suggest we understand it as allusions to something else.


Genesis 1:3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness.


WoW - light with no darkness... IF this light is the visible light our eyes can see, then by making it, it creates its own darkness... How can light be not separated from darkness or how can it be so separated if it wasn't already separated by its creation?   Can this really apply to visible light? Doesn't sound like light we know, does it?

So, was GOD doing tricks with visible light or does this point to something else?


1 John 1:5  This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.


Does "GOD is light" refer to a visible glow or shine like a star or sun? This is weird stuff right? Does “Let there be light,” mean HE self created HIMself?  Well of course not, so light is a characteristic of GOD, a divine attribute:


http://bible.cc/1_john/1-5.htm
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
That God is light -  Light, in the Scriptures, is the emblem of purity, truth, knowledge, prosperity, and happiness - as darkness is of the opposite. John here says that "God is light" - φῶς phōs - not the light, or a light, but light itself; that is, he is himself all light, and is the source and fountain of light in all worlds. He is perfectly pure, without any admixture of sin. He has all knowledge, with no admixture of ignorance on any subject. He is infinitely happy, with nothing to make him miserable. He is infinitely true, never stating or countenancing error; he is blessed in all his ways, never knowing the darkness of disappointment and adversity.


Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible
...that is, as light is opposed to the darkness of sin; he is pure and holy in his nature and works, and of such pure eyes as not to behold iniquity; and so perfectly holy, that angels cover their times before him, when they speak of his holiness:


Vincent's Word Studies
God is Light (Θεὸς φῶς ἐστὶν)
A statement of the absolute nature of God. Not a light, nor the light, with reference to created beings, as the light of men, the light of the world,  but simply and absolutely God is light, in His very nature. Compare God is spirit, and see on  John 4:24 : God is love, 1 John 4:8, 1 John 4:16. The expression is not a metaphor. "All that we are accustomed to term light in the domain of the creature, whether with a physical or metaphysical meaning, is only an effluence of that one and only primitive Light which appears in the nature of God" (Ebrard). Light is immaterial, diffusive, pure, and glorious. It is the condition of life.


People's New Testament
 John 1:5 This then is the message which we have heard of him. The message heard from Christ, now declared, is that God is light. The source whence all light, whether it be physical, or moral, or spiritual, comes ; the Enlightener of the universe. The term denotes luminous clearness, the free and benevolent source from whence flow light, intelligence, purity and blessing, absolutely free from alien intermixture, since in him there is no darkness at all. Light represents truth, knowledge and holiness. Darkness represents ignorance, error, falsehood and sin.


 In terms used by the Scripture to define LIGHT in other places, this would mean that GOD created goodness and separated it from evil…


LIGHT IS FAITH:
 LIGHT is the moral attribute of goodness and life by faith unto righteousness and darkness is evil, rejecting GOD by faith, and death.  And in  Gen 1:4 GOD separated between them: Genesis 1:4 God saw that the light was good, and HE separated the light from the darkness.


This suggests that ALL people created in HIS image already existed by the end of verse 2 or between the verses and speaks to the free will decision that was the separation between all those who accepted YHWH as their GOD and those who rejected HIM as a false god.

So might not  Genesis 1:3 read: And God said, “Let there be light,”  [ie faith in HIM and HIS Son unto righteousness] and there was light [faith in HIM].  4 God saw that the light [faith in HIM] was good, and he separated the light [by their declaration of faith] from the darkness [those who refused to put their faith in HIM but rather chose to believe that HE was a false god and a liar becoming antagonists to HIS will, the reprobate tares].


FAITH BY FREE WILL:
Pre-conception existence theology contends that HE did this by asking for our true free will decisions to either accept HIS purpose for our creation or by rejecting that purpose because we thought HE was a false god, unable to fulfill his warnings of the consequences, and we did not have to bow to anyone. The separation was finalized by the election of the sons of light to HIS eternal church while He left the dark to their chosen perdition.

To ensure that none of HIS newly elected church would be destroyed by sin, HE gave us all the gospel promise that if any of HIS elect should rebel against HIS will and chose to become evil in HIS sight that though that would put them outside of HIS will, it would not put them outside of HIS grace nor love and that HE would always do what was necessary to bring them back to HIM in accord with their first true free will decision.


  Peace, Ted