Paul Taylor examines the creation account

How could God make light, before He made the Sun? Does this "problem" prove that Genesis 1 should be read allegorically, rather than literally?

Light is an electromagnetic wave form. The electromagnetic spectrum is made up of all possible wavelengths and frequencies of these waves. Most waves need a medium through which to transfer their energy. Thus, waves on the sea are transverse waves in the water. Transverse waves displace their energy in a direction at 90° to the direction of travel - i.e., the waves move horizontally towards the shore, while the displacement of the wave is up and down.

Electromagnetic waves do not require a physical medium. They are transverse waves of electromagnetic fields. Thus, their energy transfer can take place across the near vacuum of space. A narrow selection of frequencies of electromagnetic waves is capable of detection by the human eye. It is these waves that we know of as visible light.

Water waves can be caused, for example, by dropping a stone into a pond. Once the stone has sunk into the water, however, the waves continue to travel, because their energy is still being transferred. The source of the waves is no longer necessary, once the wave has been set in motion. The same is true of electromagnetic waves. Imagine that you had a torch powerful enough to be seen on the Moon. Imagine also that you had an observer on the surface of the Moon. Light takes about 1.3 seconds to reach the Moon from the Earth. Suppose that you turn the torch on, and then half a second later you turn it off. 1.3 seconds later, your lunar colleague will see the light from your torch, even though there is no longer a source of light.

I am often asked how I can believe that God made light on the first day of creation, if He didn't make the Sun, Moon and stars until the fourth day. The problem, I am told, is that light needs a source. That is not the case. We can see light, whose source is no longer there. Light is a directional wave form. Therefore, it is very easy to envisage God making light, by setting a transverse wave going in electromagnetic fields, even though He had not yet made the Sun. Once we suppose that there is a Creator, this order of creation is completely plausible. If God got the light going, as a waveform, without a source, it would still have been travelling in a direction onto the Earth. If the Earth were set rotating, once every 24 hours, then we can easily have evening, morning and periods of days.

This is not a proof of how God created light, but it is consistent with what we know of the nature of light. Therefore, those who argue that the lack of light source on Day One demonstrates that Genesis is not true, show that they are actually assuming prejudices, rather than scientific fact.