Genesis 1:3-5
Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light. 4And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. 5God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day.
Matthew Henry: “We have here a further account of the first day’s work, in which observe, 1. That the first of all visible beings which God created was light, that by it we might see his works and his glory in them, and might work our works while it is day. Light is the great beauty and blessing of the universe. In the new creation, the first thing wrought in the soul is light: the blessed Spirit captivates the will and affections by enlightening the understanding. Those that by sin were darkness by grace become light in the world.”
Clay Miller: Light is an amazing thing. For a great condensed treatment of light, I would recommend John MacArthur’s book “Battle for the Beginning” and the chapter on these passages. While light is complex, and a mystery in many ways, it is quite simply why our eyes can perceive images. Without it, we are in the dark, which is why the terms light and dark are often used in Scripture to refer to knowledge (light) and error/falsehood (darkness). The terms are also used to describe purity/holiness (light) vs. sin/wickedness (darkness). Without light, spiritually speaking, we are in the dark, in error, in sin. God shines the light into our hearts and we see the truth and the beauty of it. We gain knowledge of God and are made holy (positionally) and are sanctified (practically becoming more holy with time).
So when Matthew Henry says the first thing wrought in the soul is light, he is saying that God turns on the power that was off that was preventing us from seeing the irresistible beauty of Jesus Christ. He literally awakens the soul, gives sight to the spiritually blinded man/woman. This is regeneration. It precedes faith. It is the act in which the Holy Spirit makes us alive, who were once dead, to the things of God. It is effectual. It is the great convincing knowledge implanted into our hearts and will. This is my testimony. I was once in darkness, and through the truth of the gospel, God shone His saving effectual knowledge into my mind and being and made me to see Him for the worth and great Being He truly was. This is the meaning of being born again. More later…
