Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
What does Ephesians 5:16 mean?
Another remedy against sin, is care, or caution, it being impossible else to maintain purity of heart and life. Time is a talent given us by God, and it is misspent and lost when not employed according to his design.
Key themes
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Keep this verse inside Ephesians 5:15-19 and alongside a few nearby related passages.
Commentary on Ephesians 5:16
Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Redeeming the time - The word rendered here as "redeeming," means "to purchase; to buy up" from the possession or power of anyone; and then to redeem, to set free - as from service or bondage; notes, Galatians 3:13 . Here it means, to rescue or recover our time from waste; to improve it for great and important purposes. Because the days are evil - Because the times in which you live are evil. There are many allurements and temptations that would lead you away from the proper improvement of time, and that would draw you into sin.
Key words
- buying time
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buying time. Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
- Redeeming
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Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
Context in Ephesians 5
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Ephesians 5 belongs to the late movement of the book, especially the section often described as household life and spiritual warfare. Ephesians presents the church as Christ’s body and temple, chosen in grace, united across dividing walls, and called to mature holy life. Read this chapter with the wider themes of union with Christ, church, and grace in view so the individual verses keep their proper weight.
Related topics
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Key passages on God's unmerited favour, the grace of Christ, salvation by grace through faith, and how grace transforms the way believers live.