Eph 5:16 — Redeeming the Time

Notice the contrast, in vv. 15 and 17, between walking as unwise fools and being wise or understanding. “Therefore, be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise … So, then, don’t be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” It is the contrast between the thoughtless behavior of fools, on the one hand, and having insight into God’s will, on the other. This language is reminiscent of the wisdom literature, for example the book of Proverbs, which regularly makes the contrast between the carelessness of the fool and the attentiveness of the wise man. Proverbs 14:16: “A wise man is cautious and turns away from evil, but a fool is arrogant and careless.”

This is why Paul says in verse 16 that we must redeem the time. This doesn’t just mean “make the most of every opportunity,” as it is translated in the NIV. Instead, what Paul is getting at is this. Consider the time in which we live. We live in the time between the first and the second coming of Christ, that is, between the already and the not-yet. The powers of the age to come have already entered this world in the death and resurrection of Christ. We are already seated with Christ in the heavenly places. Therefore, don’t live as the world around us lives, as if there were no eschatology, as if the world was simply going to continue on indefinitely. No, live as those who belong to the age to come, as those who are conscious of the time.

It is noteworthy that in Greek Paul says, “redeeming the time.” A parallel usage is found in Romans 13:11. “Do this, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed.” The time is here defined in reference to the nearness of the day of Christ’s appearing, the day of salvation, the hour when we shall all awaken from the sleep of death. Paul is saying, let us live in light of the fact that we stand on the edge of eternity, only a heartbeat away from our eternal life with God heaven.

You see, then, how verse 16 fits in perfectly with the surrounding context in vv. 15 and 17, which deal with the contrast between folly and wisdom. If we are living in the time of the last days, how foolish, how undiscerning and blind, it would be to walk carelessly. It would be like a man whistling in the dark, not knowing that he is about to walk off the edge of a cliff. As wise men, as those who have discerned our position in redemptive history just prior to the climax of history, let us redeem the time by walking carefully, thoughtfully, finding out what pleases the Lord, and having insight into his will.