Fear Not — 150-Day Devotional
$ 24.99
A 150-day journey through Scripture designed to uproot fear and build unshakeable faith. Foundation, Formation, Fortification.
Time Cross-Reference Library · Group 6 of 12
Chronos and Kairos
The Clock, the Moment, and What "Redeeming the Time" Actually Means
God never told you to squeeze more productivity out of the clock. He told you to seize the moment He is handing you.
This is the hinge of the whole library. English gives us one word for time; Greek gives us two. Chronos is measured duration — the clock, the calendar, your age. Kairos is the appointed season, the decisive opening. When Paul commands "redeeming the time," the word is kairos. That single fact frees a great many anxious believers from a race they were never entered into.
The Scriptures
6 Cross-Reference Verses
1
Ephesians 5:15-16 KJV
"See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil."
The anchor — the command is to redeem the kairos, not the chronos.
2
Ephesians 5:17 KJV
"Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is."
Redeeming time and discerning God's will are the same discipline.
3
Colossians 4:5 KJV
"Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time."
The same verb, now aimed at how we treat people outside the faith.
4
Acts 1:7 KJV
"It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power."
Jesus uses chronos and kairos side by side — both belong to the Father.
5
Galatians 6:9 KJV
"And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not."
"Due season" is kairos — the harvest has an appointed moment.
6
Galatians 3:13 KJV
"Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us."
The same verb exagorazō — Christ bought us back before He asked us to buy back our days.
Hebrew & Greek
Key Word Study
καιρός
An appointed season, strategic opportunity, decisive moment. Time as opportunity rather than duration.
— Ephesians 5:16
χρόνος
Chronological, measurable time — minutes, days, years. The root of "chronological" and "chronometer."
— Acts 1:7
ἐξαγοράζω
To buy back, redeem, seize an opportunity — a marketplace word for purchasing something while it is still on offer.
— Ephesians 5:16
The Anchor Verse
Ephesians 5:16
"Redeeming the time, because the days are evil."
— KJV
Exagorazō is a marketplace word — to buy something up while it is still available. The command carries urgency and opportunity, not guilt.
Application
What This Means for You
You are not commanded to outrun your age or match anyone else's pace. You are commanded to notice and seize the openings God sets in front of you.
Redeeming time is largely a matter of refusal — refusing to let God-given opportunity be consumed by sin, distraction, bitterness, idleness or fear.
Before Christ ever asked you to buy back your days, He bought you back Himself. The same word carries both.