This sermon on Genesis 1:1-5 is entitled “Let There be Light”. It was preached during Morning Worship on Sunday, September 14, 2025 by Pastor Jeremy Brandenburg. This sermon is part of a series on the book of Genesis.
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Transcript
Last week we were beginning to hear about the beginning of creation. If you notice, last week we didn’t even make it through the first day. I pretty much focused on Genesis 1, verse 1. Part of the way I plan to go through Genesis this fall is to preach through Genesis, obviously, but I think there are a lot of things we will want to talk about in terms of creation and the creation days. I’ll touch on these in my sermons, but later in the fall I hope to take time during Christian education to go into more depth about aspects of creation.
So, we continue this morning with the creation story, looking specifically at verses 1–5. I want to have a very basic structure for the sermon this morning. In a way, it’s the structure of every sermon: first, what do these verses say? Second, what do these verses mean? We want to pay very close and careful attention to the text of Scripture, but we also want to understand what these verses mean for us as Christians—how we are to understand them in terms of our salvation.
First of all, I just want to talk about what these verses actually say. Referencing the creation debates—and everyone seems to have their creation view—I think we should all want to have the biblical view. As we continue in this sermon series in Genesis—just the second sermon this morning—I will tell you, before I went to seminary, I met a man who was very strong on six-day literal creation. I thought, “Yeah, but he hasn’t been to seminary.” I will tell you, as your pastor, I’ve come to believe that a six-day literal creation is the best and, I believe, the only way to make sense of Scripture.
We don’t start in Genesis 1 with mythology and then sometime later, maybe with Abraham, start talking about real people and real events. The history of the universe starts in Genesis 1:1. There was nothing except God, and then there was creation—the heavens and the earth. That’s what we’re dealing with here.
So this morning, to return to the text, we’re still in the first day of creation. The first day of creation ends in verse 5. We left off at verse 2, and I spent almost no time on it last week. Under the heading “What do these verses say?”, let’s look closely at verse 2.
Verse 2 is one of those verses that most Christians, even many non-Christians, have a basic understanding of. They know it was seven days, that God did different things on different days. Many people know the phrase “Let there be light” and know that God said those words. Before God created light, even before He created the heavens and the earth, verse 2 tells us this:
“The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.”
It’s very significant that in the opening two verses of creation—the opening two verses of the Bible—God is mentioned and the Holy Spirit is mentioned. Even from the beginning of Scripture, though the doctrine of the Trinity is not brought into full clarity until Christ comes, we have the Trinity—one God in three persons—active in creation.
The Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. This is really interesting language. Is this just poetic? No. I think we are to understand that the earth, as it existed, was a mass of water with indiscernible depths. God had brought creation into existence, and as we see in the rest of the creation story, what God had created was in need of being formed, shaped, ordered, and given life. The Holy Spirit is here at the beginning of creation, described as hovering over the face of the waters.
You should know that the same word for “spirit” in the Old Testament is also “wind.” One commentator said, “The wind of God was over the waters.” But wind can’t hover. So, what are we to make of this? Reliable scholars point us to other places in Scripture where similar language is used. In Deuteronomy 32:11, Moses describes God’s presence over His people in the wilderness:
“Like an eagle that stirs up its nest, that flutters over its young, spreading out its wings, catching them, bearing them on its pinions.”
Here God is described as an eagle fluttering, spreading out His wings, catching His people, bearing them up, protecting them, guiding them, preserving them. And here, at the beginning of creation, the Spirit of God is hovering over the face of the waters.
We are being told that all of creation is the act of the triune God, and that all life—not just spiritual life but all life—comes through the power of the Holy Spirit. As God was bringing things into existence, it was the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—one God in three persons—actively working together to give life and existence to everything that is.
Notice also the first part of the verse: “The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep.” In pagan creation stories, chaos rules, and the gods are subject to it. But in God’s word, there’s no chaos beyond His control. The earth was without form, but God is completely sovereign over it. That which was formless and void, He, in His omnipotence and wisdom, gives shape and form to. From the beginning of Scripture, God is telling us that He is sovereign. Whatever exists in creation is wholly subservient to Him.
We also read that darkness was over the face of the deep. Only God can tell us what was happening at the beginning. We can’t imagine what it was like before light existed. Thinking about these verses made me think about being in Afghanistan, where there was almost no light pollution. The darkness there was visceral. There is a deep darkness over the face of creation, and we’re told the Spirit of God is present.
Kyle and Delitzsch say this about the Spirit’s presence at the beginning:
“The Spirit of God moved upon the deep, which had received at its creation the germs of all life, to fill them with vital energy by His breath of life.”
In the Reformed tradition, we speak of “the Word and the Spirit.” Here you have the Holy Spirit, and then what comes next? Verse 3: “And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.”
What are we to understand? God created light itself. What is more basic to the universe than light? Without light, there is no life. We depend utterly on light—even human beings. God existed before physical light. He created it. There was no light in the universe until God said, “Let there be light.”
The light that exists—the most basic thing in the universe, the thing all life depends on—was created by God. “And God saw that the light was good.” Creation is not evil. Creation is good. God created light and saw that it was good, beautiful, pure, lovely.
Basil, the church father, said:
“Man’s mind cannot imagine a more pleasant state of things for our enjoyment.”
Even unbelievers love light. Their very delight in light testifies that they are God’s creatures, dependent on Him. God created light itself. He saw it and it was good.
“And God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night.” We see God’s ordering work—distinguishing, separating, naming. To name something biblically is to have authority over it. And God called the light Day and the darkness Night. There was light and darkness—day and night—before the sun and moon existed. How is that possible? It’s possible because God made it so. He created a light that sustained creation before organizing it later into sun and moon.
This shows again God’s authority over His creation. And note the language of verse 5: “And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.” These are ordinary, earthly days—normal 24-hour days. The periods in Genesis 1 are not vast ages, but simple days as we know them.
Now, what do these verses mean? There’s a profundity to the fact that God’s first words were, “Let there be light.” God spoke, and light came into existence. It was God’s will that darkness would not prevail but that His light would pervade His world.
We see this reflected in John 1: “In the beginning was the Word.” Light itself was made through Jesus. That’s who we’re talking about when we speak of Jesus of Nazareth—the Word made flesh. God the Father, the Spirit, the Son—the Word—speaks: “Let there be light.”
Later, 2 Corinthians 4:6 says:
“For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”
The God who said “Let there be light” has said those same words into your soul. “Let there be light.” Believer, if you belong to Jesus, God has given a light in your soul that will never be put out because it is the light of His risen Son.
Jesus is the light that will last forever. In Revelation we see that in the new heavens and the new earth, there will be no sun—the Lamb Himself will be their light. Jesus, the light of the world, is shining in your heart if you are a Christian.
It’s been a dark week. Charlie Kirk was killed. Was he a martyr? To the extent that he spoke the truth—the biblical truth—yes. It was an evil day, a dark day. But because Charlie Kirk was a believer in Jesus Christ, we know he has been advanced into the presence of the one he told others to trust in. Even though it was a horrible and wicked thing, we know that the light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.
Do you want to be the light of the world? Jesus said, “I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.” We are not to respond with vengeance but with truth and love. We change the world by shining the light of Christ.
If you are not a Christian, come to the light. Come to the God of light. Come to the God who said, “Let there be light.” Don’t you want Jesus, the crucified and risen one, to live in you? Come to Him today.
Benediction (from Basil):
“May the Father of the true light, who has adorned day with celestial light, who has made the fire to shine which illuminates us during the night, who reserves for us in the peace of a future age a spiritual and everlasting light, enlighten your hearts in the knowledge of truth, keep you from stumbling, and grant that you may walk honestly as in the day. Thus shall you shine as the sun in the midst of the glory of the saints, and I shall glory in you in the day of Christ, to whom belong all glory and power forever and ever. Amen.”
Let’s pray.
Father in heaven, we marvel that we behold light—that we see through the light you have made. Thank you, heavenly Father, that to the extent we see and behold Jesus, we see truly, and you will never take this vision from us. We pray for an ever-increasing sight of our Savior. We pray for an ever-increasing degree of His light in our hearts. Father, put away the darkness. Let us walk as children of light, to the glory and honor of your name—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
