REDEEMING THE TIME

Ephesians 5:16

"...redeeming the time, because the days are evil."

The wise person understands the culture and society in which he lives. He recognizes that the days are evil (5:16). A Christian needs to realize that the world and the culture are evil. This shouldn’t be too hard to see. Our world is fallen and corrupt and the enemies of God are working to destroy God’s creation. This world is under the control of powers and forces that are hostile to God. So the Christian is not fooled when he hears people say the world is advancing and evolving into higher and better levels of existence. He realizes he is at war with the principalities and powers of the darkness of the age. He knows that this day is drawing to a close and that God’s judgment will surely come.

So the Christian does all he can in the time he has. He “makes the most of every opportunity” (5:16). A literal translation of this phrase is “redeeming the opportunities.” “Redeem” means to buy back something. Peter wrote, “For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do—living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry” (1 Peter 4:3). We have already lost so many opportunities because of the time we spent in sin.

The wise man realizes this and invests himself in buying back opportunities that were squandered. He knows he does not have a lot of time in this world so he must make every opportunity count for the sake of the kingdom of God. How does he do this? Just as Paul has said, he shines as God’s light in the world. He exposes the deeds of sin and darkness with the light of God. He is used by God to awaken those who are asleep in the darkness and to bring them to Christ. If we are to live wisely then we must buy back every opportunity to rescue the lost from the kingdom of darkness and show them the way into the light of Christ.