Ephesians 5:14-17 tells Christians to redeem the time because the days are evil, and Christ promises to give light and help to do so. For the called-out, every period in which God's people have lived by faith is evil, because God's truth has always run counter to the course of this world, adding a peculiar stress to life in any era. Galatians 1:3-4 confirms this by speaking of deliverance from "this present evil age." No generation has an advantage in growing and overcoming, since every age opposes the Christian. Solomon's description of time in Ecclesiastes 1 shows the repetitious, frustrating cycles of wars, depressions, and revolutions, which flow from man's self-centered, anti-God nature and which the New Testament calls evil. Yet Christians also know that God is directing time linearly toward the return of Christ, the Day of the Lord, and the establishment of His Family Kingdom. The church's view of time therefore combines both realities: facing the evil of sin's repetitious vanity with faith in God's promised victory. Because each person has only one opportunity to lay hold on eternal life, the present is an acceptable day that will pass, as the parable of the ten virgins shows. Christians must therefore make the most of every occasion, understand the Lord's will, and not confine Christianity to the Sabbath.

All days are evil for the Christian. Paul's command in Ephesians 5:14-17 to redeem the time "because the days are evil" applies to every era, not just his own or ours, though modern weapons of mass destruction make the present age especially grim. Every period in which God's people have lived by faith has been evil, because the course of this world has always opposed God's truth, and that adds a peculiar difficulty to life regardless of when it is lived. No age gives the Christian an advantage in growing and overcoming, and Galatians 1:3-4 shows that Christ alone delivers from this present evil world. Each called person has only one opportunity at eternal life and must prove loyalty to God within it. The evil also includes the cyclical, frustrating repetition of wars, depressions, and futility that Solomon called vanity. Man's unchanging carnal nature, which is enmity against God, produces these cycles through greed, lust, envy, and jealousy, and they lead nowhere in terms of God's Kingdom. Yet time is not a meaningless circle. God is directing it in a straight line toward Christ's return, judgment, and the establishment of His Kingdom. Therefore Christians must not be discouraged or distracted by the evil of the days but must understand God's will, seize every opportunity to do right, and manage the time given. Christ promises to give light and help for this.

The days are evil because the present age as a whole is evil. Galatians 1:4 says Christ gave Himself to deliver us from this present evil age, and John 15:18-19 and 17:15-16 teach that the world hates God's people because they are not of it. Human civilization, with its governments, philosophies, and business and religious practices, is Satan's handiwork rather than God's, and all nations are deceived and manipulated by the Devil. Its root problem is self-centeredness, which began when Adam and Eve turned from God, and cultures decline in proportion to their rejection of Christ. Even a crisis that turns people toward God, as after 9/11, brings only a temporary return before society resumes its degeneration. Believers must therefore stop looking at everything from the world's perspective and see it through God's eyes. They are not to make this world better, because only God can change its direction. It is passing away and heading toward a catastrophic end. Ephesians 5:15-17 draws the practical conclusion: walk carefully as the wise, redeeming the time because the days are evil, and understand the Lord's will. Time is a talent for which God holds believers accountable. The time is short, the Lord's return is imminent, and each person's own judgment is near. Romans 13:11 calls Christians to wake up from spiritual sleep, cast off the works of darkness, and live righteously. Though evil, this is also the day of salvation for the church, the time to repent, serve Christ, and take the gospel to the world. Wasted time cannot be recovered, so believers must use the remaining time well.