Kairos Time – Grace Period
Kairos Time – Grace Period
KAIROS: (Greek, kahee-ros); an ancient Greek term for “time” that has been defined and described in many ways. New Testament Kairos means time, the right time, not just any time. The other Greek word for time is chronos, which is simply the linear measurement of time, as in the word chronology. Chronos has to do with quantity of time, while Kairos has to do with quality of time. Chronos refers to the sheer presence of time, but Kairos refers to the presence of timeliness. One can see different aspects of the effects of Kairos time depending on the situation. There are three angles of Kairos as we look at “kairos time” in the New Testament:
- Kairos means a timely opportunity; the fitting time for action; the right time to get involved; the proper time to act or decide something; a moment whose time has come; a time to respond because things have come to a head (kairos is related to the Greek word for head, “kara”); a particular time when a crisis has created an opportunity.
- Kairos is God-time; the appointed time appointed by God; a sacred time for God to act; the opportune time when the Holy Spirit is moving someone into action; the moment of truth when the Spirit of God is inspiring the right word or action for the occasion; the right, fitting time to accomplish God’s will. One sacred example would be the Judeo-Christian believer honoring the Sabbath as God’s appointed time once a week, which sanctifies the day and enables the believer to experience Kairos time.
- Kairos time can be experienced by someone who has lost track of time, who are in a state of mind in which they are not even aware of chronos time but fully enveloped in Kairos time. Examples would be monks during contemplation, artists while sculpting or painting; authors when writing; musicians when composing or performing; children while playing; worshipers while engaged in divine singing; gardeners while working in their gardens. Kairos is when someone loses track of time when in a state of inspiration or concentrated activity. When so inspired, time goes by so fast that they are completely unaware of the passage of time. For those in Kairos time in a peak of creative or inspired activity, chronos time seems irrelevant. (the primary reference: author Madelein L’Engle, from her memoir, Walking on Water).
“As God’s partners and co-workers, we plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain. For He says: ‘In just the right time (kairos) of my favor, I have heard you; and in the day of salvation I have helped you.’ Behold, now is the right time (kairos) to receive God’s favor; behold, now is the day of salvation, the day God delivers you.” (2 Corinthians 6:2, Isaiah 49:8).
Behold! There are some individual words and short phrases in Scripture that need to be highlighted as they are read, words or phrases that are significant in that they point to something meaningful. Some phrases might be: Fear not. Here I am. Woe to you. One another. And maybe some words are: Amen. Hallelujah. Blessed. Abba. Come. The word Behold! is one of those significant words, an exclamation that is intended to get our attention. Listen, people, this is something you need to hear! Behold! says to the audience, Look at this and take note! You would be wise to remember these words and think about them! Careful now, don’t be deaf to what I am about to say! Stop what you’re doing and listen up! As the Eastern Orthodox Christians say before they read the Gospel in the Liturgy… Attend! The following verse contains one Behold! after another. So the words that follow must be important. Therefore, take heed.
If there is a Greek word for “Sooner than now!” then St. Paul would have used it in his 2nd letter to the Corinthian church. Clearly there is an urgency to Paul’s earnest pleading for the people to seize the opportunity before them. Now, he says, this is the moment to take advantage of God’s great gift of kindness, to be delivered into Jesus, to be saved by God. Paul quotes Isaiah 49:8, in which Yahweh is assuring the Chosen People that their exile in Babylon is soon coming to an end, that this is the acceptable time of grace. Yahweh would soon deliver them from captivity and save them from any further bondage in a foreign land. God says much the same thing through Paul here to the Corinthains: This is the Kairos time, the right time, the special time for deliverance from spiritual captivity and the bondage of sin. This is the day God saves, so seize the day! Take advantage of this opportunity, says Paul, because it won’t last forever. When Christ returns, the season of grace will have ended, and the time for God’s judgment has come. This is the era when God has suspended judgment and created a time to experience His grace before it’s too late. Make the decision to follow Jesus now, during this period allowed for your conversion into Christ.
Paul, a scholar of Scripture and well-versed in the gospel, certainly was thinking of a defining moment of Jesus in this warning to the Corinthians. This is the momentous time (Luke 4:16-17), when Jesus appeared in His hometown synagogue and read Isaiah 61:1-2. He completely quoted that passage from Isaiah except for the last phrase of that passage. Jesus closed His biblical mission statement with “this is the year of the Lord’s favor,” purposely omitting what actually was the last line in Isaiah, “the day of God’s vengeance.” Jesus’ presence in this world brought with it the acceptable year of the Lord’s favor and grace, the right time to be delivered from spiritual bondage. The time for God’s judgment is coming, yes, but now, while Jesus is here among us. With Christ, it is the time of God’s favor. For right now, take advantage of this grace period and follow Jesus, before it’s too late. Paul is warning the Corinthians that it is still the time of favor, because He has not returned yet to take His people home. So this is the time, the kairos time, when God saves. The day of salvation won’t last forever.
What does Jesus plan on doing during this time of God’s favor? What is His biblical mission during the time when God in the flesh ministers on earth, full of grace and truth?
“Behold! Now is the time (Kairos) God has appointed to show His favor. Now is the day of God’s saving help. Behold! Now is the right time to receive God’s grace. Today is the day to be delivered by your Savior.” (2 Corinthians 6:2).
Yes, waiting our whole life so we can have our deathbed confession could work, if we are fortunate enough to have a death bed, the ability at that time to think clearly, and the Lord hasn’t yet returned to take His people home. Yes, we can finally embrace our forgiveness at the last minute like the thief on the cross, if we actually have a last minute that provides that opportunity. If that is the way we choose to handle it, and it works out, we are to rejoice for you on the one hand, and feel badly for you on the other hand. In truth, following Jesus is not just so we can go to heaven when we die. The Faith is not merely fire insurance. We are forgetting something vital. We are ignoring the fact that God wants us to flourish in this life, to enjoy a meaningful life, a life that is satisfying. God knows that we can’t have any of that without Jesus in our life. We will never have a life with substance and purpose without Christ. Those who succeed in avoiding God in their lives are truly missing out. Those who live life without a relationship with God miss out on:
(1.) the Answer to the mystery of our existence;
(2.) the deeply satisfying joy of seeing the pieces of the life-puzzle fit together;
(3.) the profound relief of complete forgiveness;
(3.) the surprising fulfillment and satisfaction that comes with forgetting ourselves on purpose and serving others;
(4.) the wonder of the faithful Holy Spirit strengthening us in our weakness;
(5.) the peace that can come only from God, beyond our comprehension, in the midst of our brokenness, perplexity or turmoil;
(6.) the healing and joy that comes from being loved unconditionally, by God and by others;
(7.) the discovery of our true identity: Made in the image of God and being remade in the likeness of Christ;
(8.) the possibility of personal transformation, true character development, positive change within;
(9.) the possession of a moral compass based on eternal truths;
(10.) the experience of heavenly, agape love to lavish on others instead of our limited human love;
(11.) the unspeakable wisdom and direction of Holy Scripture;
(12.) the unawareness of all the ways the Lord shows us tender mercies;
(13.) the life-giving joy and gladness found in worshiping and glorifying the Lord God in Spirit and in truth;
(14.) the presence of the mind of Christ that provides us with an inspiring intellectual life that finds profound satisfaction in learning deep truths;
(15.) the comforting presence of God as our refuge, shelter, and hiding place;
(16.) the deep joy that comes when in spiritual communion with others who will partner with us through life’s ups and downs.
(17.) the indescribable pleasure and privilege of meeting Jesus at the pearly gates as a servant, a friend, a brother, and finally as a spiritual spouse.
The list of God’s many benefits for believers in Him is eternal. That’s why heaven will last forever, so we can learn about just how good God is. So it seems the longer we reject Christ, the longer we are punishing ourselves. Why refuse Christ at any point in our life? Why wait for the last moment when we may not be conscious when it comes? Why go through life unfulfilled and dissatisfied at a spiritual level, with the profound sense that we have missed out on something wholesome, worthwhile and good in our life?
Behold, now is the opportune time. Now is the right time to embrace this special opportunity to actually live “the good life” that everyone seems to be seeking. Why miss out on the kind of life God intended us to live when He created us? And now, as we fast-forward in our thinking, what about our future after we die? Do we really believe there is nothing to life after death? Or perhaps could it be that this life now has a profound purpose, and is a rewarding and meaningful preparation for the joyful, eternal life to come? Now that is something to look forward to, in this life and in the next.
Now is the time! Sooner than now!