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God and Light - A Scientist's Insights

By Dr Coen van Antwerpen

At the commencement of creation God said ‘let there be light’. (Gen 1:3)  So what is light? 

John (approx 70AD) writes that God is light and that God is love. (1 Jn 1:5; 4:8)  Can we learn from the nature of light about God and love?  Can we learn anything from created light that points to something of the nature of God Himself?  Yes we can. 

The apostle Paul (approx 60AD) states that ‘the unseen things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being realized by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead.’  Paul also wrote, ‘it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ’. (2 Cor 4:6)  A thousand years earlier King David stated in the 19th Psalm that creation declares God.

In order to develop an understanding of the nature of natural light, scientists needed a number of assumptions, tools and concepts, many of which modern science is founded upon.  One such assumption set is that there is an underlying structure and logic to what occurs, why things behave the way they do, and these can potentially be understood, modelled and measured.  The language developed to describe such underlying structure was, and is, mathematics.  Early mathematics was based on concepts from the Greeks (approx 500BC), but the major growth period for mathematical concepts has been in the last 400 years - since the time just prior to Isaac Newton.  With the aid of the tools developed by Newton and Leibnitz, the motion of planets, could be explained through mathematics.  Based on detailed measurements, these were encapsulated in Kepler’s laws.  Thus grew our understanding of the solar system and Earth’s location (and ultimately the current space programme).

Up to the 1800sAD a number of properties of light were measured but not fully explained by an existing underlying theory.  Two things that were observed were the wave-like nature of light and its finite (very fast) speed.   The latter was initially measured by using the discrepancy in the predicted and measured timings of the eclipses of the moons of Jupiter in the 1600sAD.  How could these be explained?

In the 1860sAD Maxwell brought together the work of the early pioneers in the fields of electricity and magnetism and explored the implications of the mathematical relationships.  As a result he developed a set of four equations (see sidebar) that explain all aspects associated with electricity and magnetism.  He united these two forces into a single framework. His equations have withstood every experimental test and provide considerable insight in explaining some of the mechanics of the universe and its interactions, whether at an atomic scale or a scale of incredible distance.    

Maxwell showed that electric and magnetic fields interact as waves, and his equations give their direction of travel as well as their velocity, which is the same as the speed of light!  In other words light can be explained and understood as being an electro-magnetic wave  produced by two fields, an electric field and a magnetic field, which interact in such a way as to produce a wave that moves at the speed of light.  As the first field grows it is because the second is giving itself away.  When the second is finally all given, the first then gives itself,  causing the second to grow again.  Neither can exist without the other. 

So it could be said that physical light is an illustration of the nature of God and His love.   The unity of the electric and magnetic fields depict their single purpose, while the interaction of the two fields illustrates the quality of Their relationship of total giveness – to the point of holding nothing back, so that the other can be shown.  What other indicators can you draw?

Recall that the nature of light remained hidden until just over a hundred years ago.  So when Paul and John wrote their letters nearly 2000 years ago they did not understand intellectually the actual nature of created light, yet their comments about divine light help us to understand something more about the nature of God Himself.

No matter where you look in the created universe there will be electro-magnetic waves present, travelling from one location to another, conveying information, and moving at a speed of nearly 300,000 kms per second.  Within the created universe nothing can travel faster than the speed of light in a vacuum.  This means that no information can ever be transmitted faster than approximately 300,000 kms per second.  Electro-magnetic waves convey information.  For us, our most common use is to turn on a light to remove the unknowns of the darkness.  As the light reflects off what was previously hidden, it conveys information, revealing the context in which we find ourselves.  Such information may perhaps prevent injury or allow something to be done.

Recall our opening thoughts.

• God said, ‘let there be light’.
• Creation declares the glory of God, so that the unseen things of Him are clearly seen.
• God is light and there is no darkness in Him. 
• He is love and out of darkness divine light shines to give knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 

In the discoveries about the fundamental nature of created light, what was previously unseen in creation now witnesses to the nature of the unity of God.  It affirms the nature of His love, and His desire to reveal Himself to us, which He did through the gift of His Son. 

The capacity of light (and all electro-magnetic waves) to carry information illustrates God’s desire to convey His word to us and the truth of who we really are.  He wants to show us the context in which we belong, by removing the darkness we may find ourselves in.  No matter where we turn there is always a word from Him for us if we wish to detect and listen to it.  Do you hear Him talking to you?  Is His light shining in your heart?