Deep Dive into Walking Wisely in Evil Days: Redeeming the Time (Ephesians 5:15 –16)

Wise urgency is the core practice of Christian living, defined as sanctification on a clock: watchful, Scripture-ruled, Spirit-enabled, and joyfully accountable to the Lord. This posture is commanded in Ephesians 5:15 –16 to "Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil."

Wise urgency begins with the gospel truth that believers are redeemed and accepted in Christ. This theological indicative—that Christ purchased us—generates the imperative of our diligent stewardship. We redeem time, not to earn God's favor, but out of gratitude for the favor already received.

The strategy of wise urgency is redeeming the time (buying up the $\text{kairos}$), which refers to seizing seasonable, God-fitted moments for obedience, witness, and love before they close. This demands precision ($\text{ἀκριβῶς}$), or careful accuracy in conduct, which contrasts sharply with the unwise life of spiritual inertia and drift. Because "the days are evil," moral realism mandates this vigilance, prompting believers to seize providential moments before evil squanders them.

Wise urgency is sustained through comprehensive disciplines. It requires subtraction—the payment of lesser goods or "time-thieves" (like late-night diversions or excessive entertainment) to prioritize necessary spiritual activity. It is energized by being filled with the Spirit, which expresses itself as Word-filled living and communal holiness. Furthermore, the practice is calibrated weekly by guarding the Lord's Day, which acts as a divine guardrail against burnout and restores sanity for the week ahead.

The practice avoids a cluster of errors, including the extremes of antinomianism ("grace erases effort") and legalism ("effort earns grace"), and rejects the worldly metric of pragmatism ("it works") in favor of discerning what pleases the Lord. Ultimately, wise urgency is the disciplined, hopeful commitment to align the entire pattern of one’s life with Christ's will.

Reformed Theologian GPT: https://chat.openai.com/g/g-XXwzX1gnv-reformed-theologian

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