Atheist's Attacks

Answering Humanist's Accusations Against the Bible

Christian Resources

God Created Sun, Moion and Stars

Don't Make Assumptions

Is the following a contradiction in the Bible?

HUMANIST QUESTION: Genesis 1:2-3 claims that God created light and divided it from darkness on the first day; but Genesis 1:14-19 tells us the sun, moon, and stars weren’t made until the fourth day.

Everything stated above is 100% correct. However, I am guessing they are expecting us to make an assumption that light can only come from the sun, moon, or stars.1 Since they were not created until day four, how could there be light on day one?

To start, we need to make sure we make the correct assumptions. Is it true that light can only come from the sun, moon (reflected from the sun), or stars? Can you think of any other light sources? Light bulbs? Fire? Maybe God Himself?

Genesis 1 describes God creating by simply speaking things into existence. That is power. However, God does not even need to speak... He can create everything or anything in a single blink of a fraction of a microsecond with no effort at all. Think about it. Does the creator God need a sun to make light? No.

One thought is that God Himself is the source of the light. Scripture talks about God's glory being a source of light. For ex-ample, Revelation 21:23-24 describes the New Jerusalem that will exist in the new heaven and new earth:

And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it.

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Scripture does not identify the source of the light in Genesis 1:2-3, but it could very well be that God's glory was the source, just as described in Revelation 21. On the other hand, God might have done it another way. Do not limit the Creator of the uni-verse based on your limited human assumptions.

On the other hand, God could have simply created the light. He does not need a source for light... He can just make light. Don't make the assumption the atheists hope you will make, that light can only come from the sun, moon or stars.

Don't limit yourself to human assumptions.

God is not limited by assumptions humanists try to force you to make.

So there is no contradiction here... we are ready for the next accusation.

Chapter 1 reports that the fruit trees were created before the man, while chapter 2 indicates they were made after him.

We are still in Genesis, so this statement is about Genesis chapters one and two. Notice that once agin the humanists do not raise a specific question. They make a statement, and they want you to assume there is a problem (question). That is a technique used to confuse and misdirect people. But, as you saw, the answer about light was not that difficult to figure out and this next one is just as easy.

Tap here to go to the next accusation...

Footnote 1: Once again, the humanist author has not provided a specific accusation. He has left it to the reader to assume there is a contradiction.