But as wise: redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

“But when he urges us not to give place to evil, he does not offer the suggestion that we should take to our heels, he only teaches that passion should be kept under restraint; and if he says that the time must be redeemed, because the days are evil, he wishes us to gain a lengthening of life, not by flight, but by wisdom.”

“It is not from any wish that you should be artful, and versatile, that he gives this advice. But what he means is this. The time is not yours. At present ye are strangers, and sojourners, and foreigners, and aliens; seek not honors, seek not glory, seek not authority, nor revenge; bear all things, and in this way, "redeem the time"; give up many things, anything they may require. Imagine now, I say, a man had a magnificent house, and persons were to make their way in, on purpose to murder him, and he were to give a large sum, and thus to rescue himself. Then we should say, he has redeemed himself. So also hast thou a large house, and a true faith in thy keeping. They will come to take all away. Give whatever they may demand, only preserve the principal thing, I mean the faith.”

“Above he forbade the oldness of carnal deceits; here he exhorts to the contrary newness. And first he exhorts to the newness contrary to deceit; second, to the newness contrary to excess, at "and be not drunk," etc. The first part is divided into three. First he leads them to the caution contrary to deceit; second he shows the newness of this caution, at "redeeming the time," etc.; third he teaches the manner of this caution, at "therefore do not become," etc. He says therefore, "so then" — namely, from what has gone before — "see how you walk carefully." Caution is a certain condition of prudence, by which someone avoids the impediments to the things to be done, and all ought to have this caution. Proverbs 4:23: "Let your eyes look straight on, and let your eyelids go before your steps." But this pertains to the wise, and therefore he says "not as unwise" — namely, those who do not know how to avoid impediments. Psalm 75:6: "All the unwise of heart were troubled." "But as wise." Ecclesiastes 2:14: "The eyes of the wise man are in his head; the fool walks in darkness." Some say: "if not chastely, yet cautiously." But the Apostle does not take it in this way; rather he says "carefully," as if he were saying: beware of men contrary to chastity. He shows the necessity of this caution when he says "redeeming the time," etc., which can be expounded in two ways. For someone sometimes redeems his own thing by giving gifts or something in exchange for it, just as someone is said to redeem his vexation by giving gifts, or money, or by giving up something of his own right. He says therefore: this whole present time is a time of calumny, and therefore be redeeming the time, "because the days are evil." From the time Adam sinned, snares impelling to sin have always stood ready. But it was not so in the state of innocence, in which man did not need to abstain from anything lawful, because in his will there was nothing impelling him toward sin. But now we must redeem the time, "because the days are evil," that is, we ought to avoid the malice of the days, to guard beforehand against the evil day, as is said in Ecclesiastes 7:15, and also to abstain from certain lawful things. 1 Corinthians 10:23: "All things are lawful for me, but not all things edify." It is in this manner that someone is said to redeem his vexation, because he lets something of his own right go to waste. Or otherwise: "redeeming the time," etc. It happens sometimes that someone lives in sin for a great span of his lifetime, and this is lost time. But how will he redeem it, since man is not sufficient to pay off what is owed? I respond: it must be said that he ought to devote himself to good works all the more, the more he formerly pressed on in evils. 1 Peter 1: "For the time past is sufficient to have fulfilled the will of the Gentiles, for those who have walked in excesses, wine-drinking bouts, desires," etc. But the first exposition is better. Then when he says "therefore do not become," etc., he teaches the manner of this caution, saying: "therefore" — namely, so that you may be able to redeem the time — "do not become imprudent." Note that there is a difference between wisdom and prudence. For prudence is a certain wisdom, but not universal wisdom. Proverbs 10:23: "But wisdom is prudence to a man." For he is called wise without qualification who has it in him to order all things; but he is called wise in a qualified sense who has it in him to order those things concerning which he is wise. 1 Corinthians 3:10: "As a wise architect I have laid the foundation." For it belongs to the wise man to order, as is said in Metaphysics I. But everyone who orders looks to an end; therefore he is wise without qualification who knows the end, or who acts for the sake of the universal end, namely God. Deuteronomy 4:6: "For this is your wisdom," etc. For wisdom is the knowledge of divine things, as Augustine says, On the Trinity IV. But prudence is the providence of a particular thing, namely, when someone orders his own deeds. And therefore "wisdom is prudence to a man." For this reason, then, he says: "do not become imprudent, but understanding," etc. Just as speculative reason orders and judges concerning things to be known, and it is necessary to hold conclusions and judge them by means of principles, so too it is in things to be done. Now this first principle, by which we ought to judge and regulate all things, is the will of God; and therefore the intellect, in moral and divine matters, ought to have the will of God as its principle, because, if it has this as its principle, the intellect becomes prudent. Deuteronomy 32:29: "O that they would be wise and would understand," etc. This the Lord taught, Matthew 26:42: "Your will be done."”

“And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess,.... The sin of drunkenness here dehorted from, is a custom, or habit, of voluntary excessive drinking of any strong liquor, whereby the mind is disturbed, and deprived of the use of reason: though wine is only here mentioned, that being the usual liquor drank in the eastern countries, yet the same holds good of any other strong liquor, as of that; nor is drinking wine for necessary use prohibited, nor for honest delight and lawful pleasure; but excessive drinking of it, and this voluntary, and with design, and on purpose; otherwise persons may be overtaken and intoxicated, through ignorance of the strength of the liquor, and their own weakness; and it is a custom, or habit of excessive drinking, for not a single act, but a series of actions, a course of living in this sin, denominates a man a drunkard; and generally speaking, excessive drinking deprives persons of the use of reason, though not always; and such are criminal, who are mighty to drink wine, and strong to mingle strong drink; as are also such, who though not guilty of this sin themselves, are the means of it in others: the sin is very sinful; it is one of the works of the flesh; it is an abuse of the creature; it is opposed to walking honestly; for it persons are to be excluded from the communion of the church; and, without the grace of true repentance, shall not inherit the kingdom of heaven: many things might be said to dissuade from it; it hurts the mind, memory, and judgment; deprives of reason, and sets a man below a beast; it brings diseases on the body, and wastes the estate; it unfits for business and duty; it opens a door for every sin, and exposes to shame and danger; and therefore should be carefully avoided, and especially by professors of religion: but be filled with the Spirit; that is, "with the Holy Spirit", as read the Vulgate Latin and Ethiopic versions; with the gifts and graces of the Spirit: some have been filled with them in an extraordinary way, as the apostles on the day of Pentecost; and others in an ordinary manner, as common believers; and who may be said to be filled with the Spirit, as with wine, or instead of it, or in opposition to it, when the love of God is shed abroad in their hearts by the Spirit, which is compared to wine, for its antiquity, purity, and refreshing nature; and they are filled with it, who have a comfortable sense of it, and a firm persuasion of interest in it, and are delighted with the views of it, and are as it were inebriated with it; and they are filled with the Spirit, in whom his grace is a well of living water, and out of whose belly flow rivers of it; and who have a large measure of spiritual peace and joy, expressed in the following manner.”

“Redeeming the time - Εξαγοραζομενοι τον καιρον· Buying up those moments which others seem to throw away; steadily improving every present moment, that ye may, in some measure, regain the time ye have lost. Let time be your chief commodity; deal in that alone; buy it all up, and use every portion of it yourselves. Time is that on which eternity depends; in time ye are to get a preparation for the kingdom of God; if you get not this in time, your ruin is inevitable; therefore, buy up the time. Some think there is an allusion here to the case of debtors, who, by giving some valuable consideration to their creditors, obtain farther time for paying their debts. And this appears to be the sense in which it is used by the Septuagint, Dan 2:8 : Επ' αληθειας οιδα εγω, ὁτι καιρον ὑμεις εξαγοραζετε· I know certainly that ye would gain or buy time - ye wish to have the time prolonged, that ye may seek out for some plausible explanation of the dream. Perhaps the apostle means in general, embrace every opportunity to glorify God, save your own souls, and do good to men. Because the days are evil - The present times are dangerous, they are full of trouble and temptations, and only the watchful and diligent have any reason to expect that they shall keep their garments unspotted.”

“Redeeming the time-- (Col 4:5). Greek, "Buying up for yourselves the seasonable time" (whenever it occurs) of good to yourselves and to others. Buying off from the vanities of "them that are without" (Col 4:5), and of the "unwise" (here in Ephesians), the opportune time afforded to you for the work of God. In a narrower sense, special favorable seasons for good, occasionally presenting themselves, are referred to, of which believers ought diligently to avail themselves. This constitutes true "wisdom" (Eph 5:15). In a larger sense, the whole season from the time that one is spiritually awakened, is to be "redeemed" from vanity for God (compare Co2 6:2; Pe1 4:2-4). "Redeem" implies the preciousness of the opportune season, a jewel to be bought at any price. WAHL explains, "Redeeming for yourselves (that is, availing yourselves of) the opportunity (offered you of acting aright), and commanding the time as a master does his servant." TITTMANN, "Watch the time, and make it your own so as to control it; as merchants look out for opportunities, and accurately choose out the best goods; serve not the time, but command it, and it shall do what you approve." So PINDAR [Pythia, 4.509], "The time followed him as his servant, and was not as a runaway slave." because the days are evil--The days of life in general are so exposed to evil, as to make it necessary to make the most of the seasonable opportunity so long as it lasts (Eph 6:13; Gen 47:9; Psa 49:5; Ecc 11:2; Ecc 12:1; Joh 12:35). Besides, there are many special evil days (in persecution, sickness, &c.) when the Christian is laid by in silence; therefore he needs the more to improve the seasonable times afforded to him (Amo 5:13), which Paul perhaps alludes to.”