What is the doctrine of time?

Time is an allotment from God; He has given each person a specific amount of time and a corresponding amount of suffering, adversity, and crisis (Job 5:7; Psalm 34:19, 37). Because Jesus Christ controls history, there are crises in life, but there are no tragedies or innocent victims (Rom. 8:28; Eph. 1:11; Col. 1:17; Rev. 22:12–13).

Believers are commanded to "redeem the time," which means to ransom or buy back time from the power of the devil's world (Eph. 5:15–17). This is necessary because the days are evil and time is running out (Eph. 5:16; 1 Cor. 7:29). The only day that can be redeemed is today (Isa. 49:8; Matt. 6:33–34; 2 Cor. 6:2).

Redeeming time involves using the Word of God as capital to live in the filling of the Holy Spirit. Every minute spent in fellowship belongs to the believer forever, while every minute spent out of fellowship is lost. This divine production in a believer's life results in rewards and treasures stored in heaven, which will be judged at the Bema, the Judgment Seat of Christ (Matt. 6:19–21; 2 Cor. 5:9–11; Rev. 22:12).