God and Time
The Bible clearly teaches that time, at least as humans know it, began (Gen 1:1) and has an end (Rev 21:5-6). Did God create time? Is He part of time? Stephen Hawking, probably one of the most noted physicists of our time with a large interest in cosmology, has stated that there was no set moment when the universe began because there was no precise moment when time began – the universe did not begin “in” time but came into being with the universe. While Hawking used his theory to demonstrate, at least in his own thinking, that there is no need to believe in God, this type of model actually supports early views about God and time. Theologians like Augustine and Aquinas believed and taught that God created time and existed outside of time which made God timeless and atemporal. Other theologians like Boethius, Stump, and Kretzmann agree to God’s timelessness but that He is temporal in that He experiences events in succession but has done so for all moments in the past and will continue to do so for all moments in the future. Therefore, both camps agree to His eternality but not how He is timeless. Then there are those even more recently, like Padgett and DeWeese, who claim God is in time but a different type of time than humans experience, and Craig who argues that God was timeless prior to creation but entered time when he created the universe. These ideas seem to create two main views of time: the A-theorists who hold the idea that time passes and is a succession of events; and the B-theorists who hold the idea that space-time is viewed as a static 4-dimensional reality, i.e., that the past, present, and future all co-exist simultaneously. Even science does not seem to be unanimous in its view of time: Quantum Theory supports the A-theorists’ view of time while Einstein’s Theory of Relativity supports the B-theorists’ view of time.
It is possible that both groups are correct. Ever since Einstein’s revolutionary theory in 1905 that light does not always travel as a wave as part of the electromagnetic spectrum but also as tiny particles called photons, the field of physics today has accepted these two aspects of light. Previously, scientists built camps on one side or the other. Einstein proved what previous scientists had not: light exists as waves and particles simultaneously. Therefore, since time and light are intricately associated, as Einstein also showed in his theory of relativity, then it would not be inconceivable that time could also behave in two differently perceived aspects.
I feel that all three camps (A-theory, B-theory and some combination of the two), by being so dogmatic in their views, have limited some of the characteristics of God that the Bible attributes to Him. We must be careful in how we reason. We cannot always reason how God works with human understanding (Is 55:8-9). Our basis should be what the Bible states, not if and how we can reason what the Bible states. If God was timeless and then created time for mankind, it is conceivable that He can still remain outside of the time He created. Why would the Bible’s claim to God’s omnipresence (Ps 139:7-10) be limited to physical places? Why can it not also apply to time? If God is God, can He not exist in time and outside of time simultaneously? God’s “interaction” with mankind would then be perceived as a “before” and “after” event for us (A-theorists time) but not outside of our time where the past, present, and future time coexist (B-theorists time). The Bible states that God does not change (Hb 13:8). This is implying that His character never changes; however, the way in which He interacts with mankind has changed several times over the centuries.
I do not feel it is not the act of creation that should begin the debate of whether God is or is not in time as we know it, but the act of his human birth. Creation created a cause and effect that impacted mankind, but not necessarily God. However, Christ coming to the earth in human form created a cause and effect, a before and after experience, for both humanity and the Godhead. Before Christ came to earth He was also Spirit since he was one with the Father (Jn 4:24; 8:58). Being born, He became the God-Man that was required to meet the demands of a redeemer. However, since his death and resurrection, He has remained the God-Man (1Tm 2:5). Since Christ as the God-Man is currently with the Father (Hb 1:3), there would seem to be a “before” and “after” that was created even outside our realm of time, regardless which type of time one subscribes to believing. Therefore, it seems fairly easy to rationalize that God is outside of our time (i.e., a creator can be outside the elements of which he creates: in this case, time itself), but the question remains: is He in a different type of time, and if so, is it linear or simultaneous for Him?
Whether God is or not inside of time, it seems evident that God exists differently than mankind (2Pt 3:8). Is this type of debate even worth pursuing? More than just a mental exercise, if taken seriously, it should broaden both our understanding and awe of who God is. What is the application? Paul told the Ephesians to “redeem the time” (Ep 5:16). To what was Paul referring and what understanding about time helps us to do this?
One of the definitions of the word redeem is “to convert into something of value.” This is likely the meaning Paul was considering in Ephesians 5:16 when he talked of redeeming the time. We all have the same amount of time; it is how we use it that counts. Into what are we converting our time? Before we can do that effectively, we need to have a good understanding of what time has been created for and what it has revealed to date in order to know how to maximally utilize it for our future.
Let’s delve into that next time.
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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens