Christian Relativity - A study on Time - Amy Lawrence

Christian Relativity

A Study on Time in Scripture

Time. In reading the first three words of scripture, we learn that the first thing created was time. It is indeed a marvel. We can spend it, waste it, manage it, or measure it, but what we can never do is change its speed.

Time stands still for no one.

Time speeds up for no one.

Let’s discuss this unstoppable force and what we as Christians are expected to do with it. 

Albert Einstein possessed a mind that had a knack for thinking ahead of his time. HIs theory of general relativity is a description of how gravity works and how mass affects time and space. Einstein postulated that time and space are intertwined, and what affects one also affects the other. He theorized that if one could “fold” space, time would “fold” with it…and one could travel from point A to point B millions of miles away in a matter of seconds. He also theorized that anything that generates enough gravity will “bend” this space/time fabric. Using Einstein’s theory is how astronomers find stars, black holes, planetary bodies, galaxies millions of light years away. Most do not understand Einstein’s theory because most people see space and time as two separate entities. Your phone understands, though. The GPS on your phone relies on Einstein’s theories for accuracy. Satellites in outer space experience time slightly faster than we do here on Earth (by nanoseconds, nothing significant). This means that the technology inside your phone has to use the theories postulated by Einstein in order for your GPS to get you where you need to go. Einstein’s ideas were theorized decades before we even had the technology to confirm his theories, but many of them are now proven fact.

 It’s a lot to wrap one’s head around. And that’s the point.

When God responded to Job in Job 38, he challenged Job to explain the “ordinances of heaven”, 38:33. God was presenting Job with a picture of how awesome He is and how puny we are when we stand before God. As long as it has taken the human race to discover what God has known all along is a testament to our limited ability and  access to knowledge. God tells us, “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Is. 55:9) Just because we have learned how time and space work doesn’t mean we’ve suddenly been given the ability to manipulate either. Understanding the relationship between time and space does not change the fact that we are still human. God created Einstein. Even knowing what he knew, Albert Einstein could not bend space. He could not alter time. Only God can. That fact has never changed. In this, we see God. Paul wrote to the Romans, “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead…” (Rom. 1:29) God is proven, time and time again, by His creation. Our limits are proven, time and time again, by HIs creation.

But why show us how limited we are?

I’ll get into that in a moment. First, let’s see what the Bible has to say about time.

Scripture talks A LOT about time and the relationship it has with Creation. Everyone can probably quote Ecclesiastes 3:1-8: “To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven…” We are the prisoners of time. Solomon also wrote, “I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to men of understanding, nor favor to men of skill; but time and chance happens to them all. For man also knows not his time: as the fish that are taken in a cruel net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare; so are the sons of men snared in a cruel time, when it falls suddenly upon them.” (Ecc. 9:11-12) Time is a determinate of our existence, and we cannot escape it. There is nothing quite like watching the hands of a clock move and knowing that we are at the mercy of the time that clock represents. Imagine, if you will, going through an entire day without knowing what time it is! Would that day feel slower? Faster? Would the sun seem to stand still? (That really happened, once, Josh. 10:12-13.) No matter how we perceive or how much we know about the temporal, it still does not change the fact that our physical bodies have been created with a time-limit. Everything in Creation is temporary, 2 Pet. 3:10, which makes God separate from Creation, from time and space. God is spirit, John 4:24. God existed before time began, 1 Pet. 1:20. God inhabits eternity, Is. 57:15. There is no limit to the space God can take up at any given time, Is. 52:12, and there is no escaping God, Prov. 15:3. His eternal existence in both time and space is depicted in His name, Ex. 3:13-15, Jn. 8:58.

This is part of what makes God awesome. 

Scripture measures time in human terms by hours, Mt. 20:3-5, days, Gen. 1:5, weeks (Sabbaths), Ex. 26:26, months, Ex. 12:2, years, Ex. 12:5, feasts/holy days, Ex. 23:14, Is. 30:29, moons, Ps. 81:3; 104:19, Is. 66:23, and watches, Lk. 12:38. (The Hebrew Calendar is a lunisolar calendar, using both the sun and moon for times and dates. Not all scripture was recorded using the Hebrew references of time, though. Matthew, Mark, and Luke used Hebrew references - but John did not. John used Roman time, which is why it may seem that scripture contradicts itself when in fact it does not, Mt. 27:45, Mk. 15:33, Lk. 23:44, Jn. 19:14). No measure of time, however, is relevant to God, 2 Pet. 3:8, because God is eternal, Is. 43:11-13.

Okay. We’ve covered the physical. Let’s get into our spiritual view of time. I asked a question earlier; why does God show us how limited we are? Being finite, we often are forced to consider the brevity of this life. Eternity is so appealing to us as humans because we know how fleeting this life is, Is. 40:6-8. We’ve seen the truth of death. The other side of suffering shows us how fragile we are. In this, we have the tendency to seek things that make us feel safe and secure. Scripture gives us the answer. Only in scripture can we can find the promise God gives that we do not have to be afraid. God told Joshua, “Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” (Josh. 1:9) When we understand our own weakness, we seek a safe haven. Anyone that has a deep knowledge of and appreciation for God’s power finds that safe haven in Him. Our limits should draw us closer to God, Ps. 57:1. He never leaves, Heb. 13:5.

Our weaknesses are also a billboard for God’s power, our imprisonment by time a flashing sign that points to the Almighty. Paul understood this, 2 Cor. 12:7-1. Isaiah 43:1-13 showcases how God’s might is necessary throughout all of Creation and our interaction with it. Mankind’s limitations broadcast the difference between God Almighty and man. This also brings to the forefront the love that God has for us. He has the ability to destroy us…but instead lifts us up, James 4:10.

We may not be able to manipulate time, but we can certainly use what we have been given wisely. The Ephesians were advised by Paul to “walk circumspectly… redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” (Eph. 5:15-16) All things are given to us by God, including our time, James 1:17. In this, we are made stewards for Christ…and a steward must be found faithful, 1 Cor. 4:1-2. We can be efficient with the time and talents given to us by God (Mt. 25:14-23)…or we can squander them (Mt. 25:24-30).

Either way, we will answer for it, 2 Cor. 5:9-11.

I’ll ask some questions in conclusion:

1.)How much of your day did you dedicate to God?

2.)How much of God’s day did He dedicate to you?

3.) How much of your time would  you invest into eternity?

Every moment we invest into God’s Kingdom is an investment into eternity, because it is the only Kingdom that will cross over into eternity, 1 Cor. 15:24. Give your time to God, and what He will give in return is timeless.